Paige is bringing a new tag team to SmackDown LIVE next week.
Still boasting after their WWE Women’s Tag Championship victory at WrestleMania 35, The IIconics claimed tonight that they were going to be fighting champions, which would start with their very first defense of the titles against the supposedly undefeated tandem of The Brooklyn Belles.
After claiming that their opponents had a 45-0 record, Peyton Royce and Billie Kay made easy work of their opposition, winning their first title defense in dominant fashion. The IIconics celebrated as if it was WrestleMania all over again, but Paige, who was watching from backstage, let Kayla Braxton in on a little secret: She is bringing “an impressive tag team of her own” next week.
The IIconics introduced The Brooklyn Belles as Karissa and Kristen. They are independent wrestlers from the New York/New Jersey area, as Karissa wrestles under the name Karissa Rivera, whereas Kristen wrestles as Kris Statlander.
Karissa has wrestled on WWE programming before as she lost to Lacey Evans on the November 14, 2018, episode of NXT.
On Smackdown Live IIconics defeated Brooklyn Belles (Karissa & Kristen). Karissa @Karissa__Rivera last appeared in the 11/15/18 NXT episode where she lost to @LaceyEvansWWE. Kristen is Kris Statlander @callmekrisstat. Kris is the 1st female graduate from @CreateAPro. #WWE #SDLive pic.twitter.com/9c6RD4Y4JJ
— The Local Competitor (@LocalCompWWE) April 10, 2019
Rivera has also appeared multiple times as an extra since last year. She appeared a few times in No Way Jose’s conga line at televised shows in the Northeast. More recently, she appeared on the March 27 episode of NXT alongside Velveteen Dream on a purple couch.
Rivera is dating Kona Reeves and her Instagram account shows that she accompanied him to this past weekend’s events.
She also appeared with Reeves in this video shot at WrestleMania 35.
You can’t show up to #WrestleMania looking anything less than the finest. @KonaReevesWWE made sure @JDeanWilliams was aware. pic.twitter.com/qWPZGKkLYH
— Performance Center (@WWEPC) April 7, 2019
