Rezar is opening up about his time in WWE — and it doesn’t sound like things were smooth behind the scenes as a lot of people didn’t actually like him.
During an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show on March 17, 2026, the former Authors of Pain member revealed that he faced real tension backstage, especially from veteran wrestlers who didn’t respect his path into the company. Rezar explained that coming into WWE without grinding through the independent scene didn’t sit well with others — and it created immediate friction.
“It worked against me. They didn’t like me backstage, especially the wrestlers who had already been wrestling for 16 years and finally made their way to the Performance Center. They didn’t respect it. They didn’t like guys who didn’t pay their dues in the wrestling business — the bingo halls and all that. They didn’t like that. But what can I do? I didn’t beg to go there. WWE wanted me. I didn’t go through the indies.”
Despite that tension, Rezar made it clear he wasn’t exactly easy to push around either — saying that while some tried to test him, they ultimately backed off because of his legit fighting background.
“Did they give me a hard time? Yeah, they tried to. But at the end of the day, they knew I was a legit killer, so they didn’t want to f*** with me backstage too much either.”
Rezar originally debuted alongside Akam as part of the Authors of Pain in NXT back in 2016, quickly establishing themselves as one of the most dominant tag teams in the system. After multiple runs with WWE — including releases and returns — he’s now fully transitioned into combat sports.
Looking back, though, it’s clear his WWE journey wasn’t just about what happened in the ring — there was plenty going on behind the curtain as well. Rezar isn’t sugarcoating anything — and if anything, he’s making it clear he never felt the need to fit in with the traditional wrestling path.
Do you think wrestlers need to “pay their dues” on the indies to earn respect, or is talent enough to justify a fast-track to the top? Let us know your thoughts and leave your feedback.
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