9 Times WWE Killed A Popular Star In Less Than 60 Days

9. The Authors Of Pain

Somehow, the Authors of Pain just worked in NXT. Despite Akam and Rezar, greener than Gaddafi's manifesto, being inexplicably paired with wrestling relic Paul Ellering and given a painfully puntastic name, the team managed to become greater than the sum of their parts, gradually drawing plaudits from even the most cynical of NXT's commentators.

A move to the main roster seemed the easiest thing in the world. Make the jump, crush some jobbers, and then continue where they left off. But for no apparent reason, after the duo's Raw debut - a decisive victory over Heath Slater and Rhyno - they binned off Ellering, with no explanation given. Externally, it seemed to be a case of the veteran manager not wishing to take on the main-roster schedule. Ellering refuted the claims. WWE simply felt he was too old to be on TV.

Without their mouthpiece, the Authors ran into writers' block. Unable to express themselves, they were just a pair of directionless bruisers lost amidst the mix. It took six months for WWE to realise their mistake, and align them with a new advocate, a ridiculous looking Drake Maverick in AoP cosplay.