In a recent interview, former WWE Superstar Peyton Royce (now Cassie Lee) revealed that Rhea Ripley convinced her to not ask for her release before she was let go in April 2020.

Speaking with Chris Van Vliet, Royce revealed that she struggled following the death of Brodie Lee in December 2020, and often contemplated asking to leave WWE:

“I really struggled when Brodie (Lee) passed. I struggled with the big picture and putting things into perspective. I was really unhappy at work, really unhappy. A few times I thought to myself, ‘I can’t do this anymore and I am going to ask for my release’. A few times I was in the locker room, some sort of creative would change and it would just, I would be just so upset.

The former Women's Tag Team Champion then explained that Rhea Ripley persuaded her to stay with the company and not ask to leave, having the following to say on the matter:

“Rhea Ripley of all people had to talk me off the ledge, because I was about to walk into talent relations and say ‘I’m out. I don’t want to do this anymore’. I was so unhappy. So the release was a blessing in disguise. I was so close to asking for my release but I never actually pulled the trigger.”

Peyton Royce's 90-day non-compete with WWE expired on July 14, so the former NXT star is technically free to debut for any promotion that she chose to right now.

Billie Kay was also released on April 15, and it is widely expected that Peyton and Billie will be reuniting The IIconics wherever they decide to work next.

For more on what the future holds for Peyton Royce and all the other stars released by WWE this year, make sure you stay tuned to GiveMeSport.