Joining Sin Cara & Luke Harper, The Ascension are the latest to be released from WWE. One would have thought they had already been released, having not shown up on WWE programming since April, but today made it official.
The Ascension In WWE
They were once a formidable duo of a tag team, being the longest reigning tag team champions in NXT, when they held the belts for 364 days, from September 12th, 2013 to September 11th, 2014. They would lose the belts to the Lucha Dragons, Sin Cara & Kalisto. The reign sounds impressive on paper, but the most notable team they faced was Too Cool (Grandmaster Sexay & Scotty 2 Hotty) at NXT ArRIVAL, the first special aired on the WWE Network.
After this, they went up to the main roster, was immediately buried after comparing themselves to the Road Warriors, which lead to a beat down by old teams like The APA, The NWO & New Age Outlaws. They never recovered. They had a brief partnership with Stardust (Cody Rhodes) and they appeared in The Fashion Files skits alongside Breezango back in 2017, but beyond that, they truly did nothing of note. Even when the tag division was paper thin, they still had no impact in the company. Maybe if WWE had to think on their feet and didn’t have a talent overload, they could have found something for the tag team, but it just wasn’t meant to be. They’re doomed to be forgotten.
It is a shame to see this, as Konnor is a decent big man, and Viktor is a graduate of the Hart Dungeon, but in WWE when you’re surrounded by talent who far surpass you, decent just doesn’t make the cut. It’s almost shocking WWE didn’t cut them off sooner, perhaps this is a case like JTG of Cryme Tyme where they forgot he was under contract.
What Is Next For The Ascension?
I suppose they could give their old friend Cody a call, but AEW’s tag division is already stacked with world class talent, and there wouldn’t be a home for them there. The NWA Revival might be perfect for them however, as that show is good at hiding a wrestlers flaws and focusing on their strengths. They have a tiny roster by design, but another solid tag team could help them out. If they can get people to care about Trevor Murdoch in 2019, anything is possible.
Do you have a favorite Ascension moment or match you’d like to share? Talk about it in the comments down below, and stay tuned to The Overtimer, as we continue to cover the string of releases WWE is dishing out today.
