The former IIconics are hoping for their green cards within the next year.
Cassie Lee (formerly Peyton Royce in WWE) and Jessica McKay (formerly Billie Kay in WWE) were released by WWE in April and quickly moved on to a new venture, launching their Off Her Chops podcast shortly after their release.
Unfortunately, due to their current green card situation, the duo is unable to make money off the podcast and are in a holding pattern when it comes to working.
"The difficult thing for us is, we still don't have our green cards, so we're not allowed to work until we get those or until we find sponsorship anywhere else. We're so excited, we have all this freedom and so many ideas, but pump the brakes because we can't do any of it. The podcast, we're not making any money off of it, it's purely to get our name out there and stay relevant. It's been tough just knowing we have all these things we want to do but can't do it," said Lee on Oral Sessions with Renee Paquette. "We're in this holding pattern right now. There's literally nothing we can do, we're just waiting. We've been in this process for four years, which is basically unheard of. Factors came into it that no one can control, like the pandemic."
The former IIconics have 90-day non-compete clauses following their WWE releases, which limited their immediate options when it came to wrestling.
McKay discussed her experience by adding, "People are like, 'what are going to do now?' Well, nothing, because I can't legally work in the country and people think that you apply for the green card and it comes in the mail. This stuff takes years and we've been through the ringer with this, getting stuff denied and switching the process because of the pandemic. It keeps backing up, year after year. We're almost there, but almost there could still be a year away. We just don't know. People are like, 'It'll work itself out, surely your former employer will help.' No, we're in this together, just us doing it by ourselves. It's been stressful and now an added stress after getting released. We were like, 'Do we have to leave the country?' We had no idea how it works. Thankfully, we can stay here, but that added stress is a lot. We hope it's going to work itself out in the next six to twelve months."
The duo filed for the trademark The IInspiration on June 15.
In an interview with Busted Open after their releases, they stated they would be a package deal in free agency. You can find their full comments by clicking here.
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