The Rascalz Officially Headed to AEW Following Multi-Year Deal Signings

AEW made things official on the Maximum Carnage edition of Dynamite, confirming that The Rascalz are on their way to the company. Shortly after the on-air reveal, new details emerged shedding light on how the popular group’s move came together behind the scenes.

According to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select, Desmond Xavier, Trey Miguel, Zachary Wentz, and Myron Reed have all signed multi-year contracts with AEW, with the deals finalized by at least the first week of January. While it’s unclear whether their signings happened before or after Jake Doyle’s recent deal, the timing firmly places The Rascalz as part of AEW’s plans moving forward.

TNA reportedly made a legitimate effort to keep the former NXT Tag Team Champions in the fold. However, AEW ultimately presented a stronger offer, which proved to be the deciding factor. Miguel and Wentz were both nearing the end of their TNA contracts, set to expire at the end of 2025, while Xavier and Reed were not locked into contracts with the company at all. Despite one member of the group being especially motivated to move on, the report notes that all four departed TNA on good terms.

Myron Reed’s situation, in particular, drew attention over the past week. Reed had been advertised for the January 15 episode of TNA Impact, which will mark the promotion’s debut on AMC. He was slated to challenge Leon Slater for the X-Division Championship, but the match was quietly removed from promotional material, fueling speculation about his future. That removal ultimately cleared the path for Reed’s AEW signing.

Interestingly, Reed was reportedly open to working the Slater match as a farewell appearance. However, the bout was scrapped entirely due to the possibility of WWE wanting Slater available for its upcoming European tour, putting an end to the planned matchup.

With The Rascalz now officially AEW-bound, the focus shifts to how the high-flying group will be introduced on screen and where they’ll fit into AEW’s crowded tag team and trios landscape. One thing is certain: their arrival adds yet another exciting layer to AEW’s ever-evolving roster.

Mystery WWE NXT Team To Debut, Full Men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Brackets Revealed

The full brackets have been announced for the 2021 WWE NXT Men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.

The tournament will feature 16 teams. WWE previously announced 12 teams but 4 more were revealed today.

One mystery team on the bracket is called MSK. WWE had filed to trademark the “MSK” name but there’s no word yet on who this is for. WWE posted a teaser tweet for the MSK team today, seen below, and fans are speculating that this could be the new name for Desmond Xavier and Zachary Wentz, formerly known as The Rascalz in WWE. Xavier and Wentz recently signed with WWE but there’s no word yet on when they will debut.

The first round of the tournament will kick off tonight with The Undisputed Era vs. Breezango and Ever-Rise vs. The Grizzled Young Veterans. The winners of the tournament will receive the Dusty Classic Cup and a future title shot from NXT Tag Team Champions Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch.

Below is a look at all 16 teams for the tournament, and the full bracket. Stay tuned for more.

FIRST ROUND
* The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Roderick Strong) vs. Breezango (Tyler Breeze, Fandango)

* Tony Nese and Ariya Daivari vs. Ashante “Thee” Adonis and Desmond Troy

* Kushida and Leon Ruff vs. The Way (Austin Theory, NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano)

* Ever-Rise (Chase Parker, Matt Martel) vs. The Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake, Zack Gibson)

FIRST ROUND
* MSK vs. Jake Atlas and Isaiah “Swerve” Scott

* Killian Dain and Drake Maverick vs. Curt Stallion and August Grey

* Imperium (Marcel Barthel, Fabian Aichner) vs. Lucha House Party (Lince Dorado, Gran Metalik)

* Legado del Fantasma (Joaquin Wilde, Raul Mendoza) vs. The Bollywood Boyz (Sunil Singh, Samir Singh)

Source: Wrestling Inc.