5 WWE tag teams that shouldn't have split up

#2 WWE splitting up The IIconics last year proved to be a mistake

This will always be one of the best and funniest backstage interviews of all time.@BillieKayWWE @catherinekelley @PeytonRoyceWWE pic.twitter.com/18BcmOlldg

— dale:) 🦋☀️ (@daleprint) April 15, 2021

In the duo known as The IIconics, WWE had a fantastic tag team. Peyton Royce and Billie Kay have known each other since they were both teenagers in Australia, making the move over to the United States to join WWE at the same time.

Their real-life chemistry was clear to see whenever the pair were on-screen together. When WWE created its Women's Tag Team Championships in 2019, it seemed The IIconics were the perfect fit for the division.

WWE was on the same page as fans with that thought - at least initially. Royce and Kay won the titles at WrestleMania 35. Their reign lasted for almost four months until they lost the championships to Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross. Despite that defeat, The IIconics looked destined to have many more runs with the gold left in them.

A team with great presence and comedic timing on the microphone, the Australian duo could be counted on to build feuds well - and were committed to improving their in-ring skills as well.

With so few established pairings in its women's tag scene, The IIconics should have been a valuable part of the division. Instead, with no proper build or story behind it, WWE decided to book a match between the Riott Squad and The IIconics, where the losing team would be forced to disband.

MAJOR ramifications coming out of this one...The #IIconics @BillieKayWWE & @PeytonRoyceWWE battle The #RiottSquad @RubyRiottWWE & @YaOnlyLivvOnce TONIGHT on #WWERaw!Winning team? Next challengers for the WWE #WomensTagTitlesLosing team? MUST disband. pic.twitter.com/WQaVkWnUuA

— WWE (@WWE) September 1, 2020

Royce and Kay did suffer defeat in that match, meaning WWE was breaking up one of its better women's duos. This choice would have been more understandable if the company had future plans in mind for either member of the team.

In reality, though, Royce and Kay drifted along in the months that followed, both linking up with new tag team partners along the way. The problem was that neither of these new teams were anywhere near as good as The IIconics.

Elsewhere in this article, there have been a number of examples where WWE realized it had made the wrong move in breaking up a tag team - and put the pairing in question back together.

Sadly, this won't be the case with The IIconics - as both Peyton Royce and Billie Kay were released from their WWE contracts last month.