WWE brought New Year’s Revolution for fans on SmackDown on January 5th. The show also marked the return of a pair of former Tag Team Champions.

AOP Returns To WWE

During WWE SmackDown this week, Akam and Rezar made their long-awaited return to WWE television. This went down in Vancouver, and fans were very excited to witness WWE history first-hand.

The Authors of Pain were paired up with Karrion Kross and Scarlett. They will battle Bobby Lashley and the Street Profit’s new trio to start things out for themselves in the WWE landscape once again.

AOP made their return during SmackDown, as they interrupted a promo from Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits. After revealing Paul Ellering on the entrance ramp, Akam and Rezar laid waste to Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits. Karrion Kross then joined them in the ring to finish Lashley off.

The segment concluded with Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits laid out in the middle of the ring. Karrion Kross and the newly returned AOP stood tall.

WHAT?!?! AOP IS BACK??? ? ? ?

Just moments after @fightbobby declared for the #RoyalRumble match, @realKILLERkross and @Lady_Scarlett13 were joined by AOP's Akam, Rezar and Paul Ellering who took out The #StreetProfits and Lashley! #SmackDown: New Year's Revolution pic.twitter.com/I2pzXdftNA

— WWE (@WWE) January 6, 2024

Who are AOP?

Authors of Pain achieved the WWE NXT Tag Team Championship once, and also secured the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship on one occasion. Additionally, they clinched the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic in 2016.

Hints About AOP’s WWE Return

Hints about the Authors of Pain’s return to WWE have been impossible to avoid at this point. Akam and Rezar were teased to join Karrion Kross.

AOP’s return is a long time coming, as rumors of their comeback have been going around for a while. Now they are back on WWE television, so Triple H can book them in his vision. 

WWE started off 2024 for RAW in a huge way with Day 1. That included The Rock’s return. It is SmackDown’s turn now, as they have New Years Revolution ready to go. That may include a long-awaited return.

Possible Spoiler for 1/5 WWE SmackDown

PW Insider reports that Paul Ellering has been spotted in Vancouver, the site of WWE’s New Years Revolution SmackDown. Naturally, an AOP return is expected for tonight’s show.

WWE Hall of Famer Paul Ellering was spotted in Vancouver this morning. 

The expectation, as PWInsider.com reported previously several weeks ago, is that he and The Authors of Pain will return to WWE on tonight’s Smackdown as part of an alliance with Karrion Kross and Scarlett.

Authors of Pain Future in WWE

Many WWE Fans expect that Karrion Kross will be aligned with the Authors of Pain upon their return. That could be a powerful faction with Kross, Scarlett, Paul Ellering and AOP.

I was told that Authors of Pain were quietly signed to new deals well over a year ago. It’s been the plan to pair them back up with Paul Ellering as well. That trio was a favorite of Triple H’s, one that Vince McMahon disbanded upon AOP’s entry onto the WWE main roster.

Vince McMahon wanted someone younger, and an active wrestler, to lead AOP to the ring. That is why Paul Ellering was replaced by Drake Maverick. Now, Ellering is getting back with AOP.

This week’s SmackDown will be their New Years Revolution show. They have a loaded card planned, which you may find below.

Second Possible Spoiler For 1/5 WWE SmackDown

Pretty Deadly has a match against Butch this week on SmackDown. Butch needs to find a partner for that match. It was also noted on PW Insider that Sheamus is expected to fill that slot.

Sheamus, whose WWE contract expires this year, has been out of action with a shoulder injury. He sat on the sidelines while other members of the Brawling Brutes carries on without him. This week may see the Celtic Warrior’s return.

WWE SmackDown January 5th New Years Revolution Card:

• Roman Reigns returns LIVE to SmackDown 
• AJ Styles, Randy Orton and LA Knight to collide in Triple Threat Match 
• Kevin Owens battles Santos Escobar in the United States Championship Tournament Final 
• Logan Paul comes to SmackDown
• Butch must find a partner to take on Pretty Deadly

WWE dropped a bombshell on fans during the pre-taped December 22nd episode of SmackDown. Karrion Kross teased the return of AOP during his promo, and fans won’t have to wait much longer to see the former Tag Team Champions return.

