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WWE fans haven’t seen the Authors of Pain inside a wrestling ring since they were released in 2020. That could change in the coming weeks and months.
WWE hasn’t been shy about re-signing former NXT champions during Triple H’s time as booker, and it sounds like the company has considered bringing the Authors of Pain back. Akam and Rezar were essential pieces for NXT’s original black and gold days, wrestling with some of the top face tag teams at the time. They debuted in June 2016 at NXT Takeover: The End, attacking American Alpha after they lost the NXT Tag Team Championships to The Revival—now known as FTR in AEW. Following their call-up to the main roster, they once won the Raw Tag Team Championships and were involved in an angle where they operated as Seth Rollins’ muscle.
The Authors of Pain haven’t been actively wrestling since their release, however, making a recent report from Fightful Select somewhat surprising. “Fightful Select has learned that Akam and Rezar, collectively known as the Authors of Pain or AOP, have been discussed for a potential return to the WWE. Both were an integral part of the NXT Black and Gold brand before being called up to WWE Raw.” Fightful also reports that bringing Paul Ellering back with AOP had been discussed. It’s unclear at this time how far these conversations went or if WWE even contacted the Authors of Pain about a possible return.
Authors of Pain Would Provide A Boost To WWE’s Tag Team Division
Triple H has solved a handful of WWE’s problems since taking over creative duties in July. While the United States and Intercontinental Championships have been treated like bigger deals, the tag team division still seems stuck in the mud. The Usos holding both Raw and SmackDown Tag Team Championships means that if a team isn’t feuding with them, they probably aren’t doing much of anything on the main roster.
The ongoing SmackDown tag team tournament to determine new No. 1 contenders could change that, but the division hasn’t been given much love over the last six months. That’s not a knock on The Usos. They wrestle more than just about anyone in WWE and consistently deliver. Instead, it speaks to a general lack of depth on both the red and blue brands. The Authors of Pain could be part of a solution to that problem.
During their time in NXT, AOP terrorized face tag teams and generated a ton of sympathy during their systematic beatdowns. They excelled so much in this role that the audience sometimes tried to take their side. However, they got lost in the shuffle upon being called up to Raw, with Vince McMahon struggling to find creative ways to book the 6-foot-2, 290-pound Akam and the 6-foot-4, 330-pound Rezar. Triple H is just now managing to undo the damage McMahon caused to the similarly sized Viking Raiders. Now he could be setting his sights on getting the Authors of Pain back in WWE and involved on Raw or SmackDown.
Source: Fightful Select
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