Funny thing, had they been brought up as faces like they were in NXT, I'd agree with this, but as heels, they have a to more legs and freedom. Their gimmick is almost perfectly tailored to be heels. It also helps that they both are pretty good on the mic, which I was shocked by on Smackdown, particularly Aiden English. They both come off sort of like a more exaggerated version of Sandow's original gimmick.
As far as the Ascension comparisons, VV are already ahead of them by simply being more interesting, along with being goodie the ring. Ascension had a distinct gimmick in NXT, but were brought up to the main roster as a fake Road Warriors/Demolition, with a cool theme and nothing else.