SPOILER On AOP’s WWE Return

According to PW Insider, AOP will make their return to WWE television during the January 5th episode of SmackDown. That New Year’s Revolution will see the start of their regular return to the company.

The trio will officially return to WWE at the 1/5/24 Smackdown episode and will be back regularly at that point, PWInsider.com is told by WWE sources.

Akam, Rezar, and Paul Ellering were all at the WWE Performance Center in September. They were also around for an NXT taping, but Triple H had other plans for them.

WWE’s Creative Plan For AOP’s Return

Karrion Kross has been mostly absent from WWE since his return to the company. He had his segments pushed back in the past, but he has recently started getting promo time on the blue brand.

During the December 22nd, 2023 episode of WWE SmackDown, Karrion Kross cut another promo, where he said that this next chapter of his story needs “authors.” Then they flashed the silhouettes of three men.

AOP and Paul Ellering will be joining Karrion Kross and Scarlett. Kross also said “vision” in a way that makes us wonder if that will be a part of their new possible faction’s name.

Exclusive Insight into AOP’s WWE Return

I was told earlier this year that Akam and Rezar were re-signed in late 2022. They were just waiting for the right moment to make their return. Sean Ross Sapp and Mike Johnson also reported the same over the year.

Over the last year, I’ve asked multiple times about AOP’s status and was told the same thing, that they are waiting with no immediate word on their return. Now, it appears that they will debut in 2024, or at least that is the new current plan.

Paul Ellering will return alongside AOP as well. Vince McMahon made the call to nix him as their manager and put Drake Maverick in his place. Triple H put that original trio together in the first place years ago in NXT, so he knows how well it works.

Akam and Rezar will apparently be aligned with Karrion Kross in some way, and that will be a good ally for them. It will be interesting to see how they mix things up in the tag team division, because AOP could have championship gold in their future.

The Authors of Pain (Akam & Rezar) with Paul Ellering are set to make their return and join forces with Karrion Kross.

There has been a buzz regarding Authors of Pain returning to WWE soon. As it seems, Akam and Rezar are indeed returning with Paul Ellering by their side. 

The Authors of Pain will form new faction with  Karrion Kross

On this week’s Friday Night SmackDown, WWE dropped a vignette featuring Karrion Kross and Scarlett. They talked about the list of superstars who competed against him and noted that they changed soon after. He took credit for the changes and dropped hints that the ‘authors’ were coming.

“Even the greatest proclamation is soon to be forgotten without a scribe … without Authors.”

Influence leads to power.

You’ll see.

?#Smackdown @WWE

— Kevin Robert Kesar (@realKILLERkross) December 23, 2023

Authors of Pain had re-signed with WWE last year before Vince McMahon returned as Chairman earlier this year. The duo were part of the WWE travel plans since May this year. However, there were no creative plans for them. 

If reports are to be believed Authors of Pain will officially return to television at SmackDown: New Year’s Revolution in two weeks on the January 5, 2024. 

Authors of Pain are two-time tag team champions in WWE. Ahead of their main roster move, they had captured the NXT Tag Team Championship and went on to become the RAW Tag Team Champions.

The two powerhouses Akam and Rezar were also aligned with the former WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins on Raw. This time around, it seem Karrion Kross will be leading them and they could be the next big thing on the blue brand.

WWE signed a long list of talent after Triple H took over the creative reins of the company. While some of them returned with great fanfare, one pair of signings haven’t been seen yet, but things are expected to change for AOP soon enough.

WWE’s Plan For AOP’s Return

Sean Ross Sapp reported on Fightful Select that word is that AOP is making their return to WWE television sooner than later. It was also specifically noted that their home is expected to be on the SmackDown brand.

Fightful Select has learned that the Authors of Pain aka AOP are planned for a return to WWE TV soon. Specifically, we’re told that the working plan for them as of now is for them to appear on the Smackdown brand, though that could always change.

