Back in 2018, Peyton Royce and Billie Kay known collectively as The IIconics made their main roster debut on SmackDown. In this debut they attacked Charlotte Flair which allowed Carmella to cash in her Money in the Bank briefcase and become SmackDown Women’s Champion. In a recent interview with Ring the Bell, Royce (Cassie Lee) … Read more
A former WWE writer by the name of Chris Dunn was a recent guest on the Public Enemies Podcast. He spoke about some topics for the women’s division that never end up happening. One of them was a unique partnership considered between the current Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair and former WWE Women’s Tag Team … Read more
The Royal Rumble is quickly approaching along with the new year. The 2023 Royal Rumble is just five weeks away and we will have the annual 30-woman match to determine who will go to WrestleMania to face the champion of her choice. This upcoming Royal Rumble match may not have as many surprises or more … Read more
Wrestling fans are still scratching their heads over the release of Peyton Royce (Cassie Lee) and Billie Kay (Jessica McKay) collectively known as The IIconics. WWE released several wrestlers from the main roster right after WrestleMania. Releases during this time frame are common, but for both Cassie and Jessica they were both recently utilized on … Read more
Even while split up on screen, The IIconics have continued to do everything together. They started wrestling together, started with WWE together, and sadly were released together in April. So what’s next for Cassie Lee (Peyton Royce) and Jessica McKay (Billie Kay)? As fans, we have until July to wait until the pair’s 90-day non-compete … Read more
WWE fans were shaken when the release of multiple big named stars was announced yesterday. Billie Kay, Peyton Royce, Chelsea Green, and Mickie James had all been unexpectedly released by the company. These releases come on the anniversary of “Black Wednesday”. “Black Wednesday” was given its name when WWE announced mass releases after WrestleMania 36 … Read more
Billie Kay, Peyton Royce, Mickie James, and Chelsea Green are among the names of those who have been released from WWE today. WWE has officially announced these releases in a tweet and a future endeavored mention on their website. In addition to these women – Samoa Joe, Bo Dallas, Tucker, Kalisto and Wesley Blake were also released. … Read more
At WrestleMania 37, the womens battle royal match was replaced by something a little different. The women’s division came together to earn a shot at the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships against Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax. The women’s Tag Team Turmoil match saw chaos ensue. RAW Superstar Mandy Rose slipped on the soaking wet … Read more
The resume and headshot must have worked as Carmella has now accepted Billie Kay as her tag team partner. They have officially been added to the Tag Team Turmoil match at WrestleMania which will take place on Night One this Saturday.
After a match between one-half the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Nia Jax and Tamina which ended in a disqualification, The Riott Squad was about to be interviewed backstage as Billie Kay showed up. Liv Morgan asked her what she was doing here because she doesn’t have a tag team partner. Carmella entered and asked if there was a problem because Kay is with her.
Ruby Riott says she and Morgan are laser-focused on the Tag Team Turmoil match set for this weekend. Riott says that she and Morgan are more in sync than ever after they got rid of their “sidekick” (Kay). Carmella says that if she wanted a lesson on friendship then she would watch an after-school special. The tag titles she says are hers, well ours.
Then entered Mandy Rose/Dana Brooke and Naomi/Lana. The four teams start brawling in the back before Natalya and Tamina show up to deliver more pain to their opponents. Natalya and Tamina leave as the last team standing yet again as they walk away from the rest of the women laid out on the ground.
Carmella and Kay being added to this match had a bit of confusion surrounding it from earlier this week when the Tag Team Turmoil match was first announced. Originally scheduled as just four teams, the WWE WrestleMania Twitter account mistakenly added Carmella and Kay to the graphic. The post was then deleted shortly thereafter.
Who will end up winning the Tag Team Turmoil match and go on to face the champions Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler for the tag titles on Night Two?
Before SmackDown aired, it was announced on social media that the SmackDown Women’s Championship will be decided in the main event of Night One of Mania. Tonight’s episode of SmackDown was taped which was prior to them learning they will be the main event. Both the champion Sasha Banks and the challenger Bianca Belair had backstage interviews that were aired on tonight’s show. Both can be viewed below.
