The Ascension have had their share of success on NXT, but on the main roster they’ve struggled to win matches. Here’s how WWE should book The Ascension.
When they first started, they made a huge impact, and left a lasting impression in NXT, before getting called up. What started out as consistent TV time has turned into a nightmare for the duo. How to Book The Ascension is tough because of the major slump they’re going through, but it can be done. Here’s the plan!
The tag team division in WWE has undergone a major overhaul recently, with credit going to teams like Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady, The Vaudevillains, American Alpha, and The Revival. The New Day has helped as well by creating entertaining segments and having amazing matches. It’s no wonder they stand at the mountain top of the tag team division. The recent tag team tournament, to crown a new number one contender team for the tag team titles, has drawn more attention to the division. It has also given several teams an opportunity to showcase their talents to fans that may not have seen them perform before. Teams were given a chance to prove why they should be the team to compete against the New Day for the tag titles, and it made for must-see matches every week. Granted, The Usos were ambushed by Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, which led to what has been an entertaining storyline, for the WWE World Heavyweight title, between AJ Styles and Roman Reigns. But, it still gave them an opportunity to perform and now, they’re competing against a top team in Gallows and Anderson.
All of this is in the form of stellar booking and solid storylines by the creative department when it comes to the tag team tournament and the feuds that have been created because of it. There is one team that stands out in the tournament bracket, and that team is The Ascension. Their beginnings were anything but humble, back in NXT, as they were and still are the longest reigning NXT tag team champions, at 364 days. That accomplishment alone shows just how dominant they were as a team, and it shows just how much of a force they can be in the tag team division, with the right booking.
A team that should strike fear in their opponents’ eyes with their menacing stares, physicality, and their battle cry, has gone on to have limited appearances on TV and a losing streak that is hard to believe, because of their unprecedented title reign in NXT. Their only wins have come against The New Age Outlaws, an outdated team that doesn’t compete anymore, The Miz & Damien Mizdow, and the Meta Powers, who are no longer active teams. With that in mind, it becomes that much harder to take this team seriously. The NXT crowd loves the Ascension. Every time they come back to Full Sail University, The Ascension gets one of the bigger pops of the night. The main roster crowd doesn’t love them as much. They don’t even boo them, even though they’re a heel tag team. Shawn Michaels has always said that the last thing you want to hear, as a WWE performer, is no crowd reaction. This is where The Ascension is at right now. Here’s the solution that can help save The Ascension’s careers and allow them to rise like they should.
The Authority was at its best when they had numbers. Triple H and Stephanie McMahon at the forefront, Seth Rollins and Randy Orton as their champions, Kane as the director of operations, and their go-to enforcer, and J&J Security as Seth’s backup. Nobody could touch them because they always found a way to stand on top at the end. With Seth injured, and possibly coming back as a babyface, J&J returning to their behind-the-scenes work, Big Show and Kane not competing as much as they used to, and Triple H busy with NXT, the only one really left is Stephanie McMahon. Even Stephanie is busy with Shane and running Raw every week.
However, didn’t Triple H used to say “The Authority always wins”? If they always win, then so can The Ascension if they join them and become their henchmen. The amount of heat they would get by following Triple H and Stephanie’s orders, and attacking a top babyface team like The New Day or Enzo and Cass would be insane. It would be similar to when Seth Rollins betrayed The Shield with a steel chair. Boos would start pouring in immediately because the crowd favourites are being attacked and destroyed by the newest addition to The Authority. Just when everyone thought they were gone and done with, after Shane showed up, the fans are proven wrong and are in disbelief by the joining of The Ascension and The Authority. There should be an element of surprise though, with the reasoning behind all the attacks by the villainous tag team. Week by week, Konnor and Viktor would randomly attack a different team, until they go after Enzo and Cass, who would be WWE tag team champions by then. After they attack the champs, The Ascension are walking up the ramp, and just as they’re at the stage staring down their fallen prey, The Authority’s music hits.
Triple H is patting the shoulders of his henchmen, with a satisfied grin, and then looks back at Enzo and Cass and says something like “Did you think we were gone? Did you think The Authority was just going to vanish and never be seen again? Thanks to The Ascension, The Authority is better and stronger. In case you forgot, The Authority always wins”. Following this segment, Viktor and Konnor would go on to absolutely destroy Enzo and Cass and go on a dominating tag team title reign, similar to the one they had in NXT. Having The Ascension join The Authority helps both parties in many different ways. For The Ascension, they have Triple H in their corner as their mouthpiece, which hides the fact that they’re not that skilled on the mic, but they can make up for that by imposing their will in the ring. Triple H can also mentor them, give them guidance as they continue to succeed in the division and grow as a legitimate team. For The Authority, they have new members who can take out anyone that challenges and defies Triple H and Stephanie, and it creates an extraordinary amount of heat for both factions. If all of this can come to fruition, it will lead to the fall of man, and the rise of The Ascension.
