Who are the Authors of Pain? Reflecting on their last WWE appearance

Could a successful tag team be returning to WWE sooner rather than later? There's a chance that Akam and Rezar may be returning to the Sports Entertainment juggernaut. The Authors of Pain may have already been re-signed if reports are to be believed.

According to Fightful Select, the pair may have been secretly signed dating to the end of 2022. If they are indeed back with the company, it has seemingly been at least since before Vince McMahon's return to the promotion and the hiring freeze that followed.

While other rumors indicate that the pair may appear on the WWE NXT brand, Akam and Rezar were last seen in World Wrestling Entertainment as part of the main roster. Before their releases, the duo were united with Seth Rollins and Buddy Murphy.

The group was starting to find their legs before an injury struck. Rezar tore his bicep on March 10, 2020, and the pair were let go later that year. Their last match in the company happened a day earlier.

On the March 9, 2020, edition of WWE RAW, Akam and Rezar teamed up with Seth Rollins and Buddy Murphy. The fearsome foursome defeated The Street Profits and The Viking Raiders in an eight-man tag team match.

While fans may never know where the stable could have gone, a return could be on the horizon. Buddy won't be involved, given his contract with AEW, but could a reunion with their leader happen in time? For now, their future remains a mystery.

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Seth Rollins will be in action at WWE Payback 2023

While The Authors of Pain were last seen united with Seth Rollins, The Visionary's career has moved considerably since then. Now, he is the reigning World Heavyweight Champion.

He won the belt in Saudi Arabia by defeating AJ Styles to conclude a tournament. Since then, Rollins has successfully retained the belt against challengers such as Bron Breakker, Damian Priest, and Finn Balor on more than one occasion.

Rollins will have his next big defense at the WWE Payback Premium Live Event. He will defend his coveted World Heavyweight Championship against Japanese wrestling legend Shinsuke Nakamura.

Their rivalry has quickly become heated. Initially, Seth was open about respecting The King of Strong Style, but Shinsuke shockingly attacked his then-partner following a six-man tag team match victory on RAW.

Since then, Nakamura has cut scathing promos against The Visionary in Japanese. He has called out Seth's injured back and even brought Rollins' wife, Becky Lynch, and their daughter into things. Needless to say, their clash at Payback will be very personal.