10 Ways WWE Rebuilt NXT In 2017
5. Auteurs Of Pain
If any magic still exists in the art of a professional wrestling match today, its in the ability to harness any form of disbelief suspension over more than just a move-trading finisher sprint or the command for a 'This Is Awesome' chant you could set your watch to.
Alongside the agents of their major matches through to their opponents and even Paul Ellering stationed ringside, The Authors Of Pain deserve tremendous credit for making their killer unit one of the few to generate that perfect response.
It was only a year ago that a clunky Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic finale victory had worrying echoes of WWE's every-monster-gets-a-push philosophy, but their initially unwelcome interruption in #DIY's transcendent rivalry with The Revival shortly afterwards triggered one of the most satisfying runs for any act this year.
Bully heels when they lifted the titles from Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano at TakeOver: San Antonio, the pair looked believably unstoppable in a series of fabulous defences until coming up against SAnitY in a chaotically underrated brawl at August's TakeOver: Brooklyn 3. Spirited and short on cliches, the war was a coming-of-age moment for Akam and Rezar even in defeat. Defacto babyfaces in the exhilarating WarGames revival, the pair have taken the most organic route to anti-heroism and ironically now represent yet another new frontier for developmental doubles.