Paul Ellering
American Alpha faced off with the Vaudevillains on the March 16 episode of "NXT" in a number one contender's match where they emerged victorious, earning them an NXT Tag Team Championship match against Dash and Dawson, now called "The Revival", at '. The pair won the NXT Tag Team Championship at the event. On June 8 at ', American Alpha lost the titles back to The Revival, ending their reign at 68 days. After the match, they were assaulted by the debuting Authors of Pain (Akam and Rezar), who were managed by the legendary manager, Paul Ellering. The pair subsequently failed to win back the NXT Tag Team Championship after being defeated by the Revival in a two out of three falls match on the July 6 episode of "NXT," before wrestling their final match on the brand on July 20, where they were defeated by The Authors of Pain.