10 Thrown-Together WWE Acts That Made No Sense

4. AOP & Drake Maverick

AOP Drake Maverick
WWE

WWE's latest branding exercise seemed to suggest that fans can say goodbye to 'Authors Of Pain' as the former NXT pair's name going forward, but it came with a golden hello for 205 Live General Manager Drake Maverick. Golden in terms of skin tone, if not opportunity.

The former henchman for TNA gaffer Dixie Carter should be excellent in the role. As one of the smallest men on any wrestling roster, Maverick possess great skill in his perceived weakness and could be the big-mouthed little man Akam and Rezar have missed since binning off Paul Ellering following their main roster promotion. His stature shouldn't have resulted in bully boy Vince McMahon forcing him into the children's playsuit version of their gear.

Maverick looked absurd in the attire. Any attempt to reheat the pair will require him to not be quite so distractingly daft in their spare ensemble. It's particularly disarming considering how dapper he looks during his regular Tuesday night shift - a well-dressed Drake may yet be a lifeline for the lost NXT graduates.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett