NXT Takeover VII Finn Bálor & Samoa Joe v Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder

The NXT dream team of NXT Champion Finn Bálor & Samoa Joe will face bracket-busters Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic semifinals at NXT TakeOver: Respect, with the winning duo advancing to that night’s tournament final.

Bálor & Joe’s all-star alliance overcame former NXT Tag Team Champions The Lucha Dragons and the ever-popular Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady in the first and second rounds, respectively. Dawson & Wilder, meanwhile, secured their place in the semifinals with an opening round victory over Tucker Knight & Elias Samson, followed by an upset win in the second round over reigning NXT Tag Team Champions The Vaudevillains.

Though both teams find themselves one victory away from competing in the finals of the inaugural Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, the similarities end there. The enigmatic NXT Champion and his hard-hitting ally, recognized as two of the top singles Superstars in sports-entertainment, have been headline fodder since their arrivals in NXT. Assembled for the sole purpose of winning the tournament, the team has proven successful, if experimental.

The calculating and grizzled pair of roughnecks Dawson & Wilder, in contrast, has forged a winning partnership over many months. What they sacrifice to Bálor & Joe in terms of recognition and singles accolades, they more than make up for with tag team experience.