The release of AOP this week was a surprise to some people in WWE because there were plans for them to get a big push.
Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that before Rezar was injured in March, Paul Heyman wanted to push them as a top tag team with the idea being that they would be pushed as a modern-day version of the Road Warriors. The Road Warriors (Hawk and Animal) were a team that didn’t sell much and they ran through their opponents in the NWA.
Meltzer noted that Rezar had just gotten cleared and was ready to return before their release was announced. He said, “The only thing I had heard…because he had just gotten cleared and the idea was that he was not going to be back with Seth Rollins, which was their original role but they didn’t know where they would be.”
Meltzer added, “When Paul Heyman was there, Paul Heyman wanted to make them his Road Warriors and Levesque did to because he even brought in Ellering for them and they were total Road Warrior rip-offs. It’s interesting that those two wanted to make them into Road Warriors and then Vince just decided whatever…”
Paul Ellering did an interview a couple of weeks ago and said that there were plans to bring him back this year but those plans were paused because of Rezar’s injury.
Akam and Rezar are in their 20’s so there is plenty left for them to do in professional wrestling. It’s not clear yet what their next move is but there’s no doubt that wrestling companies will be reaching out to them when their 90-day non-compete expires.
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