The Vaudevillains were an American

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

, composed of

Aiden English Matthew Thomas Rehwoldt (born October 7, 1987) is an American color commentator and retired professional wrestler who currently appears in Impact Wrestling where he performs under his real name. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he per ...

and

Simon Gotch Seth Lesser (born October 18, 1982) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Simon Gotch. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he held the NXT Tag Team Championship as one-half of The Vaudevillains along with A ...

. Their gimmick was a pair of

Vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

-era throwbacks. They also wrestled in WWE's

developmental territory In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...

NXT NXT may refer to: Professional wrestling * ''WWE NXT'', a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that began in 2010 ** NXT (WWE brand), WWE's Florida-based brand and former developmental territory * ''NXT UK'', the British spin- ...

, where they were one-time NXT Tag Team Champions.

History

NXT (2014–2016)

In June 2014, English formed a tag team with Simon Gotch, known as The Vaudevillains. The Vaudevillains made their in-ring debut as a team of

heels The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exert ...

on the June 19 episode, defeating

Angelo Dawkins The Street Profits are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford. The team is currently performing in WWE on the Raw brand. They are three-time tag team champions in WWE, having held the Raw, Smac ...

and

Travis Tyler NXT is a brand of the American professional wrestling promotion WWE that was introduced on February 23, 2010. Brands are divisions of WWE's roster where wrestlers are assigned to perform on a weekly basis when a brand extension is in effect. Wres ...

. In August, The Vaudevillains participated in a tournament to determine the number one contenders to the

NXT Tag Team Championship The NXT Tag Team Championship is a men's professional wrestling tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is defended on the NXT brand division, the promotion's developmental territory. Introduced on January 23 ...

, losing to

The Lucha Dragons The Lucha Dragons were a professional wrestling tag team composed of Kalisto and Sin Cara. They previously wrestled in WWE's developmental territory NXT, where they were one-time NXT Tag Team Champions. Their name is a reference to their ''lucha ...

(

Sin Cara In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, ...

and Kalisto) in the final. On the October 30 episode of ''NXT'', The Vaudevillains won a tag team

battle royal Battle royal (; also royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants that is fought until only one fighter remains standing, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules. In recent times, the term has been used in a ...

to become the #1 contenders to the NXT Tag Team Championship. They received their title match at NXT TakeOver: R Evolution against The Lucha Dragons, but were unsuccessful. After a brief hiatus, The Vaudevillains returned on the June 3, 2015 episode of ''NXT'', defeating the team

Jason Jordan Nathan Everhart (born September 28, 1988) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Jason Jordan. He is currently signed to WWE, where he works as a Producer (professional wrestling), producer. He has not wrestled sinc ...

and

Marcus Louis Mikael Vierge (born July 11, 1983) is a French professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances in the United States with WWE NXT under the ring name Marcus Louis and with Impact Wrestling under the ring name Baron Dax. Professional ...

. On the July 8 episode of NXT, The Vaudevillains defeated

Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady FreeAgentZ (formerly known as Enzo and Cass) are an American professional wrestling tag team composed of nZo and CaZXL. The duo are best known for their tenure with WWE, from 2013 to 2017, under the respective ring names, Enzo Amore and Big Cas ...

to become the #1 contenders to the NXT Tag Team Championships. On July 15,

Blake and Murphy Blake and Murphy was a villainous professional wrestling tag team in WWE on their developmental territory NXT consisting of Wesley Blake, Buddy Murphy and their valet Alexa Bliss, where they are one time NXT Tag Team Champions after defeating ...

defeated The Vaudevillains to retain their championships after

Alexa Bliss Alexis Cabrera (née Kaufman; born August 9, 1991) is an American professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Alexa Bliss. In 2013, Bliss signed a contract with WWE and was ass ...

interfered. Afterwards, Bliss insulted and slapped them both, turning them

face The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may aff ...

