Ex-WWE Star Spotted In Orlando As Return Rumours Swirl

A former WWE talent has been spotted in Orlando with speculation mounting that a tag team is on its way back to the company.

As Akam and Rezar, the Authors of Pain found great success when they appeared on the scene in NXT in 2016. Within their first year on NXT television, the duo won the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic as well as becoming NXT Tag Team Champions, all under the guidance of WWE Hall of Famer Paul Ellering.

The pair made their way to Monday Night Raw in April of 2018, attacking Ellering to end their partnership once they joined the red brand. They went on to become Raw Tag Team Champions later that year but lost the title after just 35 days to the team of Chad Gable and Bobby Roode.

In March of 2020, after an on-screen alliance with Seth Rollins, Rezar suffered a biceps injury and the team disappeared from television. They were released from their WWE contracts in September of 2020.

The pair haven’t wrestled since leaving WWE, though they attempted to start a new promotion called Wrestling Entertainment Series in 2022. Despite massive hype, the WES show was postponed and ultimately cancelled.

Are Authors of Pain coming back to WWE?

Fightful Select recently reported that according to several sources, Akam and Rezar actually re-signed with the sports entertainment giant in 2022, though this hasn’t been confirmed. Sources specifically indicated that the pair re-signed prior to Vince McMahon coming back into power as his return put a halt to signing talent other than new recruits. The report noted that AOP made sure Paul Ellering was “heavily involved” in negotiations.

There may be smoke to the fire, however, as PWInsider has reported Paul Ellering was spotted in Orlando, Florida on the 4th of September. Orlando is of course home to the WWE Performance Center where NXT is based.