Nikki Cross Bio
Nicola Glencross, born on 21 April 1989 in Glasgow, Scotland, is a Scottish professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Nikki Cross. She is a former one-time Raw Women’s Champion, a three-time WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion, and an eleven-time and final WWE 24/7 Champion. Known for her intense and unpredictable persona, Cross has built a reputation as one of the most energetic performers in modern women’s wrestling.
Glencross began her career on the independent circuit in 2008 under the name Nikki Storm before signing with WWE in 2016. She has competed across multiple brands and factions, including Sanity in NXT, a celebrated tag team run with Alexa Bliss on the main roster, and the Wyatt Sicks stable on SmackDown. She is married to fellow professional wrestler Killian Dain, formerly known on the independent circuit as Big Damo.
Early Life and Background
Nicola Glencross was born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland, where she developed an early interest in performance and athletics. She attended the University of Glasgow and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. Her academic background gave her a strong analytical perspective that would later influence her approach to storytelling inside the wrestling ring.
Glencross later pursued postgraduate studies at the University of Edinburgh, where she earned a Master’s degree in history. Her Master’s dissertation focused on the subject of women’s wrestling, reflecting her growing passion for the industry. She completed her Master’s degree in 2023, balancing her academic pursuits with her demanding WWE schedule.
Path to Professional Wrestling
Glencross made her professional wrestling debut in September 2008 with the Scottish Wrestling Alliance under the ring name Nikki Storm. The name was suggested by then-SWA ring announcer Marty Michaels and was inspired by the X-Men character Storm. She quickly established herself on the British independent circuit, becoming a mainstay for promotions such as Insane Championship Wrestling and Pro-Wrestling: EVE.
In February 2010, Storm expanded her reach across the British independent scene, and in 2013, she began touring in Japan with promotions including JWP Joshi Puroresu and World Wonder Ring Stardom. Later that year, she crossed the Atlantic to wrestle for American all-female promotions such as Shimmer Women Athletes, Shine Wrestling, and Women Superstars Uncensored. She also competed in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling’s British Boot Camp 2 in 2014, further raising her profile.
Nikki Cross Career
Early Career (2008–2016)
During her independent career, Nikki Storm captured the Pro-Wrestling: EVE Championship three times and competed across promotions including Global Force Wrestling, Absolute Intense Wrestling, World Wide Wrestling League, Queens of Combat, and World Xtreme Wrestling. Her work ethic and distinctive persona earned her a tryout with WWE in London during the autumn of 2015.
In April 2016, Glencross was one of ten signees to begin training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Her transition from the independent circuit to WWE marked the beginning of a new chapter, as she adopted the shortened ring name Nikki Cross and prepared for the company’s developmental system.
NXT Breakthrough (2016–2018)
Cross debuted for NXT on 22 April 2016 during a live event and made her first televised appearance on 17 August 2016 in a six-woman tag team match. In October 2016, she aligned with Alexander Wolfe, Eric Young, and Sawyer Fulton to form the heel stable Sanity. The group quickly became a featured act on the brand, with Cross serving as its chaotic and unpredictable leader.
At TakeOver: Brooklyn III on 19 August 2017, Cross accompanied Sanity as the faction captured the NXT Tag Team Championship from The Authors of Pain. She competed for the NXT Women’s Championship on multiple occasions, including a historic last woman standing match against Asuka on 28 June 2017. During the 2018 Superstar Shake-up, her Sanity teammates were drafted to SmackDown, while Cross remained in NXT as a singles competitor and continued chasing the NXT Women’s Championship.
Main Roster Era (2018–Present)
Cross made her surprise main roster debut on the 6 November 2018 episode of SmackDown, answering an open challenge from Becky Lynch. By January 2019, she had been moved to Raw and soon began teaming with Alexa Bliss. On 5 August 2019, the duo captured the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship, marking Cross’s first title in WWE.
Cross and Bliss defended the tag titles at SummerSlam and Clash of Champions before losing them at Hell in a Cell. They won the titles a second time at WrestleMania 36 by defeating Asuka and Kairi Sane, though they lost the championship again in June 2020. After the team split, Cross was drafted back to Raw and in June 2021 debuted a new gimmick as Nikki A.S.H., standing for Almost a Super Hero.
Style and Strengths
Nikki Cross is known for her frenetic, high-energy style and willingness to absorb punishment to keep matches moving. Her strengths include an unhinged character work, a varied move set built around strikes and innovative maneuvers, and the ability to adapt her persona from comedic superhero to a darker, more menacing presence inside the ring.
Notable Events and Milestones
Cross won the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match in 2021 and successfully cashed in the contract the following night on Raw to defeat Charlotte Flair for the Raw Women’s Championship. She also reunited with Bliss to win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship three times and later captured the WWE 24/7 Championship on multiple occasions, ultimately becoming its final titleholder.
Nikki Cross Career Wins
Across her career, Nikki Cross has captured major championships in WWE along with notable titles on the independent circuit. Her WWE resume includes one Raw Women’s Championship reign, three WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship reigns, and a record-setting run with the WWE 24/7 Championship.
WWE Highlights
Cross first tasted WWE gold on 5 August 2019 alongside Alexa Bliss, winning the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship. The pair won the titles a second time at WrestleMania 36, and Cross secured her third tag championship on 20 September 2021 with Rhea Ripley. In 2021, she also won the Money in the Bank contract and cashed it in to become Raw Women’s Champion.
Other Wins and Performances
On the independent circuit, Nikki Storm won the Pro-Wrestling: EVE Championship three times and competed across promotions in the United Kingdom, Japan, and the United States. She also made history as a finalist in TNA’s British Boot Camp 2 and competed for championships in multiple American and Japanese promotions during her early career.
Nikki Cross Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Nicola Glencross was born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland, and her family supported her academic and athletic development from a young age. Her educational path through the University of Glasgow and the University of Edinburgh reflected a household that valued scholarly achievement alongside personal ambition.
Personal Life
In 2016, Glencross married her long-time boyfriend, Northern Irish professional wrestler Damian Mackle, best known on the independent circuit as Big Damo and in WWE as Killian Dain. The two worked together as part of the Sanity stable in NXT. Glencross balances her wrestling career with her academic accomplishments, having completed her Master’s degree in history from the University of Edinburgh in 2023.
2025 Season Performance
Nikki Cross is currently performing on the SmackDown brand as part of The Wyatt Sicks faction, where she represents the character Abby the Witch. After a long absence from television caused by an injury to faction leader Bo Dallas, the group returned on the 23 May 2025 episode of SmackDown with a surprise attack on Street Profits, Fraxiom, and DIY, reestablishing the faction as a dominant force on the brand.
Throughout 2025, Cross has continued to embrace the dark and unhinged persona that defined her earlier WWE run. Her role within The Wyatt Sicks places her at the center of one of SmackDown’s most mysterious storylines, and her in-ring performances suggest a renewed creative direction for the remainder of the year.
With the Wyatt Sicks stable now fully active on SmackDown, Cross appears positioned for a significant push in 2025. Her combination of character depth, ring experience, and championship pedigree makes her a valuable centerpiece for the faction’s long-term storytelling on the brand.