Akam and Rezar were spotted at the WWE Performance Center in August 2022 as well. Hopefully, fans will see them again soon.

The report from Sean Ross Sapp also confirmed that, “Paul Ellering has been expected to join the two, which had long been an important factor to them.” 

Insight Into AOP’s WWE Return

I was told that AOP was signed in late 2022, but they never debuted. I was also able to confirm reports about Paul Ellering’s involvement a long time ago. He was also involved in talks to bring them back.

AOP was around the WWE Performance Center last year, and they were even backstage during NXT one week. That didn’t translate into their return, but they apparently inked deals.

There have been rumors about their on-screen return for a while now. It wouldn’t be a big surprise to see them return as a big surprise to create the biggest moment possible. 

AOP burst onto the WWE scene with an impactful debut in 2016. Hailing from the world of mixed martial arts, they quickly made a name for themselves with their powerful and dominating presence in the ring. They were also a favorite of Triple H’s NXT during their time, and now Triple H will apparently get a chance to book them on the main roster. 

Former WWE talent Adam Scherr (Braun Strowman) and former UFC fighter Alistair Overeem will collide at Wrestling Entertainment Series.

On May. 13, former WWE tag team Legion of Pain (Authors of Pain) announced that their wrestling promotion WES would have an event on June 4 on FITE TV at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham, England.

Legion of Pain shared that they would be making their in-ring return for their first event. However, they didn’t share who else would be on the card.

The WES website has now revealed all of the matches that will take place on the card, including the main event between Scherr and Overeem for the World Championship.

This marks the first wrestling match for Overeem, who has been open about not liking what he’s seen from professional wrestling like WWE.

Another match on the card is former WWE talents Lina Fanene (Nia Jax) vs. CJ Perry (Lana) for the Women’s Championship.

Overeem on WWE and Professional Wrestling Today

Overeem spoke publicly on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani about his thoughts on wrestling, mainly WWE, last year. He shared that he grew up watching WWE and liked Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior but stopped watching as he got older.

“I watched it when I was 19 years old. Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, huge fans of those guys. Honky Tonk Man, great, funny,” said Overeem. He continued, “…I stopped watching after that, so I’m not watching since 92, 93, 94 and just recently I started looking again on Youtube, and oh my god this stuff is lame.

“It’s just lame with all these guys are doing, it’s fake, it’s lame, it’s stupid.” Overeem said something after “it’s stupid,” but it was edited out.

During the live interview, Overeem did indeed label pro wrestling as “gay.” Helwani told Overeem to not say that, which the former UFC fighter said why and continued to share that he thought what he has seen recently of wrestling from WWE content is lame.

When asked by Helwani if he thinks professional wrestlers are athletes, he expressed again that it is lame. It’s unclear if Overeem has watched any wrestling outside of WWE or if he changed his stance on wrestling today.

The Wrestling Entertainment Series Card (6/4)

The first WES card will have eight matches. Two of the matches will be on the pre-show.

• Adam Scherr vs. Alistair Overeem for the World Championship-Main Event
• Lina Fanene vs. C.J Perry for the Women’s Championship-Co-Main Event
• Legion of Pain vs. Wesley Blake and Steve Maclin for the World Tag Team Championship
• Killer Kross vs. Samuray Del Sol vs. Jonah
• Madison Rayne and Tenille Dashwood vs. Deonna Purrazzo and Chelsea Green for the World Women’s Tag Team Championship
• Dean Muhtadi vs. Lince Dorado
• Mike Bennett vs. Biff Busick-Pre-Show
• Dirty Dango vs. Levis Valenzuela Jr.-Pre-Show

The card isn’t available on FITE TV as of this writing for pre-order. We will update when it gets updated.

Authors of Pain have resurfaced with their own wrestling promotion.

The former WWE Raw and NXT Tag Team Champions recently said they aren’t done competing in the ring.

