Nikki Cross
Nicola Glencross is a Scottish professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Nikki Cross, and is a member of The Wyatt Sicks faction.
Glencross began her wrestling career on the independent circuit with the name Nikki Storm, most notably working for Insane Championship Wrestling, Pro-Wrestling: EVE, and Shimmer Women Athletes. In 2016, Glencross signed a contract with WWE, altering her ring name to Nikki Cross. In her first years with the company, she was in the NXT brand as part of the stable Sanity. Her first character gimmick was that of a psychopathic and unhinged woman who would suffer mood swings. In mid-2018, Sanity was drafted to SmackDown without Cross, who stayed in NXT.
Cross was promoted to the main roster in December 2018. In 2019, Cross was drafted to Raw and formed a tag team with Alexa Bliss, winning the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship twice. From June 2021 to October 2022, Glencross' character became a faux-superhero known as Nikki A.S.H.. As Nikki A.S.H., she won the Money in the Bank contract and successfully cashed it in the next day to become Raw Women's Champion. She also won the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship alongside Rhea Ripley. In 2022, she reverted back to the Nikki Cross name and persona.
Early life
Nicola Glencross was born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland. She attended and graduated from the University of Glasgow with a Bachelor of Arts in history, and obtained her Master's degree from the University of Edinburgh, also in history; her Master's dissertation was on the subject of women's wrestling.Professional wrestling career
Early career (2008–2016)
In September 2008, Glencross made her professional wrestling debut with the Scottish Wrestling Alliance. She initially performed under the ring name "Nikki Storm", a name given to her by then-SWA ring announcer Marty Michaels, inspired by the X Men character Storm. In February 2010, she began working on the British independent circuit, and became a mainstay for promotions such as her debuting at the Insane Championship Wrestling, and Pro-Wrestling: EVE, where she held the Pro-Wrestling: EVE Championship three times. In 2013, Storm began touring in Japan with JWP Joshi Puroresu, and made some appearances for World Wonder Ring Stardom until the middle of the summer of 2015.In October 2013, Storm began wrestling for American all-female promotions Shimmer Women Athletes, Shine Wrestling and Women Superstars Uncensored. She has also wrestled for Global Force Wrestling, Absolute Intense Wrestling, World Wide Wrestling League, Queens of Combat, and World Xtreme Wrestling.
Glencross competed in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling 's British Boot Camp 2, which began airing in October 2014, in which she was unsuccessful. During the show, she had a four-way match against Kasey Owens, Kay Lee Ray and Leah Owens, which she was victorious.
WWE
Sanity (2016–2018)
Glencross received a tryout with WWE in London during the autumn of 2015, and in April 2016, she was one of ten signees that had begun training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. She debuted for NXT on 22 April during a live event. During a Facebook live video in August, she was introduced as Nikki Cross. She made her first televised appearance and in-ring debut on 17 August episode of NXT under the name Nikki Glencross, where she competed in a six-woman tag team match along with Carmella and Liv Morgan, defeating Daria Berenato, Mandy Rose, and Alexa Bliss.On 12 October episode of NXT, Nikki Cross returned as part of the debuting heel stable, Sanity, along with Alexander Wolfe, Eric Young, and Sawyer Fulton. Nikki Cross and Young accompanied Fulton and Wolfe for their winning effort against Bobby Roode and Tye Dillinger in the first round of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. One week later, Nikki Cross scored her first televised singles victory over Danielle Kamela, however, the decision was reversed because Nikki Cross continued to attack Kamela after the match.
On 11 January 2017 episode of NXT, Nikki Cross came to the aid of NXT Women's Champion Asuka, who was being attacked by The Iconic Duo, before turning on Asuka and attacking her as well. As a result, Cross, Royce, and Kay were placed in a four-way match at the TakeOver: San Antonio event on 28 January, which Cross failed to win. In May, Cross participated in a number one contender's battle royal for Asuka's NXT Women's Championship, where she, Ruby Riot, and Ember Moon were attacked by Asuka for being the last competitors left in the match and as a result, all four of them were placed into a four-way championship match at TakeOver: Chicago, which was later changed to a three-way match after Ember Moon suffered an injury. At the event, Cross failed to capture the title. In a rematch which was contested in a three-way elimination match once again against both women, Riot was the first eliminated before the match ended in a no contest as Cross and Asuka brawled backstage. This led to a last woman standing match between the two women for the NXT Women's Championship on 28 June episode of NXT, in which Cross was once again defeated.
