ORLANDO, Fla. — With incredible hard-hitting action, palpable drama and a weighty prize at stake, the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Final between Roderick Strong & WWE U.K. Champion Pete Dunne and The Authors of Pain had it all. The only thing missing, thanks to Undisputed ERA’s Adam Cole & Kyle O’Reilly, was a clear-cut victor.
The much-anticipated final saw Akam & Rezar drub The Messiah of the Backbreaker and The BruiserWeight in the early goings, but Strong & Dunne used their increasingly sophisticated tag team arsenal to stay in the fight. Strong & Dunne hit AOP with combination enzuigiris/jumping knee strikes, and Akam & Rezar charged back with a clothesline and a big boot, leaving all four men floored and fatigued by battle.
Just then, Cole & O’Reilly snuck into the ring and attacked both teams, prompting the referee to call for the bell. If Cole & O’Reilly, in light of the recent injury suffered by Bobby Fish, thought their actions would spare Undisputed ERA from an NXT Tag Team Title defense Saturday at TakeOver: New Orleans, however, they had another thing coming.
NXT General Manager William Regal came to the stage and announced that Undisputed ERA will now face both Strong & Dunne and AOP in a Triple Threat Match at TakeOver: New Orleans — not only for the NXT Tag Team Titles, but also to decide the winners of this year’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic!
Cole & O’Reilly confronted Regal outside the arena later in the night, claiming his decision was unfair to Cole, who is already scheduled for TakeOver’s NXT North American Title Ladder Match. Unmoved by their complaints, Regal gave Cole three choices: Compete in both championship contests, leave O’Reilly to fend for himself in the NXT Tag Team Title Triple Threat Match, or forfeit his spot in the Ladder Match. How will The Panama City Playboy respond this Saturday in The Big Easy?