Former Bellator fighter Valerie Loureda gets new WWE name
Former Bellator MMA fighter Valerie Loureda has received her WWE in-ring name.
On her social media accounts on Tuesday, Loureda announced that she’ll be going by the name “Lola Vice” in WWE. Loureda has also changed her Twitter handle to “lolavicewwe.”
Loureda tweeted: “Lola Vice the first Cuban American woman in @WWE history #WWE #NXT #MIAMIVICE”
After attending WrestleMania and later visiting the WWE Performance Center, Loureda revealed this June that she’s signed a multi-year contract with WWE. She officially joined the WWE Performance Center as part of its group of recruits that were introduced in August.
WWE wrote:
Valerie Loureda is an acclaimed mixed martial artist who previously fought in Bellator, where she compiled a 4-1 record. The 24-year-old Miami, Fla., native has a black belt in Taekwondo and has already made waves in the MMA world for her social media presence. Loureda is also the first Cuban-American to be signed by WWE.
Loureda made her in-ring debut as part of a Halloween battle royal at an NXT house show in October, where she dressed up as Lola Bunny. Loureda then had her first non-battle royal match at a November house show.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.