Rezar
Rezar | |
---|---|
Born | Gzim Selmani 16 June 1994 Amsterdam, Netherlands |
Ring name(s) | Gzim Selmani Rezar[1] |
Billed height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)[1] |
Billed weight | 330 lb (150 kg)[1] |
Billed from | Albania[1][2] |
Trained by | WWE Performance Center |
Debut | 30 January 2016 |
Mixed martial arts career Martial arts career | |
Other names | The Albanian Psycho |
Nationality | Dutch |
Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
Weight | 265 lb (120 kg; 18 st 13 lb) |
Division | Heavyweight |
Style | Judo, kickboxing |
Team | Golden Glory |
Trainer | Martijn De Jong |
Years active | 2012–2014 (MMA} |
Mixed martial arts record | |
Total | 8 |
Wins | 6 |
By knockout | 1 |
By submission | 3 |
Losses | 2 |
By knockout | 2 |
Amateur record | |
Total | 2 |
Wins | 2 |
By knockout | 1 |
By submission | 1 |
Other information | |
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Last updated on: 9 June 2016 |
Gzim Selmani (born 16 June 1994) is a Dutch professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist of Kosovo Albanian descent currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Rezar as a member of Authors of Pain (with Akam), a subgroup of The Final Testament stable.
After signing with WWE in 2015, he has since teamed with
Early life
Gzim Selmani was born on 16 June 1994
Mixed martial arts career
Selmani joined
Mixed martial arts record
8 matches | 6 wins | 2 losses |
By knockout | 2 | 2 |
By submission | 4 | 0 |
Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 6–2 | Daniel Gallemore | TKO (punches) | Bellator 130
|
24 October 2014 | 2 | 4:33 | Mulvane, Kansas, United States | |
Win | 6–1 | Oli Thompson | Technical Submission (guillotine choke) | BAMMA 15
|
5 April 2014 | 1 | 0:18 | London, United Kingdom | |
Win | 5–1 | Tomaz Simonic | Technical Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Final Fight Championship 10 | 13 December 2013 | 1 | 1:54 | Skopje, Macedonia | |
Win | 4–1 | Mario Milosavljevic | Technical Submission (standing guillotine choke) | Bosnia Fight Championship 1 | 9 November 2013 | 1 | 0:35 | Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina | |
Loss | 3–1 | Ante Delija | TKO (punches) | Final Fight Championship 5 | 24 May 2013 | 1 | 3:09 | Osijek, Croatia | |
Win | 3–0 | Anatoli Ciumac | TKO (retirement) | Klash Champions Battlefield 4 – Road to Glory | 24 November 2012 | 2 | 5:00 | Brașov, Romania | |
Win | 2–0 | Jorrit Leeman | Submission (armbar) | Shooto Europe Pro | 13 October 2012 | 2 | 2:58 | The Netherlands
|
|
Win | 1–0 | Kaan Postaci | KO (punch) | Fight Club Den Haag | 8 July 2012 | 1 | 2:10 | The Netherlands, The Hague
|
Professional wrestling career
WWE (2015–2020)
Selmani got invited for a tryout in Dubai, and it was William Regal’s choice to get him to sign a contract for WWE. In May 2015, it was reported that Selmani had signed a contract with WWE and would begin training to become a professional wrestler at the WWE Performance Center.[9] In October 2015, WWE confirmed that Selmani was a WWE developmental recruit already training at the Performance Center.[10] He made his in-ring debut at a NXT house show in Venice, Florida on 30 January 2016, losing to Josh Woods.[2] By February 2016, Selmani had formed a tag team with Sunny Dhinsa,[11] and they became known as The Authors of Pain by April 2016.[12]
Selmani and Dhinsa made their televised NXT debuts on 8 June 2016 at NXT TakeOver: The End;[13] following the NXT Tag Team Championship match, they attacked champions American Alpha (Chad Gable and Jason Jordan) before leaving backstage with Paul Ellering.[14] On 15 June episode of NXT, the Authors of Pain won their first televised match and were managed by Ellering.[15] On 24 August episode of NXT Selmani's ring name was revealed to be Rezar,[16] while Dhinsa was billed as Akam.[17] The duo won the 2016 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, defeating TM61 in the tournament final at NXT TakeOver: Toronto. At NXT TakeOver: San Antonio, the Authors of Pain defeated #DIY to win the NXT Tag Team Championship. They retained the title at NXT TakeOver: Orlando by defeating #DIY and The Revival in a Triple Threat Tag Team Elimination match by eliminating both teams. At NXT TakeOver: Chicago, the duo participated in the first NXT Takeover main event for the NXT Tag Team Championship by defeating #DIY in a ladder match to retain the title. At NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III, the Authors of Pain lost the titles to SAnitY. at NXT TakeOver: WarGames, Authors of Pain and Roderick Strong competed in a 3 team WarGames match which was won by The Undisputed Era. On 20 December episode of NXT, Authors of Pain lost the NXT Tag Team Championship to Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly. At NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia, Authors of Pain got a rematch but were unsuccessful. At NXT TakeOver: New Orleans, Authors of Pain competed in a Triple threat tag team match for the NXT Tag Team Championship and Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic trophy which was won by The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole and Kyle O'Reilly).