Akam and Rezar are going to make a return to the ring, according to a recent report. The report also said that they are going to run a pro-wrestling event in Dubai, and have reached out to talent about working the show.

Now, more details have emerged about their promotion.

Alex McCarthy of talkSPORT shared a statement on Twitter announcing the launch details of Authors of Pain’s promotion Wrestling Entertainment Series (WES).

The statement says that Gzim Selmani (Rezar) and Sunny Dhinsa (Akam), formerly known in WWE as Authors of Pain, are launching a brand-new professional wrestling promotion.

Wrestling Entertainment Series

“Wrestling Entertainment Series (WES) will debut on June 4th live from the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham, England, and will be available to watch live around the world on FITE.tv,” the statement reads.

The event will feature “some of the biggest names in professional wrestling” the names of which will be announced “very soon.” The June 4 event will be a “celebratory kick-off event.”

The statement also says that the promotion has an “action-packed schedule” already in place for the rest of the year. It is going to hold shows across Europe and the Middle East. The dates of these events have not been revealed yet.

“WES will also see the in-ring return of the Selmani & Dhinsa with legendary manager Paul Ellering by their side. The duo is set to re-establish themselves as one of the most dominant forces in the tag team wrestling division,” the statement concludes.

In a video posted on the promotion’s social media handles, WES has revealed that they have sent invites to the participants.

The official website of the promotion has a countdown timer with two days and twenty-one hours to go at the time of this writing. Authors Of Pain are likely to make more announcements about their promotion soon.

Former WWE Raw and NXT Tag Team Champions Authors of Pain aren’t done dishing out punishment in the ring.

It appears Akam and Rezar are poised for a return to the squared circle. This according to a report from Fightful Select. There is currently no word on which promotion the two are eyeing.

Authors Of Pain: A History Lesson

Authors Of Pain made their NXT TV debut back in June 2016. The powerhouse tag team, led by manager Paul Ellering, attacked American Alpha. The duo ended up winning their first match on NXT the following week.

AOP defeated DIY back in Jan. 2017 to capture the NXT Tag Team Championship. They held onto the gold for 203 days. Eventually, AOP made it to the main roster and won the Raw Tag Team Championship.

The team aligned with Seth Rollins and Murphy before Rezar suffered a biceps injury. AOP was released from WWE in Sept. 2020.

While the team has been away for a while, they confirmed that they aren’t done with the industry last year.

Former WWE tag team Authors of Pain (AOP) have set the record straight about their future in the wrestling business.

The duo was the most dominant tag team in WWE at one time. They ran over NXT and the RAW roster, claiming both the NXT and RAW tag team gold. Their final storyline saw them working as Seth Rollins’ enforcers. AOP was released in September 2020 run of cuts, which surprised virtually everybody.

AOP never resurfaced. Earlier this week, Fightful reported that a wrestling promoter reached out to the tag team hoping to bring them in. They were told AOP are retired. Journalist Sean Ross Sapp reached out to Rezar for an interview. He replied, “I’m not a wrestler,” which seemed to corroborate the news that they are effectively retired.

AOP “Ain’t Done Yet”

Akam has since replied to the buzz about their status. According to the big man, we have not seen the last of the team (or their former manager, Paul Ellering).

These are strong words that imply retirement is not currently in their vocabulary.

While the Authors of Pain have not been seen for a while, it is not necessarily their own fault. AEW went on record as saying they didn’t feel the duo were a good fit for the promotion – at the time. While NJPW lacked the budget to make a deal happen for the pair. Both big men make a formidable team but would surely come as a package.

Hopefully, the Authors of Pain will be back between the ropes soon, as the post-pandemic wrestling landscape starts to take shape. Who wouldn’t like to see these two behemoths run over the Good Brothers, or flatten the Young Bucks at some point?

Akam and Rezar are no longer under contract with WWE. 

The company announced on Friday that they have decided to release the two stars from their contracts. WWE issued the following statement on their departures:

“Akam and Rezar released. WWE has come to terms on the release of Akam and Rezar (AOP). We wish them all the best in their future endeavors.”

