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Promoters Were Told AOP Had Retired, Later Clarify They "Ain't Done Yet"

Wrestling
Sean Ross Sapp Jun 18, 2021 3:00PM

AOP's final chapter hasn't been written.

It looked like the duo may have been wrapping things up early per a Fightful Select story, but they've had a change of heart.

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We've had a lot of people asking about what happened with the Authors of Pain. Fightful said there were inquiries by wrestlers themselves about bringing them into particular companies last year, but that no movement was on the horizon. We're told they were brought up to AEW management last year, who weren't sure if they were a good fit at the time, but left the door open. They were also brought up to New Japan Pro Wrestling management, who weren't bringing over new talent at the time, and the budget for such a move was said to have not been near what was required. We're told that as of now, both members were working regular jobs.

In the hour since we ran this story, another promoter reached out to Fightful and indicated when their people reached out to AOP, they were informed that both men had "retired." Rezar is 26, while Akam just turned 28. We aren't sure if this was representatives for AOP or the men themselves, and are working to find out more information.

A writer that had reached out to Rezar for an interview in April was told "I'm not a wrestler" in response.

Since the story, AOP have seemingly had a change of heart and have said "we're not done, bitches."

Even before they clarified, promoters that had been contacted by Fightful for this story expressed interest in booking them.

This article first appeared on our premium service, Fightful Select. Subscribe to get exclusive news every day, and a half-dozen weekly podcasts. It also appeared in our Fightful Wrestling Weekly newsletter, free on Fightful.

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