On April 12, 2016, Estrella-Kadlec signed a WWE contract. She made her wrestling debut at a house show, on October 20, in a battle royal, which was ultimately won by Ember Moon. Three months later, in her first appearance on "NXT", Evans teamed with Sarah Bridges in a tag team match which they lost to the team of Billie Kay and Peyton Royce. In 2017, Estrella was given the ring name Lacey Evans, which is her sister's maiden name. She was used mostly as a jobber to various competitors. In July, Evans participated in the inaugural Mae Young Classic, defeating Taynara Conti in the first round, but losing to Toni Storm in the second round.