5 Biggest Winners & Losers From WWE SmackDown Live (Aug 2)

3. Losers: The Vaudevillains

the vaudevillains
WWE.com

Once one of the most popular tag teams in NXT, The Vaudevillains have endured a swift slump towards enhancement status. This week saw Aiden English and Simon Gotch fall victim to the debuting American Alpha, and while Alpha are well-positioned to become leading light in SD’s thin tag division, the match did little other than to highlight The Vaudevillains’ rapid decline.

Gotch and English looked strong upon debuting. They were thrown straight into the Tag Team Title contendership, but the finals ended in disaster as Enzo Amore endured a concussion at Payback. From there, the Villains challenged The New Day at Extreme Rules, lost in predictable fashion, and have barely looked like a credible unit since.

They hit a nadir upon losing to The Golden Truth last month, and it seems their days as anything more than a sideshow act are numbered. Perhaps it was always set to end this way though: their olde timey strongmen act is great for a smaller room where fans are closer to the action and have a better chance to connect with heavily-gimmicked characters, but it’s died a death on the main roster. Coupled with Simon Gotch’s recent backstage fracas with Sin Cara (and the rumoured heat that followed), this makes it highly unlikely we’ll ever see The Vaudevillains ascend beyond also-ran status.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.