Welcome to a new wrestling series here on the blog. In this series, I intend to give a "Progress Report" for each wrestler/tag team in WWE's developmental program, NXT. I will be looking at a series of subjects regarding their NXT work and progression as a competitor, ranging from their gimmick, to their best matches and worst matches. In the end, I will give my belief as to what potential spot they have in the grand scheme of WWE programming. You might not agree with my evaluation of these wrestlers, and that's fine; this is merely a subjective review of a wrestler's work and opinions obviously may differ. For example, I was never big on Mojo
gimmick or wrestling ability, yet he is now in WWE and given he won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at this past WrestleMania, I would argue that WWE does see something in him. Without further a do, let's get to the first evaluation, which is the current NXT Tag Team Champions, the Authors of Pain, aka, Akam and Rezar.
gimmick or wrestling ability, yet he is now in WWE and given he won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at this past WrestleMania, I would argue that WWE does see something in him. Without further a do, let's get to the first evaluation, which is the current NXT Tag Team Champions, the Authors of Pain, aka, Akam and Rezar.
NXT Progress Report - Authors of Pain (Akam & Rezar)
Names: Akam and Rezar
Manager: Paul Ellering
Tag Team Name: Authors of Pain
Age: 24 (Akam), 23 (Rezar)
Finisher(s): The Last Chapter and Super-Collider
Theme Song: "Pain" by CFO$
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Time in NXT (so far):
Akam signed an NXT contract in October of 2014, and Rezar followed suit months after in May of 2015. In February of 2016, The Authors of Pain were first introduced to NXT crowd at local shows around Florida, getting their feet wet, as many beginners of NXT do, before making a TV appearance. They debuted on TV four months later at NXT Takeover: The End (June 2016) when they attacked then NXT Tag Champions, American Alpha. They were accompanied by Paul Ellering, one of the most decorated wrestling managers in the history of the sport. Ellering has most notably managed the Legion of Doom, on of my all-time favorite tag teams, but also Jake "The Snake" Roberts and Arn Anderson, among others. The Authors of Pain would soon enter the 2nd Annual Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic and win convincingly. Two months later, they would capture their first NXT Tag Team titles after defeating DIY at NXT Takeover: San Antonio. They are still the reigning champions at the time of writing.
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Bret Hart's Three Criteria for Grading Wrestlers:
Bret Hart has said that a wrestler can be graded in three overall subjects: Looks, Promo, and Ability in the ring. I will be using Bret's criteria to grade all of the NXT wrestlers. Please remember, this is a current rating, and not a potential rating they could have. Please also remember this is my personal opinion.
1. Looks/Gimmicks - 9/10
The Authors of Pain look the part of their gimmick, which is two men looking to destroy anything and anyone in their way in pursuit of winning. It's hard to believe that both men are under the age of 25; both of them are massively built and give off an intimidating feel. Their ring gear, tactical vests and cargo pants, paint their gimmick well. They are soldiers, and Ellering is their commander. They also have sported masks for their entrances at big events like Takeovers, which definitely add an additional flair to their attire. WWE management, as well as Akam and Rezar, did a great job in tailoring their look and gimmick to make their presence known. This is definitely one of my highest marks for the group, as I think that this current gimmick and look they have could translate to the WWE with major success immediately.
2. Promo - 9/10
This grade might seem a bit wonky to some, so let me clarify. I am grading this section based off the premise that I am including Paul Ellering in the Authors of Pain. If I wasn't, both of these men, Akam and Rezar, would earn a low score, or possible an "Incomplete". They have not spoken a word in terms of a promo during their NXT tenure. However, they do have Paul Ellering, a manager who has been around the block and knows how to cut a promo. Ellering is one of the best to do it; he was the voice behind the Legion of Doom, and made them into one of the most popular tag teams in the world by doing the talking. He is in the WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2011) for his abilities on the mic, including the ability to put over his opponent. Ellering's promos are great for the Authors of Pain. He discusses his tag team's motives as if he is a general, and they are his soldiers, which is essentially the gimmick. He is the puppet master, in a sense, and he plays the part well. For that reason, assuming that Ellering goes with the Authors of Pain to the main roster, I must give a high score. I will note, though, that without a manager I think that the tag team would suffer greatly.