in the process. General Manager

William Regal Darren Kenneth Matthews (born 10 May 1968), better known by the ring name William Regal, is an English retired professional wrestler. He is known for his over 20 years spent in WWE, as both a performer and an on-screen authority, and for his ti ...

then announced that there would be a rematch at a later date. At NXT TakeOver:Brooklyn, The Vaudevillains (with Blue Pants in their corner) defeated Blake and Murphy (with Alexa Bliss) to become NXT Tag Team Champions for the first time. The Vaudevillains were eliminated in the second round of the

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic is an annual professional wrestling tag team tournament held by the American promotion WWE, and is featured on its NXT brand, having first been established in 2015. In subsequent years, wrestlers from the NXT UK and ...

by Dash and Dawson, setting up a future championship match. On November 11, The Vaudevillains lost their titles to Dash and Dawson, ending their reign at 61 days. The pair later failed to regain the titles on the November 25th episode of ''NXT''. The duo once again turned heel after a losing streak continued with a loss to

American Alpha American Alpha was a professional wrestling tag team, composed of former amateur wrestlers Jason Jordan and Chad Gable. The team performed on WWE's developmental brand NXT before being moved up to the main roster on the SmackDown brand. The tea ...

when they refused to shake hands with the two, showing a lack of sportsmanship. They would later compete against the duo on the March 21st episode of ''NXT'' in a #1 contender's match for the NXT Tag Team titles where they would lose again. They made their final NXT appearance on the 13 April episode of ''NXT'', losing to Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa.

Main roster (2016–2017)

On the April 7, 2016 episode of ''

SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes simulc ...

'', The Vaudevillains made their main roster debut as heels, defeating

. On the April 11 episode of ''

Raw Raw is an adjective usually describing: * Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made * Raw food, uncooked food Raw or RAW may also refer to: Computing and electronics * .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...

'', The Vaudevillains were announced as one of the teams to participate in the #1 contender's tournament for the

WWE Tag Team Championship WWE (formerly the WWF, the WWWF, and Capitol Wrestling) has maintained at least one primary tag team championship for its male performers since 1958 (except for a two year interim between 1967 and 1969). During periods of brand division, separat ...

, where they defeated Goldango (

Goldust Dustin Patrick Runnels (born April 11, 1969) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Dustin Rhodes. He is best known for his multiple tenures with WWE ...

and

Fandango Fandango is a lively partner dance originating from Portugal and Spain, usually in triple meter, traditionally accompanied by guitars, castanets, or hand-clapping. Fandango can both be sung and danced. Sung fandango is usually bipartite: it has ...

) in the first round later that week on ''SmackDown'' and

The Usos The Usos (born August 22, 1985) are an American professional wrestling tag team composed of twin brothers Joshua Samuel Fatu and Jonathan Solofa Fatu, who are known professionally by their respective ring names Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso. They are ...

on the April 18 episode of ''Raw'' in the semi-finals. At

Payback Payback may refer to: * Revenge, a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance Payback may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Payback, a member of the fictional comics superhero team Shadow ...

, The Vaudevillains faced

Enzo Amore and Big Cass FreeAgentZ (formerly known as Enzo and Cass) are an American professional wrestling tag team composed of nZo and CaZXL. The duo are best known for their tenure with WWE, from 2013 to 2017, under the respective ring names, Enzo Amore and Big Ca ...

in the finals of the tournament. The match resulted in a

no-contest ' is a legal term that comes from the Latin phrase for "I do not wish to contend". It is also referred to as a plea of no contest or no defense. In criminal trials in certain United States jurisdictions, it is a plea where the defendant neithe ...

due to Amore suffering a legitimate concussion, and The Vaudevillains were declared the #1 contenders. At Extreme Rules, The Vaudevillains received their shot at the titles against The New Day in a losing effort, marking their first defeat. At Money in the Bank, The Vaudevillains would receive another shot at the titles, competing against The New Day, Enzo and Big Cass, and

Luke Gallows Andrew William Hankinson (born December 22, 1983) is an American professional wrestler, who is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Luke Gallows. Hankinson began his career in 2005 and participated i ...

and or AND may refer to: Logic, grammar, and computing * Conjunction (grammar), connecting two words, phrases, or clauses * Logical conjunction in mathematical logic, notated as "∧", "⋅", "&", or simple juxtaposition * Bitwise AND, a boolea ...

