10 Things We Learned From WWE SmackDown Live! (May 2)
3. Breakdown
Less appealing than the gradual ascent of Tye Dillinger has been the sharp decline of Aiden English since his Vaudevillains partner Simon Gotch decided to seek his fortunes elsewhere.
That's not to suggest that the comedy duo were making waves on Tuesday nights, but as a team they at least clung on to a sense of purpose that looks absent since their severance.
Suffering his second squash loss to Dillinger in three weeks, English looks nowhere near the rumoured push he was set to receive in the wake of Gotch's departure. Early optimism from the return to his reliable NXT singing persona was doused by the losses, and extinguished further by his in-ring breakdown and tearful exchange with Chris Jericho in the post-match.
It was bad enough that WWE positioned a man crying as a sign of weakness (and justification for placement on Jericho's list) during a time the company are being spotlighted for their careless attitude towards mental health. But history also dictates that a throwaway trait like this is likely to continue until Vince McMahon gets bored of the joke.
English need only remember Christian's in-ring tantrums and Natalya's accidental farting as similar examples that lasted weeks before mercifully being put out to pasture. The short-term damage they experienced is something he's simply not currently positioned to absorb.