Gzim Selmani, better known to wrestling fans as Rezar of the Authors of Pain (AOP), alleged in a recent interview that his tag team was released from WWE due to an incident involving a member of The Wyatt Sicks.
Selmani made the claim during an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show podcast to discuss his recent Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) debut.
The 31-year-old fighter signed with BKFC following his release from WWE in February 2025. In his first BKFC fight on Saturday(March 14) in Newcastle,
Selmani scored a second-round TKO win over Daniel Curtin.
As one-half of the Authors of Pain with Akam (real name Sunny Dhinsa), Selmani had two runs in WWE. The duo, guided by manager Paul Ellering, won the NXT Tag Team Championship and the Raw Tag Team Championship during their first stint in the company.
Before their release at the end of their second run, AOP was aligned with Karrion Kross and Scarlett Bordeaux as The Final Testament. The faction would go on to feud with The Wyatt Sicks (Uncle Howdy, Erik Rowan, Dexter Lumis, Joe Gacy, and Nikki Cross). It was a match with this supernatural stable that resulted in the end of AOP in WWE, according to Selmani.
He told Helmani that AOP was let go following an in-ring incident with an unnamed member of The Wyatt Sicks, who Selmani said was being “very unprofessional.”
“Yeah, there was an incident. Very unprofessional from one of those guys, I don’t know their names,” Selmani said. “I don’t want to go into it too deeply, but there was an incident at one of the holiday tours that we did.”
He continued, “Somebody tried to switch up the match during the match. That’s just a no-go for me, especially if you’ve just been in the company for a little bit, and we were already there for a long time. You know, you don’t do that. And, yeah, I just had to let somebody know. And that was the end of it.”
The former Rezar added that the incident led to an argument backstage.
“They tried to switch up the match in the middle of the match. I’m a professional. Even if I got to take a beating in the wrestling ring, I do it. And if you’re going to be a scared little bitch, then it’s not my fault, you know? I will let you know backstage,” Selmani said.
After Selmani reiterated that his main problem was with the Wyatt member wanting to change a planned spot mid-match, Helmani asked: “That was it? There was an argument backstage, and then you were done?”
“Yes,” Selmani replied.
“Did you think that was fair?” Helmani asked.
“It happened,” Selmani said. “I’m okay with it.”
He noted that he and Akam “obviously” will “always leave the door open” for a return to wrestling.
“But for me, it was clear I had to go back to combat sports and do my thing,” Selmani said.
What do you think? Does it sound like Rezar was justified in being upset at The Wyatt Sicks member? Let us know in the comments.
