My mission statement, when starting this series, was to shine a spotlight on those “mid-carders” who don’t have the popularity that your Charlotte Flairs and Braun Strowmans of the world have on Twitter, Youtube et al. Granted, my picks will naturally have a hardcore fanbase in the rabbit hole that is the Internet Wrestling Community, but 205 Live and NXT aren’t being watched by the same quantity of viewers as Raw or Smackdown Live. There are Superstars who are not being fully appreciated on these lesser watched shows, or even the main roster’s lesser watched segments. Mid-card acts aren’t given the credit they are due at times. However, there is a lot of TV to fill in WWE these days, and engaging characters and storylines should be included throughout. Which brings me to my second pick for the series. I will preface this by admitting this is a double act, but I’m sure you’ll appreciate that they do come as a package.
Most of us have had the misfortune, especially in a high school environment, to be truly blessed with the company of two annoying, attention seeking, loudmouth ladies. Making fun of others in their vicinity. Thinking their conversation is so good that others have to hear it. Basically, just making a hellfire nuisance of themselves. Lordy Lord, just thinking back to those times in my life leaves me in a cold sweat! *shivers*
NXT’s Billie Kay and Peyton Royce, better known as The Iconic Duo, became an official double act in late 2016. Apart, they were slowly shrugging off that “developmental” tag and becoming more of a household name. But together, they have become quite frankly the most entertaining aspect of NXT’s fairer sex offerings. In their early days, their seductive entrances and attire were eye-catching, but they were still used as fodder for the acts that HHH wanted to see in the main event. Take Billie Kay, who began showing off her spoiled brat persona when she demanded an opponent at Takeover: Brooklyn II. Ultimately however, she was fed to a wolf (no pun intended), when the debuting Ember Moon made quick work of her.
Thanks to the worrying (at the time) decimation of the Women’s Division’s more popular acts in NXT during the 1st Superstar Shakeup, Billie and Peyton were finally given a chance to work together and show what they could do. Emma and Dana Brooke had a similar act on the developmental brand beforehand, but it was clear that Emma was Brookes’ mentor in what was most likely an attempt to give her some experience in the ring and on TV. Emma definitely carried Dana in their short time together.
In contrast, The Iconic Duo are a much more polished act, and as a bonus, are evenly matched when it comes to promo work, character development, and overall in-ring ability (which has improved somewhat considerably over recent months).
One of their main strengths is their social media work. Selfies galore. Photobombs all over the place. Heckling their poor COLLEAGUES in airports and on planes! This for me is one of the positives that an NXT schedule gives you. There are a few weeks between NXT TV tapings. That gives the wrestlers a lot of time to hone their craft as an overall performer. The Iconic Duo can do so WHILE keeping their Instagram followers up to date on the latest gossip from the Performance Center, of all places. It really is a formula that is working well for them right now. Another minor point that sets them apart is their very brash Australian accents. The Aussies do seem to be getting quite the foothold in the company, but these girls stand out as their tone has a grating foghorn quality to it. Definitely a case of “I can hear them before I can see them”, which is not usually a good trait to have.
With regards to their actual wrestling, they have both become quite the accomplished performers. We now see them use their incredible height to their advantage, adopting big kick related moves and traps. They have some decent tandem offense also, again using those strong legs to their advantage. They both had a great opportunity to show off to a wider audience at Takeover: San Antonio during this year’s Royal Rumble weekend, in a Fatal 4 Way match with Nikki Cross and Asuka. Their spots were mainly comical ones; working together to try their utmost in getting a foothold in the match. However they did show a more brutal side when taking Nikki Cross out of contention with a nice table bump. They were never going to win that match, but they still played their part very well in a pretty entertaining spot on the card.
Things are looking good for these two young and talented girls. Thanks to Asuka’s promotion to the main roster, it’s an all-you-can-eat buffet for the NXT Women’s Division. No longer is it a challenger-of-the-month format. No longer is it a foregone conclusion that someone will lose their title match on TV or at a Takeover. This is a prime opportunity for Billie Kay and Peyton Royce to grab that brass ring and show HHH and William Regal, among others, what they are really made of.
