Axel and Mandow vs. The Ascension: Winner and Reaction from WWE Payback 2015

After targeting the newly formed team of Curtis Axel and Macho Mandow on WWE Raw, The Ascension were victorious Sunday night on the Payback Kickoff Show.

PWTorch.com's Benjamin Tucker and WrestlingINC.com provided their initial takes: 

Since Konnor and Viktor have been on the downswing as of late, this could be the win they needed to spark a run toward the WWE Tag Team Championships.

On the other side, Axel has gained a sizable following in recent months since embracing Axelmania, while Damien Sandow became one of the hottest acts in WWE by mimicking The Miz. Because of that, it was only natural for them to form an alliance.

In an effort to add even more nostalgia, Sandow has started to imitate WWE Hall of Famer Randy "Macho Man" Savage. Hulk Hogan and Savage once formed one of the most dominant tag teams of all time in The Mega Powers, so Axel and Mandow have reprised that role on a smaller scale.

Even so, it is a somewhat-unlikely pairing since they were initially at odds. As seen in this tweet, courtesy of WWE's official Twitter account, Axel ironically didn't like Sandow's penchant for pretending to be other people:

They were able to find common ground, though, when Konnor and Viktor took it upon themselves to degrade them. The Ascension have been hugely critical of legendary wrestlers since joining the main roster, and they have now shifted their focus toward a pair of current Superstars who enjoy acting like legends.

The Ascension were the longest-reigning NXT tag team champions in history, and many expected them to run roughshod over the WWE roster as well. That appeared to be the case at first, but they entered Payback without much momentum on their side.

They had an opportunity to restore some of their luster with a pay-per-view win, and they were ultimately able to do that by beating the odd couple of Axel and Sandow.

It remains to be seen whether Axel and Sandow will continue to be a team moving forward; however, there is no question that they have a lot of potential as a comedic duo. Some may feel as though Sandow deserves something more substantial, but he is more than happy to commit to whatever is given to him:

"

...and to my critics in and out of WWE. Remember, I'm the guy that made being a stunt double work. Play the hand you are dealt. Go forward.

— Damien Sandow (@TheDamienSandow) May 12, 2015"

Both Sandow and Axel are talented guys, and since there isn't a ton of room for them as singles wrestlers in the midcard currently, it is tough to argue against them as a tag team.

Since the Tag Team Championships will be on the line at the Elimination Chamber in a match that will involve more than two teams, perhaps both the Meta Powers and The Ascension will receive shots at the titles in a couple of weeks.

The Ascension have a leg up in that regard since they were victorious Sunday, but the tag team division as a whole seems to be on the upswing.

There are more teams now than there have been in some time, and while the Payback Kickoff match was predicated largely on comedy, it was also a solid bout that bodes well for the division's future prospects.

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