WWE NXT TakeOver: Toronto full match preview - Authors of Pain vs. TM-61

Finals of the Dusty Rhodes Classic Tag Team Tournament

Authors of Pain vs. TM-61

A pair of Australians in TM-61 who’ve won everywhere they’ve been, but who’ve struggled to find their footing in WWE, face Paul Ellering’s latest monster team, the Authors of Pain, with the American Dream watching over the proceedings from above.

The Road to TakeOver

Quite literally...

Shane Thorne & Nick Miller, the T & M in TM-61 (the second half is the country code for dialing their South Pacific home), have racked up some impressive wins on their way to the tag tournament final... including a great singles match, of all things. Thorne defeated Roderick Strong when General Manager William Regal opted to determine who would advance to the semis by having Roddy fight one of their opponents after Shinsuke Nakamura broke Austin Aries face...

For a team that used to go by The Mighty Don’t Knell when they wrestled internationally before signing with WWE, their wins of late have been far from dominating. Shane beat Strong with a small package, and TM-61 likewise used a surprise pinning predicament to defeat SAnitY in the next round.

Akam & Rezar of the Authors didn’t earn their spot in the finals without help either, though. Ellering has provided assists on multiple occassions, which is why Regal is forcing him to get in a shark cage just like he was for the Last Battle of Atlanta back in 1983. And in their semi-final win, tag champs The Revival hid under the ring and appeared to incapacitate Johnny Gargano, as well.

Still, the AoP weren’t winning with roll-ups. As TM-61 know all too well from past experience with the massive paramilitary men.

What's at Stake?

WWE.com

Being the third and fourth names etched on that trophy (after last year’s winners, Samoa Joe & Finn Bálor), which spends its days at the Performance Center inspiring the roster as part of a permanent tribute to a man who got funky like a monkey, would be a huge accomplishment for either duo.

Despite an impressive resume overseas and many fans who believe in them based on their run before coming to NXT, Thorne & Miller are missing... something... and it’s keeping them from winning over WWE fans. Acting as the Daveys who slay Paul Ellering’s Goliaths could be that thing.

For the Authors, their gimmick is based on shock, awe and wins. They’re talented big men with bright futures ahead of them, but a loss in their most high profile match to date would be a blow... and they’ve already suffered something of a setback with their manager sentenced to dangle from the rafters in Air Canada Centre.

Join the gang here at Cageside Seats on Saturday, Nov. 19 to find out who will hoist the trophy at TakeOver: Toronto!