As of this writing, the Authors of Pain have yet to comment on the news. Kevin Owens did comment on WWE’s decision by writing the following: 

“Those guys beat the hell out of me for months…and I can say with complete honesty that I enjoyed every second of it. Good luck, boys. Hopefully, we’ll share a ring again one day and if so, you can bet you have some receipts coming you way!”

Rezar suffered a bicep injury in March. This injury put the team on the shelf once again. As a result, it halted their push on the RAW brand and ended their alliance with Seth Rollins. 

It had been reported that Paul Heyman was a big fan of the tag team when he was working creative as the RAW Executive Director at that time.

Because Rezar was out of aAkam and Rezar Released By WWEction, the decision was made then to also pull Akam off TV until Rezar was able to return.

The tag team was created in February of 2016 where they would hold the NXT Tag Team Titles once. 

Seth Rollins Comments On Turning Heel, Alliance With AOP & Murphy

Paul Ellering recently appeared on the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast where he claimed that he was set to return to WWE programming with The Authors of Pain before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

This was around the time that Rezar suffered a bicep injury in March. This injury put the team on the shelf once again and halted their push on the RAW brand alongside Seth Rollins and Buddy Murphy. 

Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that a source told him that Ellering’s name was never brought up for a return with the AOP before the pandemic. It was noted that Vince McMahon didn’t like Ellering, which is why he booked for the AOP to turn on Ellering when they were moved from NXT to the main roster. 

Ellering’s claims wouldn’t have been around the time when RAW Executive Director Paul Heyman had plans to give AOP a big push as his top heel tag team. Ultimately, the push fell apart due to Rezar’s injury. That’s when the decision was made to keep Akam off TV until Rezar was able to return.

Regarding when fans can expect to see the tag team back on television, it was noted that they will not be working with Rollins when they return. AOP is expected to be back sometime between late September and the end of this year.

Seth Rollins Comments On Turning Heel, Alliance With AOP & Murphy

In an expected move, WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins will not be the captain of Team Hogan against Team Flair at the Crown Jewel PPV event. WWE Now on Thursday confirmed the news. 

The reason for him not pulling double duty is due to his rematch against Bray Wyatt for the Universal Championship with a Falls Count Anywhere stipulation at this same show. 

Rusev and Ricochet have been announced for Team Hogan while Randy Orton, Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley, and Shinsuke Nakamura have been confirmed as part of Team Flair. 

Seth Rollins vs. Bray Wyatt Cage Match Advertised For Upcoming RAW

AOP Drafted to ARW

In this same video, it was confirmed that former WWE NXT Tag Team Champions the Authors of Pain will be exclusive to the RAW brand as they were drafted to the roster. 

This comes after they have been doing vignettes on Monday Night RAW about returning to action and sending a warning to the rest of the tag team division. 

After Akem underwent knee surgery in January, the tag team has been hiatus for most of the year. While they did work the 51-Man Battle Royal at the Super Showdown pay-per-view event, they’ve been used sparingly at house shows. 

If you haven’t already been caught up with this week’s WWE RAW, you might have missed what happened at the tag-team turmoil match on Monday.

Lucha House Party, The O.C., Viking Raiders, Hawkins & Ryder, B-Team, Heavy Machinery, The Revival and the seemingly random team of Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode competed in a Tag Team Turmoil Match. The winner of this match would get a title shot at the Raw Tag Team Championships at Clash of Champions. Of course, the team of Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode won, which means they will now face Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman on September 15.

• WWE RAW Results & Live Coverage (8/26)

Bryan Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Live reported that WWE were considering bringing back AOP for the match, but the company nixed the plan.

Now, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter is also reporting that the change regarding AOP’s return was made by Vince McMahon.

They were even supposed to do well in the match, but were ultimately scheduled to lose to Roode and Ziggler.

AOP has been out of action for some time now on WWE TV due to Akam recovering from a knee injury. They did however, wrestle at a live event SmackDown show in July.

