WWE 'NXT' Preview 9/9/15: Finn Balor Teams with Samoa Joe in Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic

The September 9, 2015 episode of WWE's NXT will air on the WWE Network at 8 p.m. Eastern and will continue the Dusty Rhodes Memorial Tag Team Classic tournament when Finn Balor teams with Samoa Joe in a first-round matchup. We've got our full preview right here, so let's get to it.

The NXT Champion and the legend on the independent scene will join forces to take on the Lucha Dragons in one of two tournament matches tonight. It seems unlikely that the top dog in the promotion and a wrestler with so much clout would lose in the first round, but then again I would have put my money on Neville and Solomon Crowe last week, so that shows what I know.

In the other tournament match, independent stars Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano will enter the ring to take on Tyler Breeze and Bull Dempsey. This is a tougher one to call, but we're going to lean toward the NXT mainstays here. Ciampa and Gargano, for starters, have dates scheduled with other independent promotions in the near future, so a lengthy run in NXT doesn't seem likely. On top of that, WWE likely wouldn't feed two of its full-time wrestlers to a pair of independent stars just for a one-off. Regardless, it will be fun to watch Ciampa and Gargano mix it up inside a WWE ring.

Last week, Baron Corbin and Rhyno defeated The Ascension, while Jason Jordan and Chad Gable took out Neville and Solomon Crowe. It's still unclear how many teams will be in this tournament, but we'll make an educated guess at eight because the finals are scheduled for the next NXT Takeover live special on Wednesday, October 7.

For more on the tournament, read what WWE.com has to say about it:

"Rhodes himself was no stranger to tag team competition during his illustrious career. The American Dream was a multiple-time tag team champion, holding titles with the likes of Dick Murdoch, Dick Slater and 'Raging Bull' Manny Fernandez. Rhodes and Nikita Koloff also survived through a field of 24 teams to win the 1987 Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup.

Though he made an incredible impact inside the squared circle, The American Dream made, perhaps, an even greater impact during his time with NXT. Rhodes served as a mentor to the entire NXT roster, helping them to find the Superstar or Diva within. It is because of his profound contributions to the future of WWE that NXT is honoring his legacy with this tournament, ensuring that The American Dream will live on."

With so many of the men, including the NXT Champion, tied up in the tournament, there's not much room for singles development at the moment, though perhaps that will change as more teams are eliminated from the bracket.

As for the female competitors down in NXT, Bayley has not competed since she won the NXT Women's Championship at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn, but Emma has emerged as the unofficial No. 1 Contender to the title. But rumors persists that Eva Marie, who admittedly has improved but is still a long way from where she needs to be, will be positioned in a feud with Bayley and will take the title from the Hugster.

As always, check back with MStars after the show for a full recap of all the action. But for now, let us know your guesses and predictions for what will happen tonight in the comments section below.