Ranking Wrestling’s Greatest Friendships: Can Anyone Top The New Day?
By Laura Mauro
8. The Iiconics
BFFs Billie Kay and Peyton Royce have been inseparable since their NXT days, where the pair regularly stole the show with their ‘Mean Girls’ heel antics. Memorable feuds with Nikki Cross, Ruby Riott (or perhaps ‘Wooby Wiot’) and even the formidable Asuka ensured their popularity with the Full Sail crowd.
But it’s their friendship that really makes the Iconic Duo, well, so iconic. From wearing t-shirts with one another’s names on to their continual support of one another even when wrestling as singles competitors – there was a particularly sweet moment during Peyton’s entrance at NXT TakeOver: WarGames which saw Billie stop Peyton just for a moment for some quiet words of encouragement. The moment felt completely real and unstaged, and it’s these moments of vulnerability in among the bluster which lends the Iiconics authenticity. It’s not hard at all to believe in their friendship.
There’s also an undeniably romantic undercurrent to their partnership, leading some to read them as a lesbian couple. While it seems that WWE are not presently interested in expanding that subtext to, well, actual text, there is an extra level of appeal in their physically affectionate relationship for LGBT fans, who see themselves reflected in the duo’s closeness – whether or not that’s intentional at this point, it’d be pretty amazing – not to mention a win for LGBT representation – if WWE were to go the full distance and make them a canonical romantic couple.
But whether they’re a couple or just good friends, it can’t be denied that Billie Kay and Peyton Royce have the potential to outlast the curse of WWE – the Iiconics could yet stand the test of time.