Chad Baxter's journey in the WWE, though brief, offers a glimpse into the challenges and opportunities faced by developmental talent. Despite possessing a great physique, Baxter's time in WWE didn't translate into a substantial body of work. This article delves into his career, highlighting his matches and overall impact.
Early Career and FCW
Baxter initially worked twice for Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), WWE's developmental territory. He aimed to hone his skills and make a name for himself. FCW served as a crucial training ground for many future WWE stars.
NXT Matches and Challenges
After his stint in FCW, Baxter transitioned to NXT, where he participated in a handful of mostly non-televised matches before his release at the end of 2012. Reduced to squash fodder even when the cameras weren't switched on, he was one of many that lost to an unstoppable Big E Langston on NXT. He even fell short in a handicap match against Trent Barreta, even though the future best friend was the one flying solo.
A collector's item match - should you wish to track it down - would probably be the second of his entire career.
The Ascension: A Parallel Story of NXT and Main Roster Challenges
The Ascension, a tag team consisting of Konnor and Viktor, offers an interesting comparison. The Ascension originally started out in Florida Championship Wrestling as a stable consisting of Conor O'Brian, Kenneth Cameron, Ricardo Rodriguez, Tito Colon and Raquel Diaz. After several membership changes, Conor O'Brian and Rick Victor (their respective ring names were also shortened to Konnor and Viktor), then became established as a tag-team in NXT. Their 364-day NXT Tag Team Championship reign is currently the longest in the history of the title.
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At Florida Championship Wrestling's August 28, 2011 event, Ricardo Rodriguez announced the formation of a stable called The Ascension, with members including Kenneth Cameron, Conor O'Brian, Tito Colon, and Raquel Diaz. In October, The Ascension was no longer associated with Rodriguez, as video packages promoting The Ascension with new darker characters only featured the other four Ascension members without Rodriguez. By the end of November, The Ascension had all but disbanded, as O'Brian fell to injury and Colon was called up to WWE main roster to team with his cousin Primo, meanwhile Diaz became Queen of FCW and distanced herself from the stable. This left Cameron as the sole survivor of The Ascension and he continued to use The Ascension gimmick during his appearances.
On March 15, 2012 Cameron was accompanied to the ring by the returning Conor O'Brian in his match against Byron Saxton, the match ended in disqualification when O'Brian interfered. Cameron and O'Brian began wrestling as a tag team using the name of The Ascension, with their first tag team match together coming on March 23 when the two defeated Jason Jordan and Xavier Woods. From there O'Brian worked as a singles wrestler, keeping the Ascension gimmick on his own for some time.
For the majority of their title reign, The Ascension would battle and dismantle local wrestlers in mere minutes with very little to no offense from their opponents. Their first major title defense was against Too Cool (Grandmaster Sexay and Scotty 2 Hotty) at NXT's first live special, NXT Arrival, where they emerged victorious.
The Ascension began demanding competition in the weeks following, moving up from local wrestlers to various combinations of teams made up from contracted NXT wrestlers. While still disabling and annihilating their opponents week after week, they were confronted by a team of masked wrestlers; El Local and Kalisto, who challenged them for their tag team titles at the second live event, NXT TakeOver. The Ascension had a cameo on the main roster on the September 9, 2014 episode of Main Event to promote their upcoming title defense, defeating Los Matadores (Diego and Fernando) in a match to promote their title defense against The Lucha Dragons (Kalisto and Sin Cara) at the NXT TakeOver: Fatal 4-Way event.
At the event, The Ascension lost the titles to Kalisto and Sin Cara, ending their reign a day short of a full year at 364 days. That same night, they were in an altercation with William Regal and the debuting Hideo Itami. After feuding with and assaulting Itami for several weeks, a second international wrestler, Finn Bálor, joined Itami in his fight against both Konnor and Viktor. The following night on SmackDown, vignettes began to air promoting The Ascension's call-up to the main roster.
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By the second week of their main roster run, Mike Tedesco of wrestleview.com lambasted how WWE had made the Ascension lose all credibility for two reasons: firstly, they openly admitted being "a rip off of The Road Warriors and Demolition", and secondly, all the commentators (including JBL, who was a heel commentator) disparaged the Ascension as "nothing compared" to the older teams they were copying.
On the January 19 episode of Raw, the Ascension confronted the reuniting New World Order members Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and X-Pac. "The Ascension were amazing in NXT then the WWE dropped the ball when they moved them up to the main roster. I have sympathy for Konnor, Viktor. They toiled so hard over the years in NXT and then the main roster management just ruins everything they have worked so hard for. John Powell of SLAM!
On the February 12, 2015 episode of SmackDown, the Ascension's main roster winning streak (since their call up) ended in a tag team turmoil (gauntlet) match; they entered against Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns and were eliminated via disqualification. On the February 23 episode of Raw, the Ascension suffered their first pinfall loss on the main roster, courtesy of the Prime Time Players.
