Did WWE Quietly Re-Sign Two Former Champions?
WWE may have quietly brought The Authors of Pain back last year.
Rumors of WWE having an interest in bringing back former NXT and Raw Tag Team Champions The Authors of Pain popped up earlier this year, but a new report indicates Akam and Rezar might already be back with the company. The pair initially debuted as a tag team back in June 2016 and seemed to find their footing on the main roster by aligning themselves with Seth Rollins during his "Monday Night Messiah" run in 2019-2020. However, Rezar went down with a biceps injury in March 2020 and the pair were released from their WWE contracts months later. While they initially announced they were launching their own promotion in 2022, the two still haven't wrestled since leaving WWE.
Sean Ross Sapp reported on Fightful Select on Wednesday that multiple sources are claiming the pair were quietly brought back to the company in 2022. They were even listed on internal travel documents earlier this year.
"Specifically we were told 'it was before Vince McMahon came back, because that put a halt on all signings besides new recruits,'" Sapp wrote regarding when the signing happened. Neither WWE nor either member of AOP offered an answer when asked by Sapp about the reports.
WWE opting to keep their signings quiet has occurred a few times over the past year. Eric Young was quietly brought back into the fold late last year but requested his release in April before ever wrestling another match.
"I signed up for one thing and it turned into something completely different. Personally, professionally, and more importantly for me, morally, I just couldn't work there anymore. If you're a wrestling fan and you know what's going on, it was not a super difficult choice for me, to be honest. It was a dream come true, going back, the contract was fantastic and all this other stuff, and what I was poised to do on the TV show was excellent, but in the end, I would have had to answer to somebody that I'm just not willing to do," Young told PWInsider regarding his decision to leave WWE.
"That's where we ended up now. I'm not mad or bitter about it, just like I wasn't last time," he added. "Obviously, it's a massive mistake on one person's part, but a huge gain for IMPACT Wrestling. I'm still very good at this and it's something I'm very passionate about and something that I work myself to the bone to make the best possible outcome of each thing I'm in."
Do you think The AOP will be back on WWE TV soon? Could Paul Ellering be brought back as well to manage them? Tell us your thoughts down in the comments!
WWE Payback 2023 Card
- World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
- Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships: Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens vs. Damian Priest & Finn Balor (Steel City Street Fight)
- Women's World Heavyweight Championship: Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Rodriguez
- United States Championship: Rey Mysterio vs. Austin Theory
- Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus (Steel Cage Match)
- LA Knight vs. The Miz
- The Grayson Waller Effect w/ Cody Rhodes