WWE: Naomi And Asuka vs. Peyton Royce And Billie Kay Is Too Much Fun

The WWE has been teasing its fans with the possibility of Women’s Tag Team Championships in the near future, and the ongoing rivalry pitting Peyton Royce and Billie Kay (The IIconics) against the newly-formed duo of Naomi and Asuka is an indication that these titles could lead to exciting action.

For the most part, the WWE Universe laments the fact that the women of the main roster are usually thrown into tag team matches. These bouts often don’t carry much meaning, and it gives the impression that the WWE just wants to hit a quota with putting their women on TV, rather than taking the time to present them with meaningful storylines.

Ever since the summer began, SmackDown Live has done a wonderful job of telling stories, building rivalries, and selling Pay Per View matches. The current SmackDown Women’s Championship feud between Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair just might be the best rivalry in the entire company, showing that great women’s storylines are possible if WWE decides to put the focus on them.

An under-the-radar rivalry on “The Blue Brand” involves Peyton Royce and Billie Kay, who are known as the “IIconics” on the main roster, fighting it out with Naomi and Asuka. These four women cannot be in the title picture due to the personal rivalry between Lynch and Flair, but WWE has allowed them to make the most of their screen time.

Not everyone can be used optimally at all times on WWE television, but the IIconics vs. Naomi/Asuka is one of those rare occasions where a program involving multiple women in tag teams has been a success.

Though some fans lament the fact that Asuka is no longer a “killer”, that all-too-familiar version of her character, which went on an unprecedented undefeated streak in NXT, is always lurking. Even when she was known as “Kana”, Asuka would sometimes show a lighter side, and her partnership with Naomi has enabled her to display this other side of her.

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Asuka is more versatile than she’s given credit for being, and her ability to play off of Naomi both in the ring and in backstage segments is merely a case of Asuka increasing her value in WWE’s eyes by showing an expansive range of character.

Royce and Kay have always been one of the strongest duos in WWE, more than earning their moniker as the “Iconic Duo” back in NXT. Few pairings in wrestling have the innate chemistry these two do, and the fact that they are high-key lovers in character makes them even more important in the landscape of WWE.

They are simultaneously irritating and endearing, with the specific reaction depending on how long the fan in question has followed their work. NXT fans are more likely to look at these two more favorably, as they have seen them fight and improve in big spots over their careers.

At WWE Super Show-Down, Royce and Kay scooped up an impressive victory over Asuka and Naomi, using the “home” crowd (they are from Sydney) in Melbourne, Australia to help carry them to victory. Prior to this win, the IIconics found it difficult to top Naomi and Asuka, whose dynamic in-ring styles have complemented each other brilliantly in the nascent period of their time together as a tag team.

The match itself was exciting, featuring a secret handshake between Naomi and Asuka, ruthless efficiency from the always-on-the-same-wavelength IIconics, and all the shade in the world. Naomi always knows how to entertain the live crowd with acrobatic moves that showcase her cheerleading background, or simply by talking trash and mocking her opponents in a playful manner.

I chuckled audibly when she started swaying as Royce was selling a kick to the side of the head, and she also had quite the shimmy when doing the splits as a counter to one of Kay’s moves.

Wrestling is supposed to be fun, and it’s supposed to make the live crowd pop. When the IIconics take on Naomi and Asuka, you legitimately don’t know what you are going to see. All four women do everything they can to create those small moments that stick with you for years, and the IIconics, in particular, are excellent at embellishing a babyface’s moves or complaining about every little thing that goes wrong. They get under your skin, just as Naomi and Asuka make your skin glow with happiness when they work together, performing moves like in-stereo hip attacks.

SmackDown Live is a crowded place, because it’s a two-hour show that features the most loaded roster in professional wrestling. From Daniel Bryan and The Miz to Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair to The New Day and The Usos, this roster has some of the most successful pro wrestlers in the world. There are literal living legends on this roster, so it isn’t easy to carve a niche.

Naomi, Asuka, Peyton Royce, and Billie Kay have found that niche for now as tag team wrestlers on the women’s wrestlers. Two of those four women are former champions in WWE, and the other two are future champions, seeing as how WWE lets them cut promos whenever they walk into the ring.

For now, they are making the most out of the opportunities they are given in tag team action, proving once again that the women in WWE are perhaps better than anyone at making the most out of what they are given. They create their own spotlight by giving the crowd an enjoyable night, regardless of whether they paid for a ticket or made their payment in the form of investing their time in watching a show on a Tuesday night (or early on a Saturday morning, in the case of WWE Super Show-Down).

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When (if?) the Women’s Tag Team Championships are released, I’d love to see Naomi and Asuka remain a tag team, even if they have shown they are capable of greatness as individuals. Their story as a tag team hasn’t ended yet, just judging by how well they work together. This feud with Royce and Kay has become an important part of SmackDown Live after beginning with uncertainty, and I am intrigued to see how the babyfaces respond after losing to the IIconics in Australia.