Former WWE stars make AEW in-ring return as a duo after over a year

Two former WWE Superstars made their in-ring return to AEW tonight on Collision, with this being their first time competing on the promotion as a tag team in more than a year. This would be Tony Nese and Ariya Daivari.

The two stars were known for their time in WWE as competitors in the Cruiserweight Classic. Despite both being unsuccessful in winning the tournament, they went on to be featured on 205 Live, with Nese even becoming Cruiserweight Champion at one point.

Currently, they are two-thirds of The Premier Athletes, a faction managed by Mark Sterling. Last week on AEW Collision, they were featured in a video package teasing their imminent returns. Tonight Tony Nese and Ariya Daivari faced off against Dante Leon and Trip Jordy in a squash match that finished in under a minute.

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This was a bold statement for the duo, as this was their first tag team match in AEW since March last year. With them looking to be in good form, it remains to be seen how great an impact they will have in the landscape of the tag team division.

The third member of the faction, Josh Woods, was not around tonight, but he could play a part in this group rising through the ranks soon.

About the author

Enzo is a Pro Wrestling journalist at Sportskeeda, reporting on AEW. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Multimedia Studies, which influenced his decision of taking up sports writing professionally, and has been an avid fan of the athletic theater since childhood. He believes readers deserve authentic and unique content and aims to report in a manner which pro wrestling fans can easily relate to.

Growing up, Enzo admired former world champions like AJ Styles, Will Ospreay, Bryan Danielson, Triple H, and Randy Orton for their finishing moves. As an adult, he started to appreciate their character work, as they juggled between heel and babyface gimmicks.

If allowed to produce one final storyline involving his idols, he would have Orton lock horns with John Cena, would be their one last big feud as both of them seem to be approaching the tail end of their careers.

Other than pro wrestling, Enzo enjoys keeping up with Basketball, Football, and Formula One. He also loves watching films, playing video games, and listening to music.

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Edited by Neda Ali