Former WWE Superstars Authors of Pain Refute Rumors They Retired from Pro Wrestling

Former WWE Superstars Akam and Rezar took to social media Wednesday to deny a rumor that they have retired from professional wrestling.

Both Akam and Rezar posted the same photo of themselves and Paul Ellering from their time in NXT with the caption: "Ain't done yet bitches."

Earlier Wednesday, Fightful Select (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Marc Middleton) reported that a wrestling promoter said both Akam and Rezar were retired from the business and working a regular job.

It was also reported that AEW discussed potentially bringing them in last year, but "officials weren't sure if they were a good fit at the time."

Akam and Rezar debuted on NXT TV as The Authors of Pain in 2016 with Ellering by their side, and their tag team name was eventually shortened to AOP.

AOP were a dominant force in NXT, winning the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic and the NXT Tag Team Championships before eventually getting called up to the main roster in 2018.

Akam and Rezar went on to hold the Raw Tag Team Championships once, and their final role with the company was as part of a stable led by Seth Rollins on Raw.

Rezar reportedly suffered an arm injury in March 2020, resulting in AOP being taken off television. Both Rezar and Akam were later released from their contracts in September of that same year.

AOP were a highly successful tag team during their time in WWE with a great look, plenty of power and the ability to turn in some great in-ring performances.

They have seemingly faded into obscurity since leaving WWE, but they could still be a major asset to any wrestling company if they do indeed plan on returning to the fold.

AEW, Impact Wrestling, New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Ring of Honor are just a few of the promotions that could benefit from signing AOP, or WWE could potentially beef up its tag team division in NXT or on the main roster by re-signing them.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).