Update: WWE WrestleMania’s Twitter account has removed the tweet that included Carmella and Billie Kay in this match. It is not known at this time if they will be involved. We will keep you updated on this. The speculation for the past week is true, a multi-tag team match will be taking place on Night … Read more
The Royal Rumble never fails to deliver, and last night’s event was no different. The show offered up an array of great action, big surprises and huge wins. We got to see a good tag team match, a great title match and an excellent Women’s Royal Rumble. Let’s get to the action; WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship … Read more
SmackDown this week was a lot like last week with the exception that we did get one match. The match centered around the storyline of Billie Kay “joining” the Riott Squad as Liv Morgan faced Natalya. Kay joined commentary while Ruby Riott was at ringside for Morgan and Tamina for Natalya. Kay said she was … Read more
The first SmackDown of 2021 certainly had a few surprises. We were treated to two matches, one being the advertised match between Carmella & Bayley vs. Bianca Belair & SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks. Before we get to that match result, the first match of the night involved The Riott Squad taking on Tamina & Natalya.
The Riott Squad defeated Tamina & Natalya (w/Billie Kay?)
For the past several weeks Billie Kay has been trying to find a tag team partner that will help her against The Riott Squad. She has lost two weeks in a row – first with Natalya as her partner and second with Tamina. This week she was supposed to bring in another partner to face Liv Morgan & Ruby Riott.
Tamina’s music hits making it seem like she would be Kay’s partner once again. Directly after comes Natalya’s music and it will actually be Tamina and Natalya to face The Riott Squad. This led to Billie Kay being the “manager” of this pairing…at least at first.
Midway through the match, Kay would jump to The Riott Squad’s corner and start cheering them on. This apparent switch happens when Morgan and Riott deliver a double Russian leg sweep to Tamina with Riott getting a near fall. This obviously confuses all the competitors in the match.
The end result is Kay distracting Tamina who had Morgan up on her shoulders. Morgan countered and stacked up Tamina to get the pin. Kay would then celebrate the win for The Riott Squad with everyone still confused in her actions.
In perhaps a surprise victory, Carmella & Bayley defeated Bianca Belair & Sasha Banks when Carmella pinned the SmackDown Women’s Champion. The match wound up having Belair and Bayley which had Banks distracted. Carmella rolled up Banks but got a near fall. This led to Carmella delivering a super kick to the face of The Boss. Carmella then misses in the corner and finds herself dragged into the center of the ring with the Bank Statment locked in.
Reginald quickly pulled out Carmella to avoid her from having to submit. He would then enter the ring and step up to Banks allowing Carmella to enter from the opposite side of the ring. Reginald would then exit the ring and with a smile on his face jumped on the apron to further distract Banks.
Carmella would then get caught from her superkick and Banks delivered a knee into a jackknife for a near fall. Reginald gets involved one last time as he hops back on the apron and Banks delivered a punch to knock him off. She turns around into a facebuster for Carmella to pick up the three count and the win. Carmella has pinned the SmackDown Women’s Champion.
Other than Carmella picking up the win, the other surprise of the night was the return of Sonya Deville. Although her return was just her strolling through the backstage area, it was enough to show that Daddy is back. I expect a good showing in the upcoming rumble match by Miss. Deville.
Let’s get into the first Winners & Losers of 2021!
WINNER: Billie Kay
Personally, Billie Kay is slaying in this role. It is comedy, it is fun, it is at this point more unpredictable then most things. Having her root for the team she has been feuding against is hilarious. I still won’t get over the break up of her and Peyton, however, at least with Billie they are letting her character shine.
Of course, it wasn’t without help for her victory but Carmella did pin the champion. Her working with Sasha has really made her work the best it has been, maybe ever. I am sure most people are going to complain about her getting the pin. In my opinion, it furthers the feud and does exactly what it should do. It feeds into Carmella’s character and has her look like a worthy opponent. I am all here for them getting another one-on-one at Royal Rumble.
WINNER: Sonya Deville
I know she didn’t really do anything, but she is BACK! So WIN! I really was hoping for her to be a surprise for the rumble itself. I hope to bring her back before it will mean there are some bigger surprises for the rumble. Her returning at the event would have been predictable anyway.
LOSER: Sasha Banks
Unfortunately for this week, The Boss, The Blueprint, The Standard winds up on the losing end of things. As I said with Carmella it is a good thing storyline-wise and in the long run, I don’t see it hurting her. If they have her drop the title before WrestleMania I would be kind of surprised at this point.
What did you think about this week’s SmackDown? Who were your Winners & Losers? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below!!
