10 Worst WWE Gimmicks Of 2016
9. The Vaudevillains
The Vaudevillains were a huge hit in NXT. Their goofy, old timey strongman act became immensely popular in Full Sail University’s smaller room, and at their peak, Aiden English and Simon Gotch were hugely over. Sadly, the gimmick just hasn’t translated onto the main roster, and they’re probably the most pointless tag team in WWE at the moment.
They’ve not been given a lot of mic time, and Gotch’s backstage brawl with Sin Cara likely stalled their progress, so their failings aren’t entirely down to the gimmick. It certainly hasn’t helped, however, and the Vaudevillains’ daft, cartoony personas come off as borderline WrestleCrap material on SmackDown.
It’s a shame, because Gotch and English are both capable performers in their own right. Gotch is particularly impressive, but while they’re saddled with such an over-the-top gimmick, they’ll struggle to get over with the main roster’s larger audiences. Such gimmicks are fine for crowds of 3-400, where everyone’s close enough to connect with the performers, but in their current form, the ‘Villains are too strange to make it on SmackDown.
The Vaudevillains are a niche act who aren’t built for the mainstream, and it’s tough to see where they go from here.