WWE News: Hall Of Famer Said He Was Asked To Manage Top ‘Monday Night Raw’ Tag Team Prior To Pandemic

Paul Ellering was a guest on the latest episode of the Two Man Power Trip podcast, and he opened up about almost returning to WWE to manage The Authors of Pain before the coronavirus crisis.

As quoted by WrestlingNews.co, Ellering claimed that he was set to reprise his role as the team’s manager on Monday Night Raw. However, the pandemic, coupled with Rezar suffering a torn triceps injury, put an end to those plans.

Ellering revealed that he was excited to work with the performers and the company again. His role wouldn’t have demanded him to adhere to the promotion’s busy travel schedule either.

“WWE asked if I would fly down to Orlando and talk about it. After I met Rezar and Akam, the Authors of Pain, then I knew I wanted to do it because they are two terrific young men. The best of the best. I wanted to do it to help them. We had a good run for two years. It was fun. I really enjoyed being around all the young people there. I would fly down for TV and maybe an extra date to do interviews so I never had to be on the road.”

Akam was also removed from television when his partner got hurt, so all plans pertaining to the duo seem to have been put on hold for now. The team was also aligned with Seth Rollins’ faction prior to their hiatus, and it’s likely that Ellering would have been added to the stable. Another option would have been to have the pair split from the faction under Ellering’s leadership.

Ellering added that he doesn’t know what the current plans are for the angle. His words suggested that he’s still up for managing his old clients, but the ball is in WWE’s court as of this writing.

The Hall of Famer managed the former NXT Tag Team Champions during their run on the black-and-gold brand. The monster heels cut ties with their manager upon joining the main roster in 2018, much to the surprise of fans.

As documented by Ringside News, there were rumors going around that Ellering didn’t want to travel. Ellering dismissed this claim and stated that the company just wanted the duo to be on their own.

Prior to his allegiance with The Authors of Pain, Ellering helped the legendary Road Warriors — Hawk and Animal — rise to fame in the 1980s. He also spent some time managing the duo in WWE, where they were known as The Legion of Doom.