During the Smackdown tapings on Tuesday night, a vignette aired featuring The Ascension. If you watch NXT with any regularity then you know that Konnor and Viktor make up the dominant tag team that are the former NXT Tag Team Champions. The have deserved a spot on the main WWE roster for a very long time, so it's good to see that it's finally going to happen for them. They have a big match on Thursday night on the NXT Takeover special that they're going to lose, so it makes sense to put the vignette on Smackdown, which airs the next night. There was no specific date announced for their debut although I think the right time would be the first Raw of the year on January 5th. That first Raw of the year is typically a big show for WWE because people have gone through the crazy holiday season and WWE doesn't have competition from the NFL, whose Monday night schedule ends in December. In addition to that, wrestling fans know January means the Royal Rumble so more fans are going to tune in to get ready for that. A debut for The Ascension on that show would be perfect because it would get people talking about them. I like the team a lot. Konnor is a pretty big guy at about 260 pounds while Viktor is more of an average size wrestler around 215 pounds. What matters is they compliment each other well, they have a good look and they are unlike every other team in the company. They aren't just two heels that want to fight somebody because they are mean guys. They're dark heels. They are mysterious. That's what makes them intriguing. I always say if you want to make a difference you need to stand out. It's great for two guys that have been in developmental for too long. Konnor has been there since 2005 with a two year break from 2007-2009 until he was brought back in 2010. Viktor has been wrestling since 2001 and was signed by WWE in 2011. They have paid their dues and they deserve a call up to the main roster as much as anybody in NXT. A lot of people will point to Bray Wyatt as a guy who came a long way from his lame Husky Harris character in NXT. He's not the only one, though. What about Konnor from The Ascension? He used to go by the name of Conor O'Brian and there was a period in his career where his gimmick was "the guy that looked like a rat." Look at this photo. See that shirt? It says "Ratitude" on it. Ratitude! Somebody was paid money to think of that gimmick and to make shirt. I wonder if anybody bought it. I'm guessing no, but you never know with wrestling fans. You can watch The Ascension in NXT at least one more time this Thursday as they take on the great team of Finn Balor and Hideo Itami at the NXT Takeover R Evolution event this Thursday night on WWE Network. They might be in NXT for a bit after that, but their future is on Raw and Smackdown for sure. When do you think they should debut on the main roster? Are you excited about them? Let us know in the comments below.
John wrote at WhatCulture from December 2013 to December 2015. It was fun, but it's over for now. Follow him on Twitter @johnreport. You can also send an email to mrjohncanton@gmail.com with any questions or comments as well.
See that shirt? It says "Ratitude" on it. Ratitude! Somebody was paid money to think of that gimmick and to make shirt. I wonder if anybody bought it. I'm guessing no, but you never know with wrestling fans. You can watch The Ascension in NXT at least one more time this Thursday as they take on the great team of Finn Balor and Hideo Itami at the NXT Takeover R Evolution event this Thursday night on WWE Network. They might be in NXT for a bit after that, but their future is on Raw and Smackdown for sure. When do you think they should debut on the main roster? Are you excited about them? Let us know in the comments below.