The story of how Vince McMahon once tried to oust a WWE legend has surfaced.
There has been plenty of talk online about Vince McMahon’s peculiar habits and overall behavior. However, a new peculiarity has come to light, shared by former NXT Tag Team Champion Rezar (real name Gzim Selmani).
Rezar, along with his tag team partner Akam, were together known as the Authors of Pain (AOP). They tore through the ranks in NXT, winning the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament, which led them to capture the NXT Tag Team titles. Alongside them throughout this journey was legendary wrestling manager Paul Ellering.
Besides serving as AOP’s mouthpiece, the WWE Hall of Famer acted as an ominous presence and strategist for the team. That’s why it took fans by surprise when AOP debuted on RAW without him. Instead, the Stamford-based promotion paired the duo with Drake Maverick.
In a recent interview, Rezar explained why Ellering wasn’t with them on the main roster.
Rezar Shares Details Of Why Vince McMahon Wanted To Oust Paul Ellering From WWE
Speaking with Metro, Rezar revealed that he and Akam were informed of the massive change to their team dynamic on their very first day on the main roster.
He continued by saying that Ellering told them not to worry and to proceed as instructed. Rezar then claimed that the reason for this change was Vince McMahon’s bizarre demand, as the former Chairman did not want anyone older than him in the spotlight:
“He didn’t like older people than him or people his age on the show. He wanted to be the only elderly person who would be in the spotlight at the time.”
AOP took a short hiatus in 2019 and were later paired with Seth Rollins until their release from the company in September 2020.
The pair finally reunited with Paul Ellering in 2024 when they returned as part of the stable Final Testament, which also includes Karrion Kross and Scarlett.