Former RAW Tag Team Champions The Authors of Pain and WWE Hall of Famer Paul Ellering could be making a return to the WWE soon, according to recent reports. While they won’t be returning to the main roster, there is speculation that they may have already been under contract for several months.
There have been internal discussions within WWE about the possible return of Akam, Rezar, and Ellering, with the likelihood of them appearing on the WWE NXT brand. The talks initially began about three weeks ago, and there was further discussion backstage at Tuesday’s NXT TV tapings about AOP and Ellering making appearances in September.
The main purpose of AOP’s return would be to bolster the NXT tag team division, which is currently led by NXT Tag Team Champions Tony D’Angelo and Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo. The division also features other talented teams such as The Creed Brothers, Bronco Nima and Lucien Price, The Dyad, Gallus, Charlie Dempsey and Drew Gulak, Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs, Hank Walker and Tank Ledger, and more.
It is worth noting that Akam and Rezar have a strong loyalty to Paul Ellering, who is a legendary manager in the wrestling industry. Ellering was reportedly leading AOP’s contract negotiations with WWE, and the team made sure he was involved. AOP has maintained a close relationship with Ellering, and they even received his blessing to use the name “Legion of Pain” outside of WWE. This name is a reference to Ellering’s most famous clients, The Road Warriors, also known as The Legion of Doom.
While Ellering is believed to still be signed to a WWE Legends contract, it is unclear if he will sign a new talent contract if the return of AOP is confirmed. There were rumors in the past that Ellering parted ways with AOP in 2018 when they were called up to RAW because he didn’t want to deal with the travel demands of the main roster. However, Ellering later dismissed these rumors.
According to Fightful Select, there are multiple sources claiming that AOP has actually been under contract with WWE since 2022, although this information has not been confirmed. The group was included on an internal travel list back in May.
Akam, 30, and Rezar, 29, have not competed in a wrestling match since the March 9, 2020 episode of RAW, where they teamed up with Murphy and Seth Rollins for an eight-man tag team match. Their last televised tag team match was a win over Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins on the November 25, 2019 episode of RAW. Their last NXT match was a win over TM-61 at a non-televised live event in Sanford, FL on April 19, 2018. Their last televised NXT match took place at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans on April 7, 2018, where they competed in a Triple Threat match for the NXT Tag Team Championships. Akam and Rezar were released from their WWE contracts on September 4, 2020, due to Rezar’s recovery from a torn biceps injury.
While AOP has been inactive in wrestling since leaving WWE, they had plans to launch their own promotion called World Entertainment Series (WES) in mid-2022. However, the launch was surrounded by controversies and issues, leading to the cancellation of the debut event just three days before it was scheduled to take place. Despite this setback, WES promised that it wouldn’t be the last we hear of the promotion.
For more updates on the possible return of AOP and Paul Ellering, stay tuned to ProWrestlingWars.com.
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