Cassie Lee and Jessica McKay provide updates on their personal and professional ventures.
Nearly two years after their hiatus, Cassie Lee and Jessica McKay have officially returned to the podcasting world. In early August, Lee and McKay, together known as The IInspiration, unveiled the season three premiere of Off Her Chops, which has now found a new home on the Premier Streaming Network.
During a recent interview with WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard, the duo discussed their decision to revive their podcast on the Premier Streaming Network platform.
“It was about time,” McKay said. “It had been about two years, and we just had so much happen in our personal lives primarily. So, we just really wanted to bring back the podcast. We have fun doing it. It’s something that we enjoy. It’s a creative outlet for us, so we just really wanted to bring it back for season three and the relationship at Premier Streaming, it just felt really right. They’ve been super supportive. It’s a great kind of way to get ‘Off Her Chops’ back out there. So, it’s been a lot of fun.”
Stepping Back From Wrestling
In the midst of season two of Off Her Chops, Lee and McKay made the jump to IMPACT Wrestling, where they soon became Knockouts Tag Team Champions. Shortly after dropping the titles to The Influence, though, The IInspiration announced that they’d be taking a step back from professional wrestling in an effort to pursue other aspirations. In their announcement, The IInspiration specifically referenced this as a step back from in-ring action, not a retirement.
As Jessica McKay later reiterated, The IInspiration strategically chose that wording due to the possibility that they could both eventually return to the squared circle. In the meantime, though, both women were eager to start some new ventures.
“It all comes down to timing. And when we stepped away from IMPACT, it was definitely the right time,” McKay said. “We talk about this in Off Her Chops, but Cass had been trying to get pregnant for a very long time, and she wanted to be a mother. She wanted to have a family start a family. And that’s something that I fully supported. So, when we stepped away, it was for a reason. It was to set up the life that we wanted, the home that that she wanted. That’s just such a special time in someone’s life. Was it hard to step away? It wasn’t for me personally just because I’ll always support Cass and whatever she does. I don’t think it was hard for you either, Cass.”
“I think it just felt right at that time because we wanted other things in life, I think that’s when you know. You have to know deep down it’s the right time to step away because then you’re not going to have any regrets,” McKay said. “I think we really excelled at IMPACT for the short time that we were there for. So, it just felt like the right time. And who knows? We never said retire.”
“We just said we’re going to step away for a while,” McKay continued. “So, this hiatus has been good. I think a lot of people that are in the wrestling bubble, you forget how much life is just out there, and how much you miss. Especially us being Australian, we sacrifice so much being here every single day. So we definitely wanted to have that balance of personal life and professional life. It’s been going really well.”
Cassie’s In-Ring Future
Four months after Cassie Lee gave birth to a baby boy, World Series Wrestling revealed that Lee would make her official in-ring return during their “Full Throttle” tour in October. When analyzing her in-ring future, Lee noted her intention to remain a tag team performer.
“I’m not a singles wrestler, and I can’t see myself moving forward as a serious singles wrestler,” Lee said. “I don’t know. That’s just not me without my life partner [Jessica]. But like you said, teaming with my husband [Shawn Spears] and doing mixed tag stuff, that is what I’m really excited about as kind of start my journey back into the industry. I’m not like looking too far ahead. I’m just like enjoying these little steps and we’ll just kind of see what happens.”
Jessica’s Acting Pursuits
While Lee is preparing for her in-ring return, Jessica McKay provides an update on her acting pursuits, which have been slightly halted due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strikes.
“I booked my first TV show, which I was super excited and proud about in March. I was actually pregnant when I filmed it and didn’t realize and then the strike kind of happened after that,” McKay said. “So, I got really lucky that I was able to still do that because that was SAG. Fortunately, SAG commercials aren’t in effect with the strike, and being in Orlando, we do get a lot of commercials, non-union and SAG, so my commercial editions have still been the same. Obviously, film and TV has just taken a bit of a hit right now, but I think it’s important that everyone gets paid what they deserved. Equal pay is extremely important, especially in this industry. So, I’m just going to keep doing classes and auditioning as much as I can.”
As McKay continues to shape her acting resume, she admits that wrestling has also piqued her interest again. In the future, McKay is open to the idea of forming a stable with Lee, and her husband, Shawn Spears.
“Like I said, we’re in the time especially, Cass has a gorgeous little baby boy and I’m expecting as well, so we’re not looking too far into the future. And I think that’s smart of us just because our families have to take priority. It’s super fun and it’s exciting time for us. I’d love to be in a faction or a stable with Mr. Shawn Spears, and Cassie Lee one day. That would be amazing. That’d be a tick off the old bucket list. So, yeah, you never know,” McKay said.
Off Her Chops is available on Premier Streaming Network now. Watch our full interview with The IInspiration below:
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