WWE has been accused of dropping the ball with some of the releases in recent years like Aleister Black, Andrade, Bray Wyatt, and Ember Moon. However, the Authors of Pain tag team rarely get the love they deserve for what could have been before WWE gave up on them. Akam and Rezar showed huge potential as intimidating figures that could bring it in the ring.The time in NXT and on the main roster had fans excited about their futures. WWE did a solid job pushing the Authors of Pain as the dominant NXT team, a strong main roster duo and even aligned him with Seth Rollins. Unfortunately, they didn’t have patience for the tag team’s timing with a quick release. The story of the Authors of Pain deserves a deeper look at what could have been and what went wrong.
Authors Of Pain Dominated NXT
Triple H did a great job booking the Authors of Pain in NXT when introducing the new act. The legendary manager Paul Ellering was known for managing the Road Warriors, so his presence with the Authors of Pain added instant credibility. NXT pushed Rezar and Akam by having them destroy enhancement teams and the lower tier duos of the tag division.
A step up in competition saw the Authors of Pain having to step up for matches against the standard-bearer teams of the division DIY and The Revival. Both teams were having classic matches for the NXT Tag Team Championship to take the tag division to new heights. Rezar and Akam thrived stepping up in the matches against talents known for their work rate.
The NXT Tag Team Championship reign of the Authors of Pain helped them get over even more. Triple H even booked Authors of Pain to have a ladder match against DIY that set up Tommaso Ciampa turning on Johnny Gargano. Akam and Rezar were called up to the main roster in 2018 after accomplishing all they could in NXT. Most pundits thought they’d have a great push due to Vince McMahon’s historical love of talents with their appeal.
Main Roster Promise
The main roster stint of the Authors of Pain featured a lot of ups and downs. Paul Ellering debuted with them to show continuity with the NXT act, but they got rid of him after just one match. Vince McMahon’s inconsistent feelings about managers and not liking acts he views as too outdated likely influenced this decision. Rezar and Akam would eventually get placed with Drake Maverick as their new manager.
The entire style changed when the Authors of Pain had a comedy wrestler managing them, but all three wrestlers got on the same page. WWE even put the Raw Tag Team Championship on Rezar and Akam when defeating Seth Rollins. Dean Ambrose turning on Rollins led to the title change, but it only benefited the Authors of Pain.
WWE unfortunately would stop and start their push too often to find consistency. The biggest opportunity for Rezar and Akam came when they formed an alliance with Rollins. WWE turned Seth heel after his Universal Championship flopped and placed the intimidating team with him. The Authors of Pain looked great as the muscle of Rollins rejuvenated all three talents.
WWE Failed The Team
The Authors of Pain seemed set when joining Seth Rollins’ faction in the early portion of his Messiah character. Buddy Murphy also joined the group as a fourth member to round things up with each talent bringing something to the table. Authors of Pain scored important matches on the Raw brand again against the duos of the Viking Raiders, Street Profits, Kevin Owens & Samoa Joe, and others to have issues with Rollins.
WWE should have easily had the faction lasting in the long run, but an injury ended the run. Rezar suffering a biceps injury led to Authors of Pain being taken off television. WWE didn’t feel they could have Akam on the show with Rollins and Murphy, even though he could have been a muscle for the group on his own.
The time off television led to the Authors of Pain being treated with less importance as WWE started to have a round of cuts. Both Akam and Rezar were fired in September 2020 to make it clear they would not be back on television. WWE quit on the promising tag team who showed potential whenever they had a fair chance. The release signified another project ending with bad booking and WWE’s inability to highlight new stars. It is a huge shame that the Authors of Pain didn’t have a long run on the main roster dominating the tag division.
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