Real Reason WWE Split Up The IIconics
Peyton Royce and Billie Kay's friendship is no more. Here's why.
The IIconics were surprisingly split up on this week's WWE Raw, with the promotion hastily booking the duo in a bout with the reformed Riott Squad, the simulation of which dictated that the losing team must go their separate ways. Billie Kay and Peyton Royce were felled in approximately three minutes, and Royce launched Kay into the Raw Underground ring to get her head kicked in later in the evening.
Per Mike Johnson of PWInsider, WWE did this to propel Peyton towards a singles run, corroborating recent reports that Vince McMahon sees Royce as a potential breakout star.
Johnson states that WWE wants to go in a different direction with Peyton. While Kay was "wiped out" on Underground, she wasn't being punished and isn't leaving the company, though it's likely that this was a write-off to send her to SmackDown or take a hiatus from television. The split was described simply as a "means to an end" to get Royce out on her own.
WWE had previously teased splitting the duo earlier this year, though those plans were put on hold. The scheme has now been abruptly reprised - and The IIconics are no more.