15 MORE Wrestlers WWE Debuted In The Worst Way Possible

Even to this day, The Ascension are one of the most dominant tag teams ever to step foot in an NXT ring. With more than a dash of the formula that made Demolition and The Road Warriors so popular in years gone by, Konnor and Viktor wore face paint and tore through their opponents with powerhouse moves and a then-record setting NXT Tag Team Championship reign across 2013 and 2014.

This felt like one of the easiest transitions WWE could ever make when it came to elevating them to the main roster. The gimmick is something that felt familiar to the wider audience, their pedigree in NXT was something to build on, and they were a bruising force in the ring. 

Instead, they became a regular figure of ridicule for heel commentator JBL and proceeded to lose with alarming regularity, despite defeating The Miz and Damian Sandow on their Raw debut on December 29, 2014. JBL would constantly berate the pair for being knock-offs of The Road Warriors, and the pair were jobbed out to old timers The New Age Outlaws and JBL's own, The APA, on only their second week on SmackDown. The Ascension never recovered from this nonsensical beatdown, with all momentum going up in smoke.