The Authors of Pain were 'secretly' signed to WWE for over a year before SmackDown debut with Karrion Kross: What you need to know

On SmackDown: New Year's Revolution, The Authors of Pain made their much-awaited return to WWE. The return of AOP took place during the promo of Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits. When The All Mighty addressed the WWE Universe, Karrion Kross, Scarlett Bordeaux, and Paul Ellering appeared.

Distracted by the trio, Lashley and the Street Profits were attacked by The Authors of Pain. While the return of AOP received mixed reactions, the good news is that WWE has finally used them. The faction had been signed to the promotion for almost over a year before they could come to the blue brand.

When they were signed with WWE, it was reported that The Authors of Pain would be moving to NXT along with Paul Ellering. At the time, this move made sense, given AOP were former NXT Tag Team Champions. However, a move to the former black and gold brand never materialized.

Instead, Authors of Pain are now on SmackDown, and it will be interesting to see what they achieve on the blue brand. While they are currently involved in a rivalry with Lashley and the Street Profits, it will be interesting to see them challenge for the Undisputed Tag Team Championship at some point.

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The Authors of Pain were the subject of praise from WWE Legend sometime ago

Between 2016 and 2020, The Authors of Pain were one of the most formidable duos in WWE. The duo's performance earned them the NXT and RAW Tag Team Championship. However, apart from the titles, it also earned them appreciation from the WWE Universe.

Road Dogg is one such man on whom AOP made a profound impact. During an episode of his Oh You Didn't Know? Podcast some time ago, the WWE legend showered plenty of praise upon The Authors of Pain.

He also mentioned that he desired to see them back in WWE at the time. Road Dogg said:

"I'm a tag team guy," Road Dogg stated. "I love the dudes. I know they're not twins, but for me you have twin magic in the men's category, and they're both big, huge guys, international dudes, that were really learning how to work on a high level down there in NXT with the teams they were working with and the production rate at which they were learning. The sky was the limit. I'm a fan. I'd love to see those guys back."

Road Dogg must be one happy man now that Authors of Pain are back. The coming weeks on SmackDown will be exciting to see with the addition of this alliance between Karrion Kross, Paul Ellering, and AOP.