Payback 2015 Damien Sandow & Curtis Axel v The Ascension

Before WWE Payback airs live on WWE Network this Sunday, watch “Macho Mandow” & Curtis Axel try to recapture the success of ’80s super-tandem The Mega Powers as they battle the ever-dangerous Ascension on the WWE Payback Kickoff.

Damien Sandow unveiled his homage to WWE Hall of Famer Randy Savage as a clever way of derailing Axelmania, only for Konnor & Viktor to stick their noses into Mandow and Axel’s budding rivalry. The Ascension attacked both Superstars and denounced their unorthodox attempts to get noticed by WWE powers-that-be.

Mandow, WWE’s beloved equivalent of a chameleon, and Axel, a Hulkster-mimicking former Intercontinental Champion, are no strangers to reinvention. But by forging their powers against Konnor & Viktor, are they giving life to a new, bona fide threat in the tag team division?

There will be no better first test than former NXT Tag Team Champions. The Ascension combines the brute force and lethal precision that has long been a winning formula in tag ranks. Aiming to gain traction in a crowding division, The Ascension will look to turn heads by flattening the Mandow/Axel duo before it gets off the ground.

Adding color to this Sunday’s opening bout is its retro charm. Though the big characters might look right at home on a classic episode of Saturday Night’s Main Event, all four Superstars undoubtedly view the WWE Payback Kickoff as an opportunity to control their fates. Which team will rule?