The Ascension featuring Viktor and Konnor were standouts during NXT’s golden era. Sadly, their main roster call-up disrupted their momentum, leading to their eventual release from WWE. With that said, it appears the tag team had plans to venture to ROH, but they never came to fruition.
While speaking to Ringside News, Viktor talked about the series of setbacks he and his partner faced during and after their tenure with WWE. Viktor reflected on how excited they were after being released from WWE, with plans to dive into the independent wrestling scene and conventions.
Sadly, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted their schedule, wiping out bookings that actually excited them for once. It was the beginning of a string of problems that seemed out of their control.
“I mean, Konnor and I were just kind of cursed together for a long time, and it just seemed to carry over even after we left WWE. It was one of those things where I thought, maybe let’s just do our own things, you know? We always had good opportunities lined up that never materialized—nothing ever worked out the way it was supposed to for us. It was like one of those guaranteed-to-fail things.
When we first got released, we were kind of excited because we had a lot of things lined up. We did two weeks of indie shows and conventions, having so much fun, and then COVID hit. We were booked solid every weekend for some really great stuff we were thrilled about, but COVID wiped it all out. After that, we just continued to face problems; nothing would ever come together as planned. I eventually got fed up because none of the bigger things we tried to do worked out.”
The team’s efforts to branch out and explore opportunities with other wrestling organizations, such as Ring of Honor and NWA, faced similar challenges. External factors repeatedly sabotaged their plans, leading Viktor to question if they were cursed.
”At one point, we had something set up with Ring of Honor, hoping to work with The Briscoes, but things out of our control messed that up. We were supposed to work with NWA, but again, things beyond our control ruined that too. It felt like a curse that kept haunting us, and I just didn’t feel like we were doing justice to ourselves anymore. I wasn’t enjoying it as much as I wanted to. It was all very hit and miss.”
The Ascension is often seen as one of WWE’s biggest disappointments, given their considerable potential for main roster success. They’re not really working together anymore, but fans still hold up we might see the two pair up again somewhere down the line.
Do you want to see The Ascension make their return as a tag team somewhere down the line? Let us know in the comments section below!
Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.