WWE's Blueprint for Successful Bludgeon Brothers Push on SmackDown Live

After the Bludgeon Brothers notched another quick victory at WWE Clash of Champions against the Fashion Police, the big-man tandem is—for the moment at least—being slowly groomed as a top contender for the WWE Tag Team Championship. 

And while their gimmick seems daft on paper and at times on camera, that silliness is what could set them apart from the rest of SmackDown Live's tag team roster. 

WWE is on to something with the Bludgeon Brothers' series of squash match victories. This old-school tactic was directly responsible for the rise of Braun Strowman, who is set to compete for the Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble on January 28. 

Given the campiness of the sledgehammers and the over-the-top outfits, this gimmick could be destined to eventually receive immense support as an ironic pair of eventual tweeners similar to Rusev's "Rusev Day" gimmick.

It behooves WWE to take this oddball device at least one step further to truly embrace its supernatural elements outside of a couple of weapon-clad, brooding giants. 

A string of impressive victories is only buying the Bludgeon Brothers borrowed time. It's imperative they find a way to connect with the WWE audience beyond an overproduced entrance paired with weekly post-match promos. 

This is not the type of gimmick that can have longevity if Luke Harper and Erick Rowan continue to play it too straight. The more seriously WWE takes these two, the less its core adult fanbase—with a median age of 54, according to John Lombardo and David Broughton of the Sports Business Journal (h/t WrestlingInc)—will buy it. 

WWE could borrow a page from Matt Hardy's "Broken/Woken" Universe with subversive backstage segments that carry a B-movie quality. As long as the Bludgeon Brothers continue to stack victories in dominating fashion, they will maintain their credibility while increasing their entertainment value. 

The Bludgeon Brothers have drawn comparisons to The Ascension, which many forget thrived in NXT as a dominant, yet exaggerated, duo.

In what became one of many must-see aspects of the NXT Live experience, fans would mimic the duo's "ya!" battle cry every time either Konnor or Viktor would throw a strike. The Ascension's ill-fated move to the main roster was doomed from day one as WWE opted to book them as the imitation Road Warriors without a hint of irony. 

The Bludgeon Brothers can succeed in WWE using the same formula as The Ascension in NXT: in-ring dominance deftly blended with deliberate campiness.

By no means will this be an easy combination to juggle, but if done correctly, the Bludgeon Brothers could be the next darlings of the tag team division on SmackDown Live. 

Alfred Konuwa is a Featured Columnist and on-air host for Bleacher Report and Forbes. Like him on Facebook.