It would have been brilliant if Akam and Rezar were given a return on the night and if they had been given an opportunity to shine.

Authors Of Pain Return To Action

We noted before how one half of the former NXT Tag Team Champions Authors Of Pain, Akam was reported to have been cleared to return to action earlier this month.

The injured star, along with his partner returned to action this week and wrestled in a SmackDown Brand Live event from Glens Falls, NY on Monday Night.

This duo competed against the team of Ali and Matt Hardy but they were not able to win this bout. It’s worth mentioning that despite working the SmackDown event, the tag team is still listed as part of the Raw roster.

Nikki Cross Is Ready To Play

This week’s episode of SmackDown Live saw a confrontation between Nikki Cross and Bayley with the Goddess Alexa Bliss missing the show.

Cross then went on to defeat Carmella in a one on one bout. After the show went off the air, Nikki was interviewed backstage and in the interview, as seen below the former NXT Star explains that she is ready to play:

Nikki Cross won a beat the clock challenge on this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw. The win earned her the right to choose the stipulation for Alexa Bliss and Bayley’s match at Extreme Rules PPV and she chose to make the bout a 2 on 1 handicap match.

Now Bayley will be defending her title against both Cross and Alexa Bliss and it would be interesting to see what will happen if the duo of Nikki and Alexa end up winning this match.

One-half of the Authors of Pain, Akam, has been cleared to return to the ring. Akam suffered a knee injury in January that required surgery and has been out of action since that time.

According to a report from POST Wrestling, Akam has been medically cleared and the team is just waiting for a storyline reason to return. In February, Akam sent the following out to his followers on Twitter:

• Akam Out With Leg Injury

Authors of Pain on the WWE Main Roster

The AOP held the RAW tag team championships from November 5th to December 10th, 2018. They won the titles from Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose.

The AOP then dropped the titles in a match where they had a 3-on-2 advantage (along with Drake Maverick) against Roode and Gable. Maverick was pinned during the match, costing his team the titles.

Akam’s last match on the WWE Main roster was a December 17th bout on RAW. The AOP was in a fatal 4-way tag match won by the Revival that night.

AOP has had 8 traditional 2-on-2 matches on the main roster. They have a 7-1 record.

Rezar has been wrestling on Main Event in single’s matches as of late. His last bout was a March 18th victory over Curt Hawkins.

WWE’s tag team division has been without former RAW Tag Team Champions The Authors Of Pain, as one-half of the team, Akam, has been dealing with an injury. In the meantime, Rezar has been getting work on WWE Main Event and live events. He has also been going hard in the gym.

Sharing a photo of himself after a workout on his Instagram story, Rezar is looking absolutely jacked since last being seen on WWE TV:

There’s currently no update on Akam’s status or when we might see AOP make their return.

What Happened After SmackDown Live Went Off-Air

Last night’s episode of SmackDown Live featured the second night of WWE’s Superstar Shake-Up. Several names moved brands, including Roman Reigns, who is now a member of the SmackDown Live roster. It was expected that some big names would move over to the blue brand given SmackDown is moving to FOX in October.

“The Big Dog” proclaimed after attacking Vince McMahon and Elias last night that SmackDown Live is his yard now. After the show went off-air and 205 Live taped, Reigns returned to the ring to face-off with Randy Orton. However, the match never had an official ending. Reigns hit Orton with a spear before “The Viper” rolled out of the ring. Reigns’ music his as though he won the match, but nobody was ever pinned or submitted.

Check out some photos here:

There was one big title change at the set of TV tapings for this week’s episode of WWE RAW. The company held the tapings for the flagship show of the WWE on Monday in Manchester, England at the Manchester Arena. At the tapings, The Authors Of Pain defeated Seth Rollins in a handicap match to win the WWE RAW Tag Team Titles. Dean Ambrose, who was the previous tag team champion alongside Rollins, didn’t work the match. This marks the first reign for the AOP as the RAW Tag Team Champions and their first gold on the main roster.

