2-Time WWE Champion Released Following Backstage Incident
A two-time WWE Champion has revealed why they were released from the company.
The Authors of Pain was a three-member faction comprising Akam and Rezar and managed by Paul Ellering.
Akam and Rezar earned a name for themselves as a dominant tag team, first in NXT in 2016, where they became one-time tag team champions.
After a couple of years, they debuted on the main roster in April 2018. They became the Raw tag team champions in November, which came to an end after 35 days.
They were released from the company for the first time in September 2020. The duo returned in 2024, forming The Final Testament with Karrion Kross, Scarlett, and Paul Ellering.
The faction secured a match on the WrestleMania XL card, where they lost to The Pride.
Akam and Rezar were released from WWE for a second time a year later, in February 2025, with Paul Ellering.
Rezar Reveals The Reason Behind WWE Release
Rezar recently shed light on his faction’s second WWE release in 2025, which was believed to have stemmed from stalled storylines and backstage perception issues.
The incident also saw the release of other talents such as Sonya Deville, Cedric Alexander, and Blair Davenport.
Speaking to Casinostugan, Rezar blamed behind the scenes incidents that led to the release of Authors of Pain.
There was something that happened backstage. After that, we weren’t getting called on any shows anymore, so the message was clear.
While not going into any specific details, the 31-year-old said it was a ‘minor incident,’ but took responsibility for putting himself in that situation.
Something happened backstage, I don’t want to get into it too much, but there was a minor incident, and obviously they didn’t like it. I’ll take responsibility for it, I don’t care, but obviously, there’s something that led up to that situation.
I’m always professional. I was with WWE for a total of almost nine plus years. I never had an incident or anything like that, but yeah, I’ll take responsibility for it. I don’t care. [H/T: Ringside News]
Also read: TNA Champion Reveals WWE Took Contract Offer Away – “I Wanted To Quit”