Ding Dong! Hello! – We had another SmackDown where the women of the brand were well represented throughout. Three cohesive storylines A big match between Bayley and Bianca Belair was had along with Billie Kay finding her partner of the week while Carmella looking strong heading into the TLC pay-per-view. Let’s get into it!
First, we have a match between The Riott Squad and Billie Kay with a partner of her choosing. Last week Kay had found Natalya to be her partner through heavy research and her qualifications listed on her resume. Although she had the veteran on her side, the two would fail to pick up a win. This week, Kay challenged the squad again and said she had a new partner in place.
The Riott Squad defeated Billie Kay & Tamina
Billie Kay found herself her partner this week as Tamina. This wasn’t a huge surprise as Tamina is really the only woman left on the roster who is currently active. The Riott Squad shows some great teamwork as always with them isolating Kay at the end of the match by knocking Tamina off the apron. Liv Morgan would pick up the pin on Kay.
My thoughts are still firm that breaking up The IIconics to just have the two of them put in random tag teams was a bad idea. However, at least with Kay, this highlights her humor. Not sure how much longer they can continue this week after week partner idea unless they finally move some women from NXT up to the roster. If this somehow brings up the Robert Stone Brand I wouldn’t be mad at it.
Following this match, we had the Champagne Toast segment by Carmella.
During the toast, Carmella says she knows that she already has Sasha beat. The SmackDown Women’s Champion got herself disqualified last week according to Carmella because she felt her precious title slipping from her grasps. She adds that Banks always has to be the best and once she wins the title from her on Sunday, she won’t know what to do. As she ended her promo, Carmella snapped her finger for her assistant to give her a glass of champagne. She called it cheap and frantic, just like Sasha Banks.
Once Banks had heard enough, her music hits. Carmella’s assistance leaves the ring to cut off The Boss on the ramp. Banks however wasn’t coming from the back. She showed up in the ring and threw a champagne glass at Carmella and then took her down. Banks tried to lock in the bank statement but Carmella fought it off as her assistant came back into the ring and pulled Banks off. Banks would then slap her assistant and go for a backstabber.
Much like last week, Carmella smashes another champagne bottle over the back of the SmackDown Women’s Champion to end the segment.
Let’s pause for a second and admire this attire….
Lastly, we have the advertised match between Bayley and Bianca Belair. This was a highly anticipated match to see these two finally go at it. A new rivalry that will go on a bit longer with Belair hopefully getting the last laugh.
Bayley defeated Bianca Belair
What I will say about this match is the athleticism from Belair, my lord! but we already knew that. It just impresses me every time. The final moments of the match saw Bayley attempt to cheat by using the ropes for leverage to get the pin. The referee saw it and Belair countered it into an excellent pin of her own but Bayley kicked out.
Moments later, Belair would stack Bayley up and get a near fall. She went to lift her up and the shoulders fell again for a near fall. Belair finally got Bayley up but Bayley raked the eyes without the referee seeing it. She then delivered the Rose Plant to pick up the victory.
I thought this was a solid first match between the two. It is far from over and eventually, I see Bayley helping Belair get over and elevate her. What I felt was good about this match is I could have seen it going either way. The way it went was done well and I am excited to see more from these two. I wish they were on the upcoming pay-per-view.
Let’s get into the Winners & Losers of the week for SmackDown.
WINNERS: The Riott Squad
It is good seeing them stringing some wins together. As the new year approaches they need to be next in line for the tag titles and win them. I can see that happening either way after the Women’s Tag Team Title match on Sunday at TLC. If Nia and Shayna retain then I can see the Riott Squad finally getting the win over them. If Asuka and her mystery partner win, I can see it being a short reign.
WINNER: Carmella
Carmella certainly has the upper hand going into the pay-per-view. Week after week she seems to get the better of the exchange with Sasha, for the most part. I give it a very slim chance that she will take the title from Sasha on Sunday, so it is good they are letting her shine heading into that match.
I am a big fan of her entrance, theme, etc. I may be in the minority with that, but I dig it.
They put on a solid first match between the two and did it in a way of me wanting more and I appreciate that. These two have good chemistry I feel both in-ring and with their promos. It makes sense for this to continue to at least the Royal Rumble, if not further.