On 9 April episode of Raw, The Authors of Pain, along with Ellering, made their main roster debut, defeating Heath Slater and Rhyno. After the match, Akam and Rezar ended their partnership with Ellering by pushing him away and leaving him ringside as they returned backstage.[18] On 3 September episode of Raw, The Authors of Pain, now under the shortened name of "AOP", were accompanied to the ring by the 205 Live General Manager, Drake Maverick, who announced himself as their new manager.[19]
On 5 November episode of Raw, The Authors of Pain defeated
In September 2019, AOP began appearing in vignettes, warning of their return. During the 2019 WWE Draft in October, AOP went undrafted, becoming free agents and able to choose which brand to sign with. Three days after the draft's conclusion, AOP signed with Raw, remaining on the brand.[21] Rezar started to show up with Akam as Seth Rollins' disciples. In March 2020, it was reported that Rezar suffered a bicep injury and the injury would sideline him for six to eight months.[22] On 4 September 2020, AOP were released from their WWE contracts.[23][24]
Independent circuit (2022)
In May 2022, Gzim Selmani and Sunny Dhinsa, now known as Legion of Pain, have announced the launch of their professional wrestling promotion, Wrestling Entertainment Series (WES).[25]
Return to WWE (2023–present)
According to a report from Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful on 30 August 2023, the Authors of Pain had been re-signed with the WWE in 2022 prior to the return of Vince McMahon as chairman in January 2023 and they were on the internal travel list as of May 2023.[26][27]
During the 22 December, episode of SmackDown, Rezar along with Akam were shown in vignettes by
Other media
Rezar made his video game debut as a playable character in WWE 2K18 and has since appeared in WWE 2K19 and WWE 2K20.[33]
Championship and accomplishments
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Ranked No. 211 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the
- WWE
- NXT Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Akam[37]
- Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic (2016) – with Akam[38][39]
References
- ^ a b c d "Rezar". WWE.
- ^ a b "1/30 WWE NXT in Venice, Fla. – PARKS'S In-Person Report on Asuka vs. Emma main event, Sara Lee in action, more". pwtorch. 31 January 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
- ^ a b "Team Selmani about". Team Selmani. Archived from the original on 15 February 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
- ^ "Gzim Selmani mundësi shqiptar, i famshëm në botë pasi ka rrëmbyer titullin kampion në RAW, WWE". Bota Sot (in Albanian). 26 May 2019.
- ^ "Shooto Holland – Warriors 3". Sherdog. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
- ^ "TKlash Champions Battlefield – Road to Glory". mmacore.com. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
- British Association of Mixed Martial Arts. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
- ^ "Bellator 130 results: Emanuel Newton survives early trouble, taps Linton Vassell". MMAJunkie. 25 October 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
- ^ Johnson, Mike. "WWE signs former Bellator fighter". pwinsider.com. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
- ^ "Tough Enough Competitors Join New Class at The WWE Performance Center". WWE. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
- Wrestling Observer. 13 February 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
- Pro Wrestling Torch. 23 April 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
- ^ Johnson, Mike. "Dillinger has strong showing: Ongoing NXT TakeOver – The End blog". pwinsider.com. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
- Wrestling Observer. 8 June 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
- Canoe.ca. Archived from the originalon 25 July 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
- ^ "Rezar_WWE". Twitter. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
- ^ "Akam_WWE". Twitter. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
- ^ Benigno, Anthony. "The Authors of Pain def. Heath Slater & Rhyno". WWE.com. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
- ^ "AOP def. Keith Thompson & Jimmy James". WWE.com. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
- ^ "WWE Superstars Return To Action At Super ShowDown, Updated List Of Participants". Wrestling Inc. 7 June 2019.
- ^ "Breaking news regarding WWE Crown Jewel, free agency and the Intercontinental Title: WWE Now". WWE.com. 17 October 2019. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
- ^ "Rezar Sustained Arm Injury During WWE Raw". Fightful. 10 March 2020.
- ^ "Akam and Rezar released". WWE. 4 September 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
- ^ Defelice, Robert (4 September 2020). "WWE Release Akam & Rezar Of AOP". Fightful. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
- ^ "First show from AOP's new promotion features return of Nia Jax & Lana, debut of Alistair Overeem". cagesideseats.com. 18 May 2022. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
- ^ "Former WWE Tag Team May Have Secretly Been Re-Signed; Could Return to NXT Brand Soon". E Wrestling. 30 August 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ Hamdy, Ahmed (31 August 2023). "Two former champions may have secretly re-signed with WWE two years after release - Reports". Sportskeeda. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ Lambert, Jeremy (22 December 2023). "Karrion Kross Hints At Needing 'Authors' For His Proclamation On 12/22 WWE SmackDown". Fightful. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
- ^ Phu, Angeline (5 January 2024). "The Authors Of Pain (& Paul Ellering) Return On WWE SmackDown Alongside Karrion Kross". Wrestling Inc. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
- ^ "Cagematch". 16 February 2024.
- ^ DeFelice, Robert (7 April 2024). "Bobby Lashley And The Street Profits Beat The Final Testament In Philadelphia Street Fight At WWE WrestleMania XL". Fightful. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
- ^ Moore, John (9 April 2024). "NXT TV results (4/9): Moore's review of the Stand & Deliver fallout show, Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin vs. Axiom and Nathan Frazer for the NXT Tag Team Titles". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
- ^ Wilson, Ben (11 July 2018). "WWE 2K19 roster: every confirmed wrestler, plus 20+ rumoured new faces". GamesRadar+. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
- ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2018". cagematch.net. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
- ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2019 - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.profightdb.com. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
- ^ "Raw Tag Team Championship". WWE. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- ^ "NXT Tag Team Championship". WWE. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
- ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (19 November 2016). "Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic (2016)". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
External links
- Rezar on WWE.com
- Rezar on Twitter
- Rezar's profile at Cagematch.net, Wrestlingdata.com, Internet Wrestling Database
- Gzim Selmani at IMDb