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Ex-WWE Champion Returns To The Ring After 16 Months

By John Canton • Published 3rd March 2025
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A former champion in WWE has returned to the ring after not wrestling for over a year.

Cassie Lee is best known for her run in WWE as Peyton Royce from 2015 to 2021. During her time in WWE, Lee was mostly aligned with Billie Kay.

The Australian team of Royce & Kay were known as the IIconics. The duo was comedic at times, but they did manage to win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles at WrestleMania 35 in 2019.

In the October 2020 WWE Draft, The IIconics were split up, but neither woman thrived on her own. Royce & Kay were released by WWE in April 2021 at a time when the company cut a lot of talent during the COVID-19 pandemic.

After leaving WWE, Cassie Lee used that name in TNA as she teamed with Jessie McKay (formerly Billie Kay) to win the TNA/Impact Knockouts Tag Team Titles when they were known as the IInspiration. Their run in TNA lasted only about six months until April 2022.

Cassie Lee Returns To Ring On Same Day As WWE Elimination Chamber

Away from the pro wrestling world, Cassie Lee is a busy woman since she’s married to WWE NXT’s Shawn Spears. The couple met when they were in NXT together. Lee has given birth to the couple’s two sons in January 2023 and June 2024. Following the birth of their second son, Lee mentioned getting back into the wrestling ring.

At SMASH Wrestling’s Rumble in the Rec Room in Toronto, which took place across the Elimination Chamber PLE on March 1st in the afternoon, Lee defeated Alexia Nicole in a match. It was Lee’s first match since October 2023.

After the match, Lee called out the SMASH Women’s Champion, TNA’s Jody Threat, for a title match in April. During the promo, Lee teased that she was bringing her IIconics/IInspiration tag team partner, Jessie McKay (formerly Billie Kay in WWE), with her.

Lee and McKay are scheduled to team up at Prestige Wrestling’s Nothing to Lose event in Las Vegas on Thursday, April 17th just two days before WrestleMania 41.