10 WWE Gimmicks That Worked For One Wrestler (But Not Another)
8. Face-Painted Warriors
Worked for: The Road Warriors
Didn't work for: The Ascension
The Road Warriors (or The Legion of Doom) are objectively one of the most successful tag teams ever. Sure, they weren’t much for selling and sure, they’re representative of a bygone era of steroid-filled, shouty wrestlers from the '80s, but whatever.
Because they’re one of wrestling's most over acts, several promotions have tried to make their own equivalents over the past three decades or so. This was much more commonplace during the height of L.O.D's popularity, as teams like Demolition, The Powers of Pain, The Blade Runners, and The Master Blasters started to pop up around that time. Even today, however, we see tag teams that draw unmistakable parallels to the legendary duo.
The worst of which is easily The Ascension.
If it existed, Konnor and Viktor could win an award for "Quickest Main Roster Burial". After dominating NXT's tag team division and holding their Tag Team Championships longer than any other team (a record that still hasn't been broken), they ascended to the main roster, where they were immediately dismissed as "L.O.D. rip-offs" on commentary. In their third week, they were humiliated by a series of legendary tag teams, and they've never been taken seriously since.