Karl Anderson Chad Allegra (born January 20, 1980), better known by the ring name Karl Anderson, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE where he performs on the Raw brand. He also makes appearances for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), whe ...

in a fatal-four way match in a losing effort after Kingston pinned English. On July 19 at the

2016 WWE draft Sixteen or 16 may refer to: *16 (number), the natural number following 15 and preceding 17 *one of the years 16 BC, AD 16, 1916, 2016 Films * '' Pathinaaru'' or ''Sixteen'', a 2010 Tamil film * ''Sixteen'' (1943 film), a 1943 Argentine film ...

, The Vaudevillains were drafted to ''SmackDown'' in the tenth round of picks. In August, a tag team tournament for the newly created

SmackDown Tag Team Championship The WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, representing the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two male tag team championships for WWE' ...

was set up by SmackDown general manager Daniel Bryan and SmackDown commissioner

Shane McMahon Shane Brandon McMahon (; born January 15, 1970) is an American businessman and professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he was a wrestler, producer and minority owner. He is the founder and executive chairman of Idean ...

, where the winner of the tournament would be crowned the inaugural champions. On the August 30 episode of ''SmackDown'', The Vaudevillains would compete in the first round match of the tournament, where they were defeated by

The Hype Bros The Hype Bros was an American professional wrestling tag team which performed in WWE on its SmackDown brand. The team, composed of Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley, was formed in June 2015 on the development territory, NXT. History NXT (2015–201 ...

. On the November 8 episode of ''SmackDown'', The Vaudevillains were defeated by Breezango (

Tyler Breeze Matthew Clement (born January 19, 1988) is a Canadian professional wrestler and professional wrestling trainer. He is currently signed to WWE under the ring name Tyler Breeze as a trainer at the WWE Performance Center. From 2010 to 2012, he per ...

and

) in a qualifying match for a spot on Team SmackDown at

Survivor Series Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the sec ...

. On the January 31, 2017 episode of ''SmackDown'', The Vaudevillains, along with five other teams, answered an open challenge set by

, where a brawl between all six teams ensued before being broken up by referees and officials. The following week on ''SmackDown'', The Vaudevillains, teaming with

and The Ascension, defeated American Alpha, Breezango, and

Heath Slater Heath Wallace Miller (born July 15, 1983) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where he performs mononymously as Heath, and is also active on the independent circuit. He is best known for his time in W ...

and

Rhyno Terrance Guido Gerin (born October 7, 1975) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Rhyno or Rhino. He is currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where he is one-half of the Impact World Tag Team Champions in his secon ...

in a twelve-man tag team match. At

Elimination Chamber The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE. The match was founded by Chris Jericho , created and introduced by Eric Bischoff in November 2002. It features a large chain-linked circular steel ...

, The Vaudevillains competed in a tag team turmoil match for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship, but were eliminated by Heath Slater and Rhyno. The Vaudevillains then competed in the

André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal The André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal is a namesake battle royal held as part of WrestleMania Weekend by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. The winner of the match receives the André the Giant Memorial Trophy. The inaugura ...

on the

WrestleMania 33 WrestleMania 33 was the 33rd annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on April 2, 201 ...

pre-show on April 2, 2017, but both were eliminated from the match. This would be their last match together, as just three days later on April 5, 2017, it was announced that Gotch had been released by WWE, effectively disbanding The Vaudevillains.

Championships and accomplishments

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publish ...

** PWI ranked English #171 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the

PWI 500 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishi ...

in 2016 ** PWI ranked Gotch #175 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2016 *

( 1 time) ** WWE Tag Team Championship #1 Contender Tournament (2016)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vaudevillains WWE NXT teams and stables WWE teams and stables Vaudeville performers