Simon Gotch, one half of one-time NXT tag team champions The Vaudevillains, was released Wednesday from his WWE contract.

Along with Aiden English, Gotch, whose real name is John Smith, was immediately thrust into the tag team title contention when they made their WWE debuts one year ago this coming Friday.

But since then, Gotch and English have been relatively non-factors in any notable storylines. They last appeared on SmackDown Live on Feb. 7.

The WWE released a brief statement Wednesday, saying "WWE has come to terms on a mutually agreed upon release with Simon Gotch as of today, April 5, 2017. WWE wishes Gotch the best in all his future endeavors."

In their first match in the WWE, The Vaudevillains beat The Lucha Dragons en route to winning a No. 1 contenders tournament last but lost to the New Day at Extreme Rules. A few weeks later, they fell in a fatal 4-way tag team bout at Money in the Bank.

But the early momentum quickly came to an end. They've been virtually nonexistent since being drafted by the SmackDown brand, especially in 2017. Their throwback gimmick never seemed to register with fans.

Gotch has been in the company since 2013, when he signed a developmental contract with NXT. No word on what the future holds for his tag team partner English.