File:Nikki Cross standing sleeper hold on Aliyah.jpg|thumb|upright|Cross applying a standing sleeper hold on Aliyah in 2018.
On 19 August at TakeOver: Brooklyn III, Cross accompanied and helped Sanity to capture the NXT Tag Team Championship from The Authors of Pain. On 20 September episode of NXT, Sanity helped Drew McIntyre against The Undisputed Era, thus turning them face in the process. In October, Cross earned herself a spot for the fatal four-way match for the vacant NXT Women's Championship at TakeOver: WarGames on 18 November, which was ultimately won by Ember Moon. During the 2018 Superstar Shake-up, her fellow stable partners Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe, and Killian Dain were drafted to SmackDown, leaving Cross on NXT to work again as a singles competitor.
In 2018, Cross began a short winning streak, defeating Lacey Evans and Vanessa Borne. Throughout the summer, Cross started a feud with Shayna Baszler over the NXT Women's Championship, which led to a match between the two at TakeOver: Chicago II, in which Cross was once again unsuccessful and was defeated by technical submission. After a short hiatus, Cross returned in August and she was placed in the Aleister Black attack storyline where she was revealed to be a witness as she was on the roof of the building at the time he was attacked. In September, Cross also started a short feud with Bianca Belair which led to a match between the two that ended in a double count-out. One month later on 17 October episode of NXT, a rematch ended in a no contest after Aleister Black returned and interrupted it to ask Cross who his attacker was. Johnny Gargano was eventually revealed as the attacker and her involvement in the storyline sparked a match between Cross and Gargano's wife Candice LeRae, whom she was able to defeat in a singles match at TakeOver: WarGames.
Teaming with Alexa Bliss (2018–2020)
On 6 November 2018 episode of SmackDown from Manchester, England, Cross made her surprise main roster debut on SmackDown by answering an open challenge from WWE SmackDown Women's Champion Becky Lynch, who defeated her in a non-title match. On 17 December 2018 episode of Raw, Cross was advertised as one of the six NXT wrestlers about to be moved up to the main roster. Cross wrestled her final NXT match on 9 January 2019 episode of NXT, where she lost to Bianca Belair, officially ending the feud between the two as well. On 14 January 2019 episode of Raw, Cross made her Raw debut, teaming with Bayley and Natalya in a winning effort against The Riott Squad. At the Royal Rumble, Cross entered her first Royal Rumble match at number 8, lasting nine minutes before being eliminated by The IIconics. On 4 February episode of Raw, Cross and Alicia Fox were defeated by The Boss 'n' Hug Connection in a match to determine the final Raw entrants in the tag team Elimination Chamber match to determine the inaugural WWE Women's Tag Team Champions at the Elimination Chamber event. On 8 April at Worlds Collide, she took part in a triple threat match for the NXT UK Women's Championship, which was won by defending champion Toni Storm.After not being mentioned during the 2019 WWE Superstar Shake-up, Cross was confirmed to have been drafted to the Raw brand on 8 May taping of Main Event. She began to work with Alexa Bliss and, during the following weeks, they would have matches for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship and the SmackDown Women's Championship. On 5 August 2019 episode of Raw, Bliss and Cross captured the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship, marking Nikki Cross's first championship in WWE. They would defend the title at SummerSlam and at Clash of Champions but lost it at Hell in a Cell to The Kabuki Warriors. Although drafted separately instead of as a team during the 2019 WWE Draft, they remained on Raw, but the team was then traded to SmackDown. At WrestleMania 36, Cross and Bliss won the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship for a second time by defeating The Kabuki Warriors, but they lost it on 5 June 2020 episode of SmackDown to Bayley and Sasha Banks.
On 26 June episode of SmackDown, Cross won a fatal four-way match to earn a SmackDown Women's Championship match against Bayley at The Horror Show at Extreme Rules, where Cross lost the match. On 24 July episode of SmackDown, Cross demanded a rematch for the SmackDown Women's Championship, but Bayley stated that Cross must defeat a worthy adversary in Bliss, setting up a match between Bliss and Cross where the winner would face Bayley for the title on the following week's SmackDown; Cross defeated Bliss to earn a rematch. On 31 July episode of SmackDown, Cross shoved Bliss onto the floor after losing a SmackDown Women's Championship match against Bayley, and Bliss was attacked by "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt. Bliss then aligned herself with The Fiend, and Cross tried to maintain her friendship with her, but Bliss refused and attacked Cross. As part of the 2020 WWE Draft, Cross was drafted to the Raw brand.