3. Wrestling Ability - 7/10
In the short time that they have been on the NXT "main" roster, and not simply Performance Center talent, the Authors of Pain have made great strides in terms of their in-ring ability. I think it speaks volumes that the Authors of Pain have been able to put on impressive matches with some of NXT's greatest tag teams, such as The Revival and #DIY. AoP were not carried in these matches either; they were equally as impressive in many of those matches. They are (mostly) crisp with their big moves, although not perfect, which I will get to, but another shining positive for me regarding their in-ring ability is their fearlessness. These two took some absolutely NASTY bumps in some of their most well-regarded matches. In their last match with #DIY, Tommaso Ciampa suplexed Rezar onto a ladder and the ladder EXPLODED. Literally. It was stunning. They also took frog splashes from #DIY while on top of ladders, and more, and they STILL were able to impress at the end with their athleticism. They have uncanny natural ability that is growing more and more with each match. They are also already pretty good at catching wrestlers, as evident by the finals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Shane Thorne jumped from the structure holding Paul Ellering in a shark cage, which had to have been 20 feet up, on top of both members of AoP and they made sure he didn't die. This might seem like a minute detail, but given their size, they will be taking some big moves, and outside dives will be part of that. They need to know how to catch wrestlers effectively, and I think they are serviceable at it already.
With that being said, they still have some work to do. They can get a little sloppy, which is a dangerous thing given their size and strength. The most notable instance of them letting their sloppiness result in an injury was at a December NXT TV taping. In a squash match, which you can watch here, AoP was doing their finishing move the Super-Collider. When completing the move with the power bomb, Akam throws his guy down and slams him head first onto the other opponent. They knocked heads, and a concussion was suffered in the process. To an extent, this kind of botch is forgivable. After all, they are 24 and 23, and are still learning their way through the ring, only being in the wrestling business for two or three years. However, that same level of forgiveness will not be found on the main roster with valuable talent. Imagine if they did this to the Hardy Boyz? The New Day? People would go berserk, and rightfully so. In all, while I think they are definitely impressive in the ring, and use their size well, they need to be consistently clean going forward, and especially when they are called up.
Summary:
1. Looks: 9/10
2. Promo: 9/10
3. Ability: 7/10
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Best Matches (ratings according to WON):
1. NXT Takeover: Orlando - Authors of Pain vs. The Revival vs. #DIY (**** 1/2 stars)
2. NXT Takeover: Chicago - Authors of Pain vs. #DIY (**** 1/4 stars)
3. NXT Takeover: Toronto - Authors of Pain vs. TM61 (*** stars) (Dusty Rhodes TTC Finals)
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Potential:
Best-Case: Multiple time WWE Tag Team Champions - I think best-case, the Authors of Pain can become one of the most dominant forces in WWE history. Given their age, and their current and potential ability, they have the chance to rack up a lot of gold with the company. Their current streak has proven they can be a group of invulnerable titans that would need the absolute best from any two wrestlers to take them down. As long as WWE books them in a way that this invulnerability is protected, the Authors of Pain should be able to continuously grow in terms of momentum and gold around their waist. The sky is the limit for this duo.
Worst-Case: Victims of Bad Booking and Decisions - I find it hard to believe that WWE could screw up the Authors of Pain, but it's not out of the question. The whole appeal to the duo is that they are an invulnerable duo. If they decide to take that away from them, what are they? Nothing special. Another worst-case scenario is if they lose Paul Ellering. AoP can't get the crowd against them simply in the ring; Ellering must speak for them to accomplish that. I would say that the absolute worst case scenario, however, is WWE breaking up this team. They simply would not work as singles guys without going back to the drawing board, and most likely, NXT.
Overall: I think that WWE have a very valuable asset in the Authors of Pain, but their success is determined to how committed WWE is to their image. They can't be a tag team that experiences 50/50 booking. They can't. They need to be dominant, and while I think WWE is ready to allow that, it's tough to say. There are ways for them to lose without looking poorly. Triple threat matches. Gimmick matches. Hell, even a pin or two once in a while won't hurt them in the long run. But for them to be successful, they can't be treated like another tag team who had an impressive NXT run, The Ascension. The Ascension and the AoP are two very different teams, but they share similarities in turns of their NXT Tag Title runs. No one has beaten the AoP, while Ascension went nearly a year without losing. Once they got to the main roster, though, they couldn't get it going. I'm still unsure as to why, but without the appeal of being unstoppable monsters, their gimmick suffered greatly. I don't want that to happen to the Authors of Pain, and for the record, I don't think it will. I'm high on their future, and I guess you could say that in terms of their WWE status, there is LITTLE doubt they will be making their way to the main roster at some point.
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WWE Ready: Yes
ETA: It could be as soon as SummerSlam. By the RAW after WrestleMania 34 for sure.
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Thanks for reading! I had a lot of fun writing this article, and I'm already looking forward to doing the next one. I'm not sure how frequently these articles will come out, as it did take some time to put together, but we will see. I hope you enjoyed, and be sure to check in for the next one.
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