As for the losers this week, I don’t really feel as though anyone would be in that category. The blue brand has been delivering pretty well. I feel that with Billie Kay, this new partner weekly is at least humorous and she is doing well with it. I will hold judgment to see how it continues next week.
What did you think of this week’s SmackDown? Who were your Winners & Losers? Speaking of Winners, check back in with Diva Dirt this weekend to see the results of the Fan Awards!
TLC takes place this Sunday as well, so check back in with Diva Dirt for that discussion post and any news, rumors, and results.
Instead of waiting for the TLC pay-per-view event a week from Sunday, Carmella made her return to the ring on this week’s SmackDown. This was her first match since April back when she took on Mandy Rose. She faced Sasha Banks this week in the main event for the SmackDown Women’s Title. A title she … Read more
This week’s SmackDown had one match and it was the build for the feud between Bayley and Bianca Belair. This all started at Survivor Series where Bayley claimed to be the captain of the team by being handpicked to be a part of it. Belair has laughed off the notion of Bayley being captain but … Read more
Ever since The IIconics split up at the end of August, there hasn’t been a clear direction for either member. Peyton Royce for some reason is with Lacey Evans on RAW while Billie Kay is handing out her resume and headshot on SmackDown. Although the future isn’t very concise for either woman, Kay has been … Read more
This week’s SmackDown certainly didn’t deliver a lot for their women’s roster. One match we did receive however was Bianca Belair taking on Natalya. Bayley was on commentary. Bianca Belair defeated Natalya In a direct fallout from Team SmackDown’s loss at Survivor Series, we have Belair who was the last for the blue team, Natalya … Read more
We’ve finally reached Friday in order to see the new SmackDown Women’s Champion, Sasha Banks, on our television screens. Banks made her way to the ring with not only her newly won title but the chair that symbolizes the demise of her friendship with Bayley. Banks goes over the destruction of her relationship with Bayley … Read more
There is a lot to unpack from this week’s RAW as we are less than two weeks away from Hell in a Cell. We have a new number one contender for Asuka’s RAW Women’s Championship and we had the final night of the 2020 WWE Draft. To go over all the results of the WWE … Read more
This week’s RAW was a good showing for the women’s division. A total of four matches were on display. Although we do not know any matches just yet officially for Clash of Champions that will take place later on this month, we received a title match set for next week. Mickie James will go one on one against Asuka for the RAW Women’s Title on the Sept. 14 episode of RAW. This week? The two had to be on the same side of the ring as they took on the team of Nataly and Lana.
The matches on this week’s show were as follows:
Peyton Royce vs. Billie Kay
Mickie James & Asuka vs. Natalya & Lana
The Riott Squad vs. Shayna Baszler – 2 on 1 Handicap Match
The Riott Squad vs. Nia Jax – 2 on 1 Handicap Match
The first match was between the two former teammates. The IIconics were forced to break up last week following their loss to The Riott Squad. Now we have new entrances, new music, and two singles competitors in that of Peyton Royce and Billie Kay.
The two would face each other as the rest of us awkwardly looked on. There would be a hint of animosity as Royce blamed Kay for their break up. As expected due to a constant rumor that Royce was seen as high on Vince McMahon’s list, she would come out with the win.
After the match, Royce would help up Kay and hug her.
Initial thoughts:
Both of their new music is rather generic. I did enjoy the graphics for Billie though and her gear, it set her apart some from The IIconics. Peyton, however, for the one they seem to want to push more had the same gear she has been wearing. The match was okay, but I know they could have gone harder. Generally in my opinion, good friends can put on high caliber matches.
I could be wrong, but this seems to be a one-off match as the hug signified the end of the duo. As I half expected Peyton to attack Billie after the match, she didn’t.
EXCLUSIVE: Throughout a difficult time on #WWERaw, @PeytonRoyceWWE still has a lot of emotions to process. pic.twitter.com/45WPZskIiF
Next up we had the tag team match between Mickie James and Asuka as they face Lana and Natalya. James and Asuka played up the tension between the two with them tagging themselves in. Asuka steals the win from James at the end of the match as a result. She gets the win via submission via the Asuka Lock on Lana. James kept Natalya from saving Lana by delivering a Mick Kick on the outside.
Initial Thoughts:
It was a solid match – good storytelling between Mickie and Asuka. Seeing as they are both technically babyface, the build-up needs that much more effort. I am really enjoying the team of Lana and Natalya and I am glad Lana is getting back in the ring more. Assuming Lana and Natalya will likely cost Mickie her title match next Monday, this will lead up to what the Clash of Champions match will be for the RAW Women’s Title.
