Nikki Cross
Nicola Glencross (born 21 April 1989) is a Scottish professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand. Better known by her previous ring name Nikki Cross, she currently performs under the ring name Nikki A.S.H.
Glencross began her wrestling career on the independent circuit under the ring name Nikki Storm, most notably performing for Insane Championship Wrestling, Pro-Wrestling: EVE, Scottish Wrestling Entertainment, and Shimmer Women Athletes. In 2016, Glencross signed a contract with WWE, changing her ring name to Nikki Cross. During her first years with the company, she worked on the NXT brand as part of the Sanity stable, along with Killian Dain, Eric Young, and Alexander Wolfe. Her first character gimmick was that of a psychopathic and unhinged woman, who would have mood swings. In mid-2018, Sanity was drafted to SmackDown without Glencross, who stayed in NXT. She was later promoted to the same brand in November, but did not rejoin Sanity. In 2019, she was drafted to Raw and formed a team with Alexa Bliss with whom she won the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship twice. In June 2021, Glencross changed her gimmick to a super-heroine named Nikki A.S.H. (acronym for Almost a Super Hero). Under this new persona, she won the women’s Money in the Bank contract, which she cashed in on Raw Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair the following night to win the title.
Glencross received a tryout with WWE in London during the autumn of 2015,[13] and in April 2016, she was one of ten signees that had begun training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.[14] She debuted for NXT on 22 April during a live event.[15] During a Facebook live video in August, she was introduced as Nikki Cross.[16] She made her first televised appearance and in-ring debut on the 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.[7]
On the 12 October episode of NXT, Cross returned as part of the debuting heel stable, Sanity, along with Alexander Wolfe, Eric Young, and Sawyer Fulton (who was later replaced by Killian Dain). She 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.[17] One week later, Cross scored her first televised singles victory over Danielle Kamela, however, the decision was reversed when Cross continued to attack Kamela after the match.[18]
On the 11 January 2017 episode of NXT, Cross came to the aid of NXT Women’s Champion Asuka, who was being attacked by The Iconic Duo (Billie Kay and Peyton Royce), before turning on Asuka and attacking her as well.[19] 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.[20] 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,[21] which was later changed to a three-way match after Ember Moon suffered an injury.[22] At the event, Cross failed to capture the title.[23] 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.[24] This led to a last woman standing match (the first-ever in WWE history) between the two women for the NXT Women’s Championship on the 28 June episode of NXT, in which Cross was once again defeated.[25]
On 19 August at TakeOver: Brooklyn III, Cross accompanied and helped Sanity to capture the NXT Tag Team Championship from The Authors of Pain.[26] On the 20 September episode of NXT, Sanity helped Drew McIntyre against The Undisputed Era, thus turning them face in the process.[27] 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,[28][29] which was ultimately won by Ember Moon.[30] 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.[31]
