AOP Reportedly Retired From Pro Wrestling

Former WWE Superstars Akam and Rezar of AOP are reportedly retired from pro wrestling.

It was reported today by Fightful Select that other wrestlers had inquired about bringing The Authors of Pain to particular wrestling companies last year, but nothing ever came of it. It was noted that Akam and Rezar were brought up to AEW last year, but officials weren't sure if they were a good fit at the time. The door was still left open for AOP to potentially work with AEW in the future.

AOP were also suggested to NJPW officials, but the company was not bringing over new talent to Japan at that time, and the budget for such a move was said to have not been near what was required.

As of now, word going around is that both members of AOP are working regular jobs these days. One promoter who reached out to AOP were informed that both men had "retired" from the business. It wasn't clear if the wrestlers themselves said they were retired, or a representative for the group, but we will keep you updated.

Akam, age 28, and Rezar, age 26, were released from their WWE contracts on September 4 of last year. Rezar had been on the shelf since suffering a biceps injury earlier that year in March. They left the company as the 2016 WWE NXT Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic winners, one-time NXT Tag Team Champions, and one-time RAW Tag Team Champions. Akam originally signed with WWE in October 2014, while Rezar signed in May 2015.

Stay tuned for more.