Akam (wrestler)

Akam
Akam as NXT Tag Team Champion in February 2017
Birth name Sunny Dhinsa
Born (1993-05-20) May 20, 1993
Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada
Alma mater Simon Fraser University
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s) Akam[1]
Sunny Dhinsa
Billed height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[1]
Billed weight 290 lb (130 kg)[1]
Billed from Punjab, India
Trained by WWE Performance Center
Debut April 4, 2015
Akam
Medal record
Men's freestyle wrestling
Representing Canada
Pan American Games
2011 Guadalajara120 kg

Sunny Dhinsa (born May 20, 1993) is a Canadian professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he competes on the Raw brand under the ring name Akam along with Rezar as AOP (formerly known as Authors of Pain). He previously competed in WWE's developmental system, NXT, achieving status as an NXT Tag Team Champion and Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic winner (with Rezar).

Early life and amateur wrestling career

Born in Abbotsford, British Columbia to Punjabi Sikh parents,[2] Dhinsa attended Simon Fraser University, where he was a standout collegiate wrestler. He was the Canadian national freestyle wrestling champion in 2011, 2012 and 2013 in the heavyweight category. He won a gold medal in the 115 kg category at the 2009 Canada Summer Games, and a silver medal at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara. Dhinsa competed in the qualification tournament for the 2012 Summer Olympics, missing out on qualification after losing to Dremiel Byers.[3] He was considered a prospect for the 2016 Summer Olympics but left amateur wrestling after being offered a contract with WWE in 2014, having been scouted for the company by Gerald Brisco.[4]

Professional wrestling career

NXT (2014–2018)

In October 2014, Dhinsa was reported to have signed a contract with WWE and would begin training to become a professional wrestler at the WWE Performance Center. He made his in-ring debut at a NXT house show in Orlando, Florida on 4 April 2015, competing in a battle royal, which was won by Scott Dawson.[5] By February 2016 Dhinsa had formed a tag team with Gzim Selmani[6] and they became known as the Authors of Pain in April 2016.[7]

Dhinsa and Selmani (billed as Akam and Rezar)[8] made their televised NXT debuts on 8 June 2016 at NXT TakeOver: The End;[9] following the NXT Tag Team Championship match, they attacked former champions American Alpha (Chad Gable and Jason Jordan) before being joined on stage by veteran manager Paul Ellering.[10] The duo had a push during his time in NXT, winning the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, after defeating TM-61 at NXT TakeOver: Toronto and winning at NXT TakeOver: San Antonio the NXT Tag Team Championship when they defeated #DIY. The duo retained the titles at NXT TakeOver: Orlando (by defeating #DIY and The Revival in a triple threat tag team elimination match by eliminating both teams) and NXT TakeOver: Chicago (by defeating #DIY in a #DIY). in a ladder match to retain the titles. The duo turned face on the 9 August edition of NXT after being attacked by SAnitY. 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. At NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia, Authors of Pain got a rematch but failed to win back the titles. 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).

Raw (2018–present)

On the April 9 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.[11] On the September 3 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.[12]

Championship and accomplishments

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Akam". WWE.
  2. ↑ "The World's Largest Wrestling Database". Wrestlingdata.com. Retrieved 2016-11-15.
  3. ↑ "Dhinsa falls short at Olympic wrestling qualifer [sic] - Abbotsford News". Abbynews.com. 2012-03-26. Retrieved 2016-11-15.
  4. ↑ "CANOE - SLAM! Sports - Wrestling - Olympic wrestling's lifeline is good for the pros too". Slam.canoe.com. Retrieved 2016-11-15.
  5. ↑ "WWE NXT Live Event Results (4/4): Orlando, FL; Zayn vs Dawson". Wrestlezone.com. 2015-04-05. Retrieved 2016-11-15.
  6. ↑ "NXT Tampa, FL, live results: Sami Zayn vs. Manny Andrade for the first time"
  7. ↑ "4/22 WWE NXT in Tampa Results – TMDK & Nikki Storm make NXT debuts, A-Riley vs. Dillinger main event, No Way Jose, Mandy Rose". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  8. ↑ "Akam_WWE". Twitter. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  9. ↑ Johnson, Mike. "Dillinger has strong showing: Ongoing NXT TakeOver - The End blog". pwinsider.com. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  10. ↑ "NXT TakeOver live results: Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor cage match; Nakamura vs. Austin Aries". Wrestling Observer. Retrieved 2016-06-09.
  11. ↑ Benigno, Anthony. "The Authors of Pain def. Heath Slater & Rhyno". WWE.com. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  12. ↑ "AOP def. Keith Thompson & Jimmy James". WWE.com. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2018". cagematch.net. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
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