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From being one of the most dominant tag teams in the history of NXT, The Ascension became nothing more than filler on the main roster. That's very unfortunate considering the talent Konnor and Viktor possess.
The former NXT Tag Team Champions remained on RAW and SmackDown for over 5 years but during their tenure, barely clicked with the WWE Universe. The duo made vigorous attempts to turn around their momentum on the main roster but things didn't work out as they had planned. The once-dominant tag team went on to miss nearly a year of screen time and eventually got their release from WWE on 8th December 2019 alongside Luke Harper and Sin Cara.
It is debatable why Konnor and Viktor were not successful in WWE but we can't overlook the fact that they were built as a duo that could run through the tag team division of the main roster. We don't have the power to change what went south but we can take a look back at some of the aspects that made The Ascension what they are today.
Here's hoping that the two start afresh and showcase the fans what they have been missing on RAW and SmackDown all these years.
#5 Konnor's NXT tenure
While we mainly know him for his presence in The Ascension, Konnor actually has a memorable run in NXT as a singles performer. When it was under the old, weekly-competition format, Konnor made his debut on the show. Named as Conor O'Brian, the NXT rookie first made his appearance with Alberto Del Rio as his mentor in the fourth season of NXT. The rookie-mentor duo has a victory over Daniel Bryan and EC3 (then Derrick Bateman) as well.
Although he seemed to be one of the favorites to win the entire season, Konnor was unsuccessful in emerging as the victor. After getting eliminated, he returned once again in Season 5 with Vladimir Kozlov as his NXT mentor. He couldn't win the show but owing to his performance Konnor showcased why he belonged in WWE. He would eventually return to the Black and Gold brand following its revamp, this time as one of the members of The Ascension.
If you look at his main roster run, Konnor has victories over Robert Roode and Shorty G in singles action.
#4 Cosmic Wasteland
Throughout their main roster tenure, The Ascension never succeeded in reaching the heights that they had achieved in NXT. They made several attempts to boost their run on RAW and SmackDown, one of which included the introduction of Cosmic Wasteland.
When Cody Rhodes embraced the persona of Stardust, he was joined by The Ascension in the attempt to take over the main roster. They came together as a unit after Konnor and Viktor had aided Rhodes against Neville, on the road to Night of Champions 2015.
The former Intercontinental Champion referred to them as his henchmen and the trio enjoyed a dominant run for a few weeks. However, WWE suddenly dropped the balls on Cosmic Wasteland and after that, the team never bounced back. The squad eventually disbanded when Cody was granted his release from the company in May 2016.
While he went on to become one of the Executive Vice Presidents of AEW, The Ascension remained in WWE and never received that spotlight again.
#3 NXT Tag Team Championship reign
If someone followed them on NXT, they would never believe what happened with The Ascension in the main roster. Nonetheless, the duo will be remembered as one of the most dominant teams to ever perform in the Black and Gold brand. Their NXT run can be compared with that of The Viking Raiders, The Revival, The DIY or The Undisputed Era. And no, I am not exaggerating.
Since their debut as a team in 2013, The Ascension ran through almost all the tag teams on the contemporary roster and emerged as the NXT Tag Team Champions. Their authority over NXT spanned over a year for which, Konnor and Viktor are still the longest-reigning Tag Team Champions in the brand's history with a reign of 364 days.
The fans had high hopes for The Ascension when they were called up to the main roster in the fall of 2014 but we all know, how it went down.
#2 The Ascension was originally a stable
Yes, you read it right. The initial plan regarding The Ascension was to present it as five-member stable. During the days of Flordia Championship Wrestling (which later evolved into NXT in 2012), The Ascension featured Conor O'Brian (Konnor), Kenneth Cameron (Bram), Tito Colon (Epico), and Raquel Diaz with Richardo Rodriguez as their manager.
The squad debuted in September 2011 and the very next month, Rodriguez resigned from his managerial role. The four-member group was then portrayed in a darker light but the plan didn't turn out to be fruitful. Conor got sidelined with an injury while Tito was called up to the main roster to tag with his cousin Primo, leaving the stable in jeopardy. Eventually, Diaz also parted ways and Cameron remained as the only one to be associated with The Ascension.
Brian reunited with him upon his return and the two started working as a tag team using The Ascension name. The duo worked NXT shows as well till Kenneth got released from WWE in November 2012.
This scenario paved the way for Victor to team up with Brian and that's The Ascension most of us are aware of.
#1 Dreadful main roster record
If you look at the main roster statistics of The Ascension, you will realize how brutally they were misused on the shows. Konnor and Viktor didn't succeed in establishing a connection with the fans and for that WWE has to share the blame.
A Reddit user has pointed out that the last match featuring The Ascension took place in April when they lost to Heavy Machinery on Main Event. The last time they picked up a win was almost 17 months ago, which was against Heath Slater and Rhino on another edition of Main Event.
If we ignore the kickoff shows and consider the main match card of pay-per-views, Konnor and Viktor's last appearance dates back to June 2017 when they lost to Breezango at Money in the Bank. And the last time they won a pay-per-view match? Nearly five years ago by defeating The New Age Outlaws at Royal Rumble 2015.
Just to give another instance of the mismanagement of The Ascension, they picked up only 20 victories since their win over the WWE Hall of Famers.
Konnor and Viktor are no longer associated with the promotion and hopefully, whatever awaits them, will be better than this WWE tenure.