Although they defeated The Prime Time Players in a rematch on the next week's episode of Superstars, the Ascension's fortunes then vastly declined; between early March to the end of July 2015, they appeared regularly on Main Event and Superstars, and started a losing streak. At WrestleMania 31, Konnor and Viktor made their WrestleMania debuts in the André the Giant memorial battle royal, with neither of the duo winning the match. In May, The Ascension started a feud against The Meta Powers and defeated them at Payback pre-show.
On the September 3 episode of SmackDown, The Ascension attacked Neville as he was making his way to the ring against Stardust, aligning themselves with Stardust in the process and thus forming a group known as "The Cosmic Wasteland", where in Stardust calls The Ascension his "henchmen". At Night of Champions, Stardust and The Ascension defeated Neville and The Lucha Dragons in a six-man tag team match in the pre-show, but were subsequently defeated in two rematches. On the Survivor Series kickoff, The Cosmic Wasteland, The Miz, and Bo Dallas were defeated by The Dudley Boyz, Neville, Goldust and Titus O'Neil in a Five-on-five traditional Survivor Series elimination tag team match.
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In May 2016, The Cosmic Wasteland stable disbanded after Stardust left the company. At WrestleMania 32, Konnor and Viktor entered the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, both with failing efforts. On April 16, 2016, WWE suspended Konnor for 60 days for a second violation of the Talent Wellness policy. Following the suspension, Viktor began competing in singles competition, mainly on Superstars and Main Event.
On July 19 at the 2016 WWE draft, The Ascension were drafted to SmackDown brand in the eighth round. On July 26 episode of SmackDown Live, both members competed in a WWE World Championship #1 contendership six-pack qualifying battle royal, which was won by Apollo Crews. At SummerSlam, The Ascension competed in a 12-man tag team match, where their team lost. They then entered the SmackDown Tag Team Championship tournament where they were eliminated in the first round by The Usos.
On the TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pre-show, The Ascension, The Vaudevillains and Curt Hawkins lost a ten-man tag team match against Apollo Crews, American Alpha and The Hype Bros. At the 2017 Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, they fought in a tag team turmoil match for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship, but were the last team to be eliminated, losing to the reigning champions American Alpha. At WrestleMania 33, they once again entered the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, but neither were successful.
At Money in the Bank, The Ascension lost to Breezango (Tyler Breeze and Fandango) after they claimed responsibility for a vandal attack in their office. On the June 27 episode of SmackDown Live, The Ascension was interrogated by Breezango on "Fashion Vice", admitting that they didn't commit the crime and only took responsibility, because they wanted a match at the PPV. In September, the duo turned face when they started trying to befriend Breezango during the latter's 'Fashion Files' segments.
On the January 9, 2018 episode of SmackDown Live, The Ascension suffered a loss to The Bludgeon Brothers, for a while the duo would only appear as supporting characters in Breezango's Fashion Files skits. On April 16, The Ascension were traded to Raw brand as part of Superstar Shake-up. On the April 23 episode of Raw, The Ascension, once again as heels, faced the team of Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt in a losing effort. The two were participants in the Greatest Royal Rumble match, with Viktor being eliminated by Daniel Bryan, and Konnor being eliminated by Elias and The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods).
Following their departure from WWE, Konnor (under the ring name Big Kon) and Viktor (under the ring name of Vik) were announced for Wrestling Revolver's Pancakes and Piledrivers event during WrestleMania 36 weekend. On February 20, 2020, The Ascension competed in their first match since leaving WWE at Outlaw Wrestling defeating Bull James and Bill Carr. On February 22, 2020, The Ascension teamed with DMT and defeated Bull James, Corey Cooper, Jaden Valo & Sal Salvelli at NYWC Psycho Circus 18.
The Ascension, consisting of the duo of Konnor and Viktor, made their video game debut as a part of the NXT Arrival DLC pack (Downloadable Content) in WWE 2K15.
Chad Baxter's Impact and Legacy
Chad Baxter started his wrestling journey at a young age, showcasing a natural talent for the sport. Inspired by famous wrestlers and driven by his passion, he pursued wrestling through high school and college. Baxter’s career began to gain momentum as he transitioned from amateur wrestling to the professional scene. His dedication and hard work paid off when he started competing in various wrestling promotions. Each match not only improved his skills but also increased his fan base.
One of Chad Baxter’s most memorable matches was against Derek Foore, another talented wrestler known for his technical prowess. The match was a thrilling display of skill and determination from both competitors, leaving the audience on the edge of their seats. Another significant match in Baxter’s career was his showdown against a renowned wrestling champion. This match tested Baxter’s limits and demonstrated his resilience and ability to rise to the occasion.
Chad Baxter’s success can be attributed to his rigorous training regimen and discipline. He spends countless hours perfecting his techniques and maintaining peak physical condition. As Chad Baxter continues to compete, he remains focused on leaving a lasting legacy in wrestling. He aspires to inspire the next generation of wrestlers with his dedication and passion for the sport.
In conclusion, Chad Baxter’s journey in the wrestling world is a testament to his talent, hard work, and love for the sport. His best matches, especially those against Derek Foore, highlight his skill and determination.
WWE - The Rise and Fall...And Rise Again
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