7 Ups & 2 Downs From Last Night's SmackDown (Apr 10)

4. An Iconic Debut

Billie Kay Peyton Royce
WWE.com

SmackDown didn't produce the same volume of surprises as Raw. While the red brand got the Authors Of Pain, No Way José, and Ember Moon, last night just saw a single NXT call-up, with Billie Kay and Peyton Royce joining the show. A supplemental down for the lack of, well, more, but the Iconic Duo couldn't have hoped for a stronger debut angle.

Women's Champion Charlotte Flair was in the ring, calling her match against Asuka "magical," and asking who she'd make magic with next. Out came Royce and Kay. Calling themselves "a couple of wizards who can make [Charlotte's] title disappear," they mocked Flair's melodrama, then called themselves the future. This prompted an assault from the champion, which turned out to be a bad, bad idea.

Charlotte was destroyed. The Duo battered her all around ringside, threw her over the announce table, then posted 'The Queen.' A floor Powerbomb rounded things off after Flair had been thrown into the steps, and Iconic were soon standing tall, having made one hell of a main roster impact.

Time will tell how well they fare in this bigger spotlight, but their gloriously irritating characters came through in the promo, and the beatdown hit hard.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

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.