WWE has come to terms on the release of Akam and Rezar (AOP). We wish them all the best in their future endeavours.
In pretty unexpected news, Akama and Rezar, former one-time RAW Tag Team Champions and one-time NXT Tag Team Champions, were released by WWE today. AOP has been off WWE TV since Rezar suffered a bicep injury back in March, right as they were in the middle of a push on RAW with Seth Rollins and Murphy. The decision was made then to also pull Akam off TV until Rezar was able to return. They were reported to be back some time between September and the end of this year. Something that won’t happen.
Akam first signed with WWE in October 2014. He formed the tag team with Rezar in February 2016, just a few months after Rezar signed in the fall of 2015. The team made their televised NXT debut on June 8, 2016, at NXT TakeOver: The End, attacking American Alpha (Jason Jordan and Chad Gable) after they had lost the NXT Tag Team Championship to The Revival (Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder). Paul Ellering appeared on the ramp following the assault, signalling his association with the two. They would later win The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Tournament at NXT TakeOver: Toronto.
In January 2017, at NXT TakeOver: San Antonio, they won the NXT Tag Team Championship by defeating #DIY. They would retain at NXT TakeOver: Orlando and at NXT TakeOver: Chicago, where the duo participated in the first-ever ladder match for the NXT Tag Team Championship against #DIY which they won. At NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III, The Authors of Pain lost the NXT Tag Team Championship to SAnitY, who were represented by Alexander Wolfe and Eric Young.
At NXT TakeOver: WarGames, they teamed with Roderick Strong in a WarGames match against SAnitY and The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, and Bobby Fish), who won the match. At NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia, The Authors of Pain unsuccessfully challenged The Undisputed Era for the NXT Tag Team Championship. In what was their last match in NXT, they again challenged The Undisputed Era for the NXT Tag Team Championship in a Triple Threat match also involving the team of Strong and WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans, where they failed to win after Strong turned on Dunne and joined The Undisputed Era, allowing them to retain the titles.
On April 9, 2017, episode of RAW, The Authors of Pain, along with Paul Ellering, made their main roster debut, defeating Heath Slater and Rhyno. After the match, Akam and Rezar ended their partnership with Ellering by pushing him away and leaving him ringside as they returned backstage. On the November 5 episode of RAW, AOP defeated Seth Rollins in a handicap match to win the RAW Tag Team Championship. At Survivor Series, they defeated SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Bar in an Interbrand match. On the December 10 episode of RAW, they lost their tag titles to Roode and Gable in a three-on-two handicap match that also involved their manager Drake Maverick, ending their reign at 35 days. After this, the team went on hiatus due to Akam having knee surgery in January 2019.
AOP returned during the 51-Man Battle Royal at Super ShowDown on June 7, 2018. On the September 16 episode of RAW, AOP, without Maverick, returned in a vignette, where they called out the tag team division for being soft and weak and announced their intentions of returning. The following week, they would attack Heath Slater and No Way Jose backstage. During the 2019 draft, AOP went undrafted, becoming free agents and able to choose which brand to sign with, however, three days after the draft’s conclusion, AOP signed with RAW to remain on the brand.
They made their in-ring return on the November 25 episode of RAW, defeating Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder. Later that night, they interrupted the main event between Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins by attacking Owens but refused to attack Rollins. On the December 9 episode of RAW, AOP joined forces with Rollins to attack Owens backstage. On March 9, 2020 episode of RAW, AOP teamed with Rollins and Murphy to defeat The Street Profits and The Viking Raiders in what would be their final appearance in WWE as Rezar suffered a bicep injury, therefore putting the team on hiatus.
All pics and videos courtesy of WWE