WWE NXT Dusty Rhodes Classic Bracket

So WWE announced the bracket for the Dusty Rhodes Classic, their tag team tournament that has produced some tremendous matches in the past. The winner of the tournament will face Undisputed Era at TakeOver: New Orleans for the tag titles. He's the bracket:

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The first thing I noticed was that this is a weirdly conservative bracket. We've seen all of these teams before on NXT. There's no War Machine. This is an 8 team bracket, not the 16 team bracket we've seen in the past two Dusty Classics.

The bracket having 8 teams on it is leading me the rash decision of predicting the entire thing, and not just the first round, as I usually do. Follow along in the coming weeks as everything I say turns out to be wrong!

First Round

Street Profits vs. Heavy Machinery

Street Profits gotta win here, right? They're the upside team.

TM61 vs. Authors of Pain

This was was the final last time, in 2016. I think AOP are getting called up after Mania, so I think TM61, back from injury and getting a lot of shine, win here in what will be termed an upset.

Sabbatelli and Moss vs. SAnitY

Sabbatelli and Moss already have dissension, and they're barely out of being jobbers. Former champs SAnitY win.

Lorcan and Burch vs. Moustache Mountain

This will very likely be the match of the first round. This is going to be strong style and technical excellence and very hard hitting. Lorcan and Burch could score the upset, but I don't think they will.

Semi Finals

Street Profits vs. TM61

Street Profits are good, but we've yet to see a truly great match from them. This is their chance. But TM61 is going over. And if AOP wins the first round, they're going over.

SAnitY Vs. Moustache Mountain
This will be super fun. I think it'll be the first meeting for these two teams, at least on TV, and it should be special. I... I think SAnitY goes over? I am really not sure about it. But if I'm right about the story being told in the tournament, they will. Which will give us:

Finals

SAnitY vs. TM61

This was the semi finals in the 2016 tournament, and since then, TM61 has been out with an injury, and SAnitY have been tag champs. I believe the story of the tournament is TM61's redemption and comeback. And so they beat the dominant former champs in the first round, defeat the other hot young upstart team in the semi finals, and once again defeat SAnitY, this time for the tournament trophy and a shot at Undisputed Era.

This clears the path for SAnitY and AOP to finally move up to the main roster, where I expect AOP to dominate while the bookers probably fail to figure out what to do with Eric Young and company.

What do you think will happen in the tournament? Will they figure out a way for War Machine to crash the party and bust my bracket?

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