make Axes a viable option ?

can we tweak axes to do 120% damage on chop and 80% damage on stab
and/or make the damage range worth the risk to use them without it being 100% a disadvantage ?
(Im not sure if any of that is enough or would work, I bet its far more complex than what I imagine, so I'd like to hear other people's opinion on what could make them work too)

I like the idea that axes have more rng in it due to the wide damage range compared to swords, and could give you more damage if you are lucky but also less if unlucky
and also have slower atk speed, so that is already a disadvantage on its own

I just want them to be a viable option, like a weapon that can do big damage, but its slower
compared to swords
so it could be like... sometimes you do more damage, sometimes you do less
instead of being you always do less in the long run