Damian Priest Says Lola Vice’s NXT Title Win Inspires Him to Work Harder and She Has “Crazy Drive

Damian Priest has spoken warmly about his real-life partner Lola Vice’s NXT Women’s Championship win at Stand & Deliver — and the pride in his voice is matched by his genuine admiration for the work ethic that got her there. Speaking to Gabby AF, Priest reflected on watching Vice achieve what so many said she wasn’t ready for yet, and the message he delivered when it finally happened.

“Obviously like anything else, there are frustrations — ‘What else do I need to do?’ I used to hear it all the time, ‘Just keep doing what you’re doing.’ That’s all you can say to somebody. It’s cool to see that she did do that, and then she achieved it,” Priest said. He also acknowledged how Vice’s ambition has had an unexpected effect on his own drive. “She has this crazy drive that’s wild to see, and very encouraging — it inspires you to do more yourself. No matter what I’ve achieved, I see what she does, and I’m like, ‘Ooh, I need to work a little harder.'”

Damian Priest Told Lola Vice That the Real Work Starts Now After She Became a Double Champion in WWE

Priest framed the championship win not as a destination but as the beginning of a new and more demanding chapter. “I told her, ‘Now the real work starts.’ I said it in front of some of her coaches, and they were like, ‘Oh yeah.'” He also reflected on the broader arc of Vice’s story — a former MMA fighter who completely reinvented herself through her passion for professional wrestling. “She just said it on NXT this past week, ‘I’m no longer a former MMA fighter, I’m a WWE superstar.’ What a perfect sentence, because that is what happened. She fell in love, now she asks me questions and is intrigued by the history of the business. She does her homework, trains like a mad person.” Vice also holds the AAA Mixed Tag Team Championship with Mr. Iguana, making her a double champion across two major promotions at the same time.