WWE NXT Star Lola Vice Signs New Contract as Paul Heyman Reacts to John Cena’s Shocking Heel Turn

Lola Vice, a rising WWE NXT star, has extended her association with WWE, according to recent reports. Initially signing a three-year contract following a strong performance in her 2022 tryout, Vice’s original deal was set to expire this summer, but WWE has proactively locked down a new agreement with her. Specific terms of the new contract have not been disclosed yet.

Paul Heyman Discusses John Cena’s Unexpected Heel Transformation

Paul Heyman shared his insights on John Cena’s surprising heel turn during an episode of The Ariel Helwani Show. Cena debuted his villainous persona earlier this year at WWE Elimination Chamber in Toronto by aligning with The Rock and Travis Scott, which culminated in a historic victory over Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41, marking Cena’s 17th World Title win.

Cena, hailed as the “Last Real Champion,” briefly returned to his fan-favorite role on WWE SmackDown but lost the Undisputed WWE Championship to The American Nightmare at WWE SummerSlam 2025 (Night Two). Heyman expressed fascination with the audience’s layered reaction to Cena’s heel turn, noting the crowd’s appreciation for performance art even amid boos.

Heyman described the fan reaction, stating,

“It opened my eyes to the fact that this is an audience that is here to see stars and performances. As much as they are rooted in the storylines, they are there to appreciate the twisted performance art known as professional wrestling in WWE. And here’s how I knew: the moment [mimics Cena’s entrance theme] and John Cena comes out, that place went nuts. [But when he got in the ring] Boo him out of the building as a heel. And the moment they saw the red light go off and knew the show was over, and he’s standing there in the ring, they all gave him a standing ovation because it’s his last time as an in-ring performer in that city. And they’re all chanting, ‘Thank you, Cena.’ So the audience knew their role. And that’s fascinating to watch.”

—Paul Heyman

He also reflected on the significance of witnessing Cena’s heel turn firsthand, saying,

“It was just fascinating to watch. I’m glad he got to do it, too, because I hate ‘what ifs.’ What if John Cena had ever turned heel? Oh man, we’ll never know. Well, now we know. Now we know what would have happened. The ‘what ifs’ I like are for the future; I can’t stand them for the past. And that would have been a ‘what if’ that we all would have asked. And I thought he delivered. I thought he took it as far as he could possibly take it. He even took it places I didn’t think he was going to. And he put his heart, his soul, and his passion into it. And it was a risk for him to do that.”

—Paul Heyman

Eric Bischoff Praises WWE’s Expanding Partnership with ESPN

Eric Bischoff recently commented on WWE’s upcoming partnership with ESPN during his 83 Weeks podcast, shining a light on the deal set to take effect in 2026. The multi-year agreement grants ESPN exclusive rights to WWE pay-per-view events, with all content scheduled to stream on ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer platform. Bischoff highlighted the vast reach of WWE’s growth and the significance of ESPN joining WWE’s broadcasting portfolio.

He emphasized the strategic importance of this expansion, praising WWE President Nick Khan’s role:

“Of course, been following it. You know, like everybody else is hearing about it, reading about it through social media and coverage. I think it’s just overwhelming. The pace of WWE’s growth and their reach is just continuing to expand in such an amazing way over such a short period of time. Now if you just step back and you look at the WWE footprint — globally, of course, Netflix. In terms of cable? I mean, ESPN, the reach is just incredible. I mean, Nick Khan is, it might have been one of the best assets WWE ever acquired. Nick Khan is just an amazing individual.”

—Eric Bischoff

Bischoff also addressed how the deal may affect WWE’s fan accessibility and business model, particularly regarding pay-per-view events:

“If indeed the WWE PLEs are going to be available to current ESPN subscribers without additional costs, it’s almost hard to comprehend. Look at the pay-per-view model… It’s absolutely amazing to me, from a business perspective, just the evolution of that massive part of the overall WWE revenue stream.”

Regarding WWE’s broader cultural impact, Bischoff added,

“And what you touched on briefly is reach into the mainstream. We’ve been talking — I’ve been talking at least — about how impressed I am at how mainstream WWE has become over the last several years, and this just pushes it further into the mainstream. And I think the exciting part of it for me as the guy who’s more interested in the business of the wrestling business than I am what goes on inside of the ring. I think this move is not only going to reach more people, but I think it’s for those holdovers, those people in the advertising industry that are still somewhat reluctant to get into the WWE business or to market towards that WWE audience? That s**t’s going to change fast. And I think what you’ll see in addition to, you know, more people having access to the product, more people watching the product. Watch for advertising rates to increase. Watch what happens, read what happens to their advertising revenues when they file their SEC quarterlies. I would imagine revenues are — on the ad side, revenue sponsorship is going to jump significantly. It’s just my guess. Without doing a deep dive, that’s going to be the big advantage in this new strategy.”

—Eric Bischoff

Context and Implications for WWE’s Future

The renewal of Lola Vice’s contract signals WWE’s ongoing commitment to developing fresh talent within its NXT brand as the company prepares for significant changes in its broadcasting strategy. Vice’s retention contributes to the growing roster depth amid WWE’s expansion to new streaming platforms.

Meanwhile, Paul Heyman’s commentary on John Cena’s heel turn underlines a rare and significant narrative shift for one of WWE’s most iconic figures, highlighting both fan engagement and wrestler risk-taking in evolving character arcs.

Looking ahead, the WWE–ESPN partnership reflects a major transformation in wrestling’s media presence as WWE pursues broader mainstream visibility and enhanced revenue streams. This deal is expected to increase the company‘s audience reach dramatically while reshaping how fans access premium wrestling events.