“Thank you Papa H,” “Glad they didn’t go to that toxic company AEW”

This week’s episode of WWE SmackDown, themed New Year’s Revolution, was another action-packed night, which was elevated by a surprise return of a popular tag team. The tag team in question is the Authors of Pain, who showed up to align with Karrion Kross.

The Authors of Pain was first released by WWE back in 2020 as part of the Stamford-based company’s budget cuts. However, in recent months, there were several rumors swirling around about the duo possibly being brought back by the global wrestling juggernaut. The duo’s return finally came to fruition on this week’s episode of SmackDown: New Year’s Revolution, where Akam and Rezar, alongside Paul Ellering, aligned with Karrion Kross and Scarlett.

The duo attacked Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits, making a clear statement about their intentions to wreak havoc on everybody in their paths. This quickly became the talk of the town, with the fans coming out in droves to react to the dominant duo’s shocking appearance on the blue brand. Most users on Twitter seemed ecstatic about Akam and Rezar’s return to WWE after three years.

However, there was a certain section of viewers that also pointed out that the live crowd gave the Authors of Pain a lukewarm reception.

Check out some of the fan reactions below:

Why did the Authors of Pain get released from WWE in 2020?

The Authors of Pain was at the top of its game as Seth Rollins’ on-screen allies before the COVID-19 pandemic struck. However, an injury to Rezar in March 2020 derailed plans for them. After months of absence, they were released from the Stamford-based promotion in September of that year. During an interview last year, the duo shed light on exiting WWE on good terms.

“There was no ill will, nothing negative about it. It was a time when COVID had just started and we were actually in a pretty big storyline at the time, but what happened was we couldn’t travel anymore… COVID was very, very strong. We were asked to do something, go back, but we opted out of it. We didn’t feel comfortable doing it,” Akam said.

With WWE’s tag team division firing on all cylinders, the addition of the Authors of Pain is sure to make a big impact if they are booked properly in the coming months.

Do you think the Authors of Pain could win the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship down the line? Let us know in the comments section below.