Akam and Rezar, together known as the Authors of Pain or AOP, have reportedly being considered for a future return to the WWE, according to Fightful Select. Before being brought up to WWE Raw, both played significant roles in the NXT Black and Gold brand.
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There have been internal discussions within WWE about bringing back a large act, particularly physically.
Paul Ellering, their longstanding manager and founding member, was also a candidate. Before being dropped from the main roster, he oversaw them during their tenure in NXT.
The group kept in touch with Ellering and received his approval to use the name Legion of Pain outside of WWE. Initially, there were speculations that Ellering didn’t want to travel with the main roster, which he has denied.
Both men are still under the age of 30, and it has been almost three years since their last match. With the exception of their unsuccessful promotion attempts with WES in 2022, they were generally no longer in the wrestling business when they were freed in 2020.
Prior to their scheduled match in the summer of 2022, Rezar had previously claimed to be “retired” or “not a wrestler anymore” to various promoters and writers.
