Rezar of AOP Says Backstage Incident Contributed To WWE Release

Gzim Selmani is opening up about his WWE departure, and he says it was not simply a matter of creative plans falling apart.

The Authors of Pain were among the names released on February 7, 2025, alongside Akam, Paul Ellering, Cedric Alexander, Sonya Deville, and Blair Davenport. At the time, reports suggested stalled storylines and shifting creative direction following the collapse of the Wyatt Sicks angle played a major role.

Now, in an interview with Casinostugan on February 27, 2026, Rezar claims there was a specific backstage situation that changed everything.

“There was something that happened backstage. After that, we weren’t getting called on any shows anymore, so the message was clear.”

According to Rezar, their absence from television was not random. He described a “minor incident” that he believes led to the sudden halt in momentum.

“Something happened backstage, I don’t want to get into it too much, but there was a minor incident, and obviously they didn’t like it.”

He declined to provide details but did not attempt to distance himself from accountability.

“I’ll take responsibility for it, I don’t care, but obviously, there’s something that led up to that situation.”

Rezar also emphasized that this was not a recurring issue during his tenure.

“I’m always professional. I was with WWE for a total of almost nine plus years. I never had an incident or anything like that, but yeah, I’ll take responsibility for it. I don’t care.”

The Authors of Pain had been reintroduced to WWE television months before their release, with Ellering returning as their manager. Their push appeared poised to gain traction before abruptly cooling off. From a business perspective, wrestling promotions operate on tight margins of trust and reliability. A single backstage conflict, even a minor one, can shift perception quickly, especially when creative momentum is already fragile.

Whether that incident alone sealed their fate is difficult to verify from the outside. In wrestling, creative direction, locker room dynamics, and executive confidence often intersect in unpredictable ways.

Rezar’s comments suggest that what fans see on screen rarely tells the full story.