Lastly, we have two matches that involve The Riott Squad. First, we had Liv Morgan and Ruby Riott having to face Shayna Baszler in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match. The dynamic between Baszler and Nia Jax as tag team champions continue to show that they are far from friends. Baszler arguing with Jax who was at ringside would ultimately do her in. Morgan would secure a win on Baszler for The Riott Squad as they go up 1-0 for the night.
The second match was the second 2-on-1 Handicap Match as The Riott Squad faced Nia Jax. Morgan and Riott did a fantastic job through the match with constant tags in order to keep Jax down as much as possible. The duo knew that they had to focus on keeping Jax off her feet if they wanted to pick up this win.
The Riott Squad was close to another victory as the lights started to flicker and go out signaling the emergence of RETRIBUTION. Morgan went for the pin on Jax and at the count of two the lights went out and the RETRIBUTION stable had their first promo. So that being said, the match ended without a result.
Initial Thoughts:
Personally, I do not like handicap matches. I think they show little creativity and are pointless. These two matches, however, I understood the point. With Shayna and Nia still not fully on the same page, and how they took out Sasha Banks and Bayley – this made sense. Shayna beat both Sasha and Bayley to win the titles and Nia pinned both of them in order to retain the titles.
I wish the second match had a result and wasn’t interrupted by RETRIBUTION, but that gives Nia a leg to stand on saying she wasn’t “defeated.”
As far as RETRIBUTION, the women of the stable didn’t say anything in the promo. However, I am convinced that the two women in the group are Mia Yim and Vanessa Borne.
Let’s get into the Winners & Losers of the week:
WINNER: Liv Morgan
Liv getting a pin on Shayna was a nice surprise. These handicap matches were tricky, but it did make more sense for Shayna to lose. I am happy that the Riott Squad are back together, and Liv is continuing to shine as a result.
WINNER: Peyton Royce
Peyton is clearly the one receiving the push out of the artists formerly known as The IIconics. Her new music and entrance however I feel was way less impressive than Billie’s. I can only assume that Peyton may end up going to SmackDown though. Her going after the SmackDown Women’s Title just makes more sense.
WINNER: Asuka
Asuka was able to still squeak out a win even while being on a team with Mickie who is gunning for her. The way she won as well is reminding me of her initial heel turn, so she may end up being the heel in this scenario between the two. Her getting the win continues to make her look strong.
LOSER: Billie Kay
Unfortunately for Billie, Peyton’s win solidifies that she is favored as rumored. Personally I am worried about what is next for Billie. I wouldn’t mind a nice feud between the two, but with this randomness that was their break-up, I can see them now being on different brands. I just feel that Billie is going to get lost in the shuffle and not used.
What did you think of this week’s RAW? Who were your Winners & Losers? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below!!
RAW this week was definitely one that had heavy moves in both the RAW Women’s & Women’s Tag Team Title pictures. And for one team, many hearts were broken. Two main matches were had other than RAW Underground and they were: Mickie James vs. Lana The Riott Squad vs The IIconics – Winner becomes number … Read more
Stakes were high for the tag team division on tonight’s episode of RAW. The Riott Squad faced The IIconics yet again, however, this time with major stipulations. For the winning team, they earn the number one contenders spot for the Women’s Tag Titles. The losing team will have to be disbanded. You’ve gotta be joking … Read more
One half of The IIconics, Billie Kay, has launched her own YouTube channel and is urging fans to subscribe. The name of her channel is “J.McKay Does.” She has posted her first video letting everyone know what to expect and question those that haven’t subscribed yet. If you haven’t subscribed yet then -You Gotta Be … Read more
The Women’s Tag Team Champions Sasha Banks and SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley continue to dominate all three brands as they returned to RAW again this week. The advertised match was a Champion vs. Champion match which pitted Bayley against RAW Women’s Champion Asuka. Last week, Banks pulled out a win in her mixed tag team … Read more
A Champion vs. Champion match which ended in a count-out, Billie Kay picking up a very important win, and Nia Jax getting into the head of Asuka is how this week’s RAW panned out. Three matches were had so let’s start with what occurred first which was a continuous build for the Women’s Tag Titles. … Read more
