5 best wrestling matches of the week (January 18-24)

#4 Kushida and Leon Ruff vs. Austin Theory and Johnny Gargano showcased excellent wrestling to kick off NXT (January 20)

Kushida and Leon Ruff won the first round of the Dusty Classic

Tag team wrestling is on fire at the moment in NXT. The first-round matches of the Dusty Rhodes Classic Tournament continued with a great opening contest on an excellent episode.

Kushida and Ruff have recently gelled well as a team and showed just how good they are by defeating the North American Champion and Theory to progress to the second round.

The action was highly entertaining and full of innovative spots and sequences. The quartet worked very well together. Kushida and Ruff got to shine while Johnny "Wrestling" continued his brilliant heel work, and Theory got to show off his power.

.@LEONRUFF_ puts his foot on the gas, but the POWER of @austintheory1 stops him in his tracks in this back and forth #DustyClassic battle on #WWENXT!@JohnnyGargano @KUSHIDA_0904 pic.twitter.com/o0hT7eDHFV

— WWE (@WWE) January 21, 2021

The result was the right one as Kushida got a substantial pinfall victory over Gargano, which looks to be setting up a title match between the two further down the line.

What's the ⌚? ⌚ for @KUSHIDA_0904 & @LEONRUFF_ to advance in the #DustyClassic! And yes, @KUSHIDA_0904 pinned the #WWENXT North American Champion. 👀 pic.twitter.com/nAfk4gXyUV

— WWE (@WWE) January 21, 2021

Over the years, the Dusty Classic has provided fans with makeshift teams, which have proven to be very successful. For example, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe, Ricochet and Aleister Black, and Pete Dunne and Matt Riddle all won the coveted trophy. Could Kushida and Leon Ruff be the next duo to win the Dusty Classic? It is a strong possibility.