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The Authors of Pain (AOP) left WWE in September 2020 because they wanted to prioritize their families over wrestling during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Akam and Rezar became involved in a high-profile storyline as Seth Rollins’ allies on RAW in December 2019. Nine months later, they received their releases after spending six months off television.
Speaking to Ango in their first interview since leaving WWE, Akam explained that COVID was the reason behind their exit:
“There was no ill will, nothing negative about it. It was a time when COVID had just started and we were actually in a pretty big storyline at the time, but what happened was we couldn’t travel anymore... COVID was very, very strong. We were asked to do something, go back, but we opted out of it. We didn’t feel comfortable doing it.” [1:51-2:27]
The Authors of Pain held the RAW Tag Team Championship and NXT Tag Team Championship during their four-year run as a WWE duo. They also won the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament in 2016.
The Authors of Pain stayed quiet for more than a year
Akam and Rezar have not returned to the ring since leaving WWE 18 months ago. Instead, they have focused their attention on working on the Bull Ape Planet NFT project.
Akam reiterated that both he and Rezar decided to stay home during the COVID-19 pandemic for the safety of their families:
“Personally, our families, that was our number one priority at the time. That was the only thing. Nobody really knew. That’s what the big question was, ‘What happened with AOP?’ Nothing, we just opted out to stay with family, take care of our families, and be home.” [2:29-2:51]
Akam, 28, and Rezar, 27, did not rule out potentially returning to wrestling one day. Their latest match came on March 9, 2020, when they joined forces with Murphy and Rollins to defeat The Street Profits and The Viking Raiders.
Please credit Ango and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
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