Instead, after the match, Ambrose came out to the ring to cut a promo about Rollins wanting to know why he turned his back and attacked him. This led to him connecting with Dirty Deeds to Rollins.

Seth Vs AOP for the tag titles.

Sure. #RAWManchester pic.twitter.com/EWPjn1dY8L

— Adam Cailler (@acailler) November 5, 2018

#RAWManchester And neeeeew. About time pic.twitter.com/Gu7PCNwwrd

— david lawton (@lawtondavid1) November 5, 2018

Dirty Deeds.

Leaves.

That was Dean's appearance. #RAWManchester pic.twitter.com/OAnqlqMv64

— Adam Cailler (@acailler) November 5, 2018

NEW RAW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS.

AOP.

Meh.#RAWManchester pic.twitter.com/TUMzgHakDC

— Adam Cailler (@acailler) November 5, 2018

Rollins and Ambrose won the tag team titles from Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre back on the October 22nd episode of RAW. After the match, Ambrose turned heel by attacking Rollins. He would later beat him down to end the show.

You can check out the full spoilers for the show here. WWE is expected to make the announcement of the title change after the match airs on the USA Network.

Authors Of Pain & Alicia Fox Return To WWE TV

As seen on this week’s episode of WWE Monday Night RAW in San Diego, CA at the Valley View Casino Center on the USA Network, Alicia Fox as well as The Authors Of Pain made their return to WWE television.

First, Fox appeared in a backstage segment with Bayley. If you recall, she had been off of WWE TV since January when she took time off due to a tailbone injury.

Switching gears to AOP, they won a squash match over the Gibson Brothers. Prior to the match, they had a run-in with Titus Worldwide. After the match, AOP beat down the jobbers until Titus Worldwide ran out to the ring to make the save.

Welcome back to #RAW, @AliciaFoxy! pic.twitter.com/e1AI0Cp1zL

— WWE (@WWE) June 26, 2018

War is their peace. They are @Akam_WWE & @Rezar_WWE, The #AuthorsOfPain! #RAW pic.twitter.com/N3TIIttaEM

— WWE (@WWE) June 26, 2018

SmackDown Promo

As noted, SmackDown General Manager Paige announced over the weekend that Jeff Hardy would defend the United States Title against Shinsuke Nakamura in Ontario, CA at the Citizens Business Bank Arena for this week’s episode of SmackDown Live on the USA Network.

As of this writing, the WWE has yet to reveal any other matches for the show. Here is the promo for the show:

Don't miss @ShinsukeN challenge @JEFFHARDYBRAND for the #USTitle TOMORROW NIGHT on #SDLive at 8/7c on @USA_Network! pic.twitter.com/yqsPKW2dwv

— WWE (@WWE) June 26, 2018

What are your thoughts on these stars returning to television? Sound off in the comment section.

Since making their main roster debuts this past April, The Authors Of Pain have only wrestled two matches on Monday Night RAW. They defeated Heath Slater and Rhyno on an April 9th RAW, and defeating Apollo Crews and Titus O’Neil on a May 14th episode of Main Event.

According to a report from John Pollack of Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the team hasn’t been around because one of its members was having a visa issue. It turns out that issue has since been resolved and they’re being held off the show because currently the plan is to push The B Team and Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre.

WWE doesn’t want The Authors Of Pain to be just another tag team, so they plan on brining them back to TV when they can focus on pushing them and getting them over. It should be interesting to see what creative has planned for the former NXT Tag Team Champs upon their return.

Discussion: What would you like to see WWE do with The Authors Of Pain when they come back to RAW?

On last night’s episode of Monday Night RAW, recent NXT call-ups The Authors Of Pain squashed a pair of local talents by the name of Jean-Paul and Francois. Akam and Rezar completely dominated the local Canadian talents before cutting a promo afterwards, putting the RAW Tag Team Division on notice.

It turns out that Jean-Paul and Francois go by the name “3.0.” They’re each billed as Scott Parker and Shane Mathews. Fans may recognize them from their work in the CHIKARA and  International Wrestling Syndicate (IWS) promotions.

