On the March 22 edition of NXT 2.0, two teams squared off in the finals of the 2022 Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. The team of Io Shirai and Kay Lee Ray, both former singles champions in their own respects, took on the unlikely duo of Dakota Kai and Wendy Choo. Both teams emerged successful in their respective first-round and semifinal matches, inching closer to the trophy and contention for the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship. After a competitive final match, it was the team of Io Shirai and Kay Lee Ray that came away the winners of the Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.
Following their victory, Shirai and Ray were interrupted by Mandy Rose, Gigi Dolin, and Jacy Jayne of Toxic Attraction. Rose offered her congratulations. However, she told the Women’s Dusty Cup winners that they would not win the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship. Ray took the mic, stating that she and Shirai shared the goal of destroying Toxic Attraction, which they would do by taking Rose’s NXT Women’s Championship. Ray announced that they would cash in their title opportunity but that the NXT Women’s Championship match at Stand & Deliver, pitting Rose against Cora Jade, would be a fatal four-way. From there, a brawl ensued, Jade becoming involved as well. Will the NXT Women’s Championship match in question now become a four-way contest between Rose, Jade, Shirai, and Ray?
.@shirai_io & @Kay_Lee_Ray don't want #ToxicAttraction, they want @WWE_MandyRose and the #WWENXT Women's Championship! @gigidolin_wwe @jacyjaynewwe pic.twitter.com/g4e4hONO4A
— WWE (@WWE) March 23, 2022
Io Shirai and Kay Lee Ray Win Women’s Dusty Classic
What to Know Following Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Finals
The Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic is only one of many accolades that the winners attained during their respective WWE careers. Kay Lee Ray is a former NXT UK Women’s Champion, having held the gold for 649 days. During this record-setting reign, she successfully defended the gold against such names as Jinny, Toni Storm, and Piper Niven, the latter now known in WWE as Doudrop. Meanwhile, Shirai is only one of 3 women to have held the NXT Women’s Championship and NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship.
Io Shirai and Kay Lee Ray are only the second-ever Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic winners. The first tournament took place last year and was won by Dakota Kai and Raquel González. Following their victory, they were crowned the inaugural NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions on the March 10, 2021 episode of NXT. They only held the titles for under an hour, however, as they dropped the gold to Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart later that evening.
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