The IIconics On NXT To Main Roster Transition: ‘Nothing Overlaps’

Jessie McKay and Cassie Lee (fka WWE’s The IIconics) have opened up about their transition from NXT to the WWE main roster.

When McKay (fka Billie Kay) and Lee (Peyton Royce) were called up to SmackDown, their tag team name changed from The Iconic Duo to The IIconics. The former WWE stars have pointed out that this wasn’t the only change they experienced upon joining the main roster.

Speaking on Oral Sessions, Lee and McKay noted that the differences between the main roster and NXT are night and day. Recalling their SmackDown debut, McKay said:

“It’s night and day. It’s just so different. It’s a different audience, a different creative team, and everything is different. Nothing overlaps. NXT was so fun we got to explore who we wanted to be and our debut, we couldn’t have dreamed of anything better. The SmackDown after WrestleMania, we come out, lay out Charlotte it was so cool and we loved that.

“Fortunately, we were given a microphone every time we came to the ring, which not many people get the chance to do. So it was really cool to show our personalities right off the bat, who we are. It is different, the product, the brand, and the audience. It’s just different.”

Opening up about frustrations with her WWE character, Lee said:

“So in NXT we were still b*tches but I feel like we were stronger maybe. We were booked more like threats in NXT, when we transitioned to the main roster, Vince thought we were so funny on the microphone in that first week. So it became more about us being funny and less threats. For me, that was a little bit for me to realise we weren’t threats. We’re these fun over-the-top personalities, which I loved.

“But I miss being perceived as someone who could win a match or win a championship. But last year when we came back after the pandemic, I absolutely loved from when we came back to splitting us up. Because I feel like it was really a mesh of both of those things. We were still ourselves on the microphone, but when we got in the ring it was time for business.”

Lee and McKay were released by WWE in April. Since their departures, the duo have launched their Off Her Chops podcast. The new tag-team name for the former IIconics was seemingly revealed with a recent trademark filing.

Quotes via Inside the Ropes. 

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• Jessie McKay
• Cassie Lee
• iiconics
• wwe

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