This isn’t the first time 3.0 has been used in a squash match to make a top tag team look strong. Back on the April 2nd, 2016 episode of NXT, The Revival Squashed 3.0 as well. You can check a photo out form that here:

The Revival derrotaron a Matt Lee & Jeff Parker con total contundencia tras 'Shatter Machine' sobre Matt Lee. pic.twitter.com/1ZOgKFvsfb

— Phobia. (@WrestlingPhobia) April 28, 2016

Perhaps after being squashed by both AOP and The Revival in recent years, WWE could consider bringing in these young men for an opportunity in NXT. We’ll keep you updated.

Ever since The Authors Of Pain lost the NXT Tag Team Championship, people have been speculating about their future and it appears that they might be debuting on the Main Roster soon.

During the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer revealed that there have been talks of bringing the former Champions to the main roster and they can join the SmackDown Live Brand.

Authors of Pain first appeared on WWE Programming during the NXT Takeover: The End back in June 2016 where they attacked American Alpha after their match.

The duo has an impressive record in the development territory. They have won the 2016 edition of Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Tournament and the NXT Tag Team Championships once as well.

The team of Akam and Rezar recently lost the NXT Tag titles to Sanity during NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III which originally started the speculations that they may get called up.

The fact that the duo hasn’t appeared on NXT since losing the tag titles only strengthened these rumors and after Meltzer’s comments, it appears that we may see them debuting on the Main Roster soon.

Though the exact plans for their debut are not known, so it’s hard to say when or where the former Champions will make their first main roster appearance.

The main event of this week’s NXT was a women’s championship 3-way elimination match. Asuka would once again defend her title against Ruby Riot and Nikki Cross.

NXT
June 14th 2017
Full Sail University

1. Drew McIntyre vs. Rob Ryzin

• No highlights of this match were posted.
• This was a showcase match for Drew.
• McIntyre wins a quick bout, finishing him off with a Yakuza kick.

Winner: Drew McIntyre

2. Authors of Pain vs. Anthony Dominguez & William Freyday

• Only Akam wrestled for AOP in this match. Rezar just stayed on the outside and talked with Paul Ellering.
• Akam finished off the local talent, and his partner finally came into the ring after the match to deliver the Super Collider.
• They cut a promo about how Heavy Machinery were foolish to challenge them.
• This brought out Heavy Machinery and the 2 teams stared each other down for a moment.
• Paul Ellering got in between the four of them and ordered his team to back away.

Winners: Authors of Pain

3. The Velveteen Dream vs. Raul Mendoza

• The Velveteen Dream does not appear to be going by Patrick Clark anymore.
• He wins clean here with a very Macho Man-esque flying elbow drop.

4. NXT Women’s Championship Match
3-Way Elimination Match
Asuka (c) vs. Ruby Riot vs. Nikki Cross (Sanity)

• Cross picked up the first pin by eliminating Riot with a corkscrew neck breaker while Riot was draped on the top rope.
• Asuka and Cross then just started to have a wild brawl.
• They brawled to the back and the ref waved the match off.
• In the final move of the brawl Cross hit Asuka with a cross body that took both of them through a table.

The Authors of Pain defeated two enhancement talents by referee stoppage at Wednesday night’s NXT TV tapings from Full Sail University after a brutal powerbomb spot.

• Spoilers: Complete NXT TV Tapings Results For The Remainder Of 2016

Fans in attendance called it a scary and tense moment as the one wrestler was helped away by officials. The match was taped for the December 21st episode of NXT television, we’ll see if it airs.

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The Authors of Pain defeated TM-61 to win the second-annual NXT Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic at TakeOver: Toronto. They were joined by Triple H, Goldust and William Regal for the post-match celebration.

"I said at the beginning to put your money on the #AuthorsOfPain, because you always bet on Ellering!" – @WWEGraves #NXTTakeOver pic.twitter.com/CJxhzfUETn

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) November 20, 2016

Led by legendary manager Paul Ellering, the Authors of Pain look ahead to what’s next for them.