Shortly before last night's episode of SmackDown went on the air, WWE announced the release of Akam and Rezar, a.k.a. The Authors of Pain. In a short statement shared on WWE.com, the company delivered the usual message of, "WWE has come to terms on the release of Akam and Rezar (AOP). We wish them all the best in their future endeavors."
This news definitely comes as a surprise because both men were receiving a push alongside Seth Rollins as part of his stable. Of course, that was derailed when Rezar suffered a right torn biceps during a match on RAW back in early March. The decision was then taken to remove Akam from TV as WWE management decided it would be better to wait until they could be paired up again.
Unfortunately, that's the second time The Authors of Pain's push was derailed. Shortly after arriving on the main roster - minus their NXT manager Paul Ellering - an injury saw them disappear, and it could be that WWE has decided they're simply no longer worth it.
It's unclear where this leaves Rollins as his partnership with Buddy Murphy is clearly on the outs, so he's likely to be flying solo again soon.
During their WWE run, Akam and Rezar won the NXT and RAW Tag Team Championships and were crowned the winners of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic back in 2016. Needless to say, it will be very interesting seeing where these two land.