70-year-old Hall of Famer needs to return after almost five years to align with Karrion Kross on WWE SmackDown

Last night on WWE SmackDown, Karrion Kross shared another cryptic vignette where an image of the Authors of Pain and Paul Ellering was shown.

Over the past few months, there have been rumors that Authors of Pain had re-signed with WWE and were waiting to be picked up by creative. There was no mention of Ellering until he was featured in the recent vignettes.

Ellering left the Authors of Pain back in 2018, when they were promoted to the main roster, and it was reported that he decided to leave because of the travel commitments at that time.

The 70-year-old WWE Hall of Famer could now make his return to align with Karrion Kross and the Authors of Pain when they finally make their return to TV and seemingly begin their story together.

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Paul Ellering once led Authors of Pain to Tag Team Championships in WWE NXT

Authors of Pain were a dominant force in NXT and seemingly lost their fire when Ellering left them following their main roster promotion. The Hall of Famer was able to guide them to Tag Team Championships in NXT and add to the overall aura of the group. It will be interesting to see if he is able to recreate that when he returns.

It has been almost five years since Ellering stepped into a wrestling ring or through the curtain, and the landscape of the company is now very different, but Triple H was in charge of NXT when he left, and he is now in charge of the main roster.

Hence, it could be Triple H's influence that convinces him to make his return, making AOP the men to finally dethrone The Judgment Day.

Do you think Karrion Kross and AOP will be a match for The Judgment Day? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.