Nicola Glenncross (aka NXT’s Nikki Cross) is an eight-year pro that competed all over her native Scotland in the early days of her career. When she first began competing, she went under the name Nikki Storm. In her travels, she developed her craft in promotions in the United Kingdom such as Pro Wrestling EVE and Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW). She was never one to rest on her laurels, so she branched out into competing for Japanese promotions such as Stardom and Joshi Purosresu. As each year passed, she developed more and more. The names of those that have helped her along the way read like a who‘s who: former NXT and WWE Universal champion Finn Balor, former NXT tag team champion Killian Dain and current NXT trainer Robbie Brookside.
Besides traveling all over the world, she competed as part of TNA Impact Wrestling‘s British Boot Camp 2. After receiving a tryout in England during the fall of 2015, Cross was among a group that was signed to WWE developmental deals in 2016. Her first appearance in NXT was in a rather unassuming role as part of a six-woman tag. However, it was only a few months later that she would re-emerge as part of the faction Sanity. Alongside Sawyer Fulton, Alexander Wolfe and leader Eric Young, Cross was the one female in the group and was considered just as dangerous, if not more so, than her male counterparts.
While being part of a faction can often hide certain qualities about a character, in the case of Nikki Cross it gave her even more of a chance to stand out. On top of that, as part of the NXT women’s division, the ever-dangerous Cross took part in fatal four-way and triple threat matches for the NXT women’s championship, challenging then-champion Asuka. Nikki Cross faced Asuka one-on-one for the NXT women’s championship in the last woman standing match that saw her defeated once again.
One of the most remarkable qualities about her character is that there is no quit to her. She has to be essentially knocked unconscious to be defeated. In her short career, she Cross has emerged as a character with so much passion and is considered a threat no matter who she is in the ring with. Whether it as a face or a heel, she remains consistent: she is not someone to mess with and her character strikes fear in not just other members of the women’s division, but even in some of her male counterparts as well. In fact, during a match between Sanity and the Undisputed Era, Nikki Cross had enough of Adam Cole‘s actions outside the ring and proceeded to attack the current NXT North American champion, lunging at him from the apron and attacking him with an array of punches. The crowd in attendance showed their approval for her as she didn’t allow Cole to continue to impose his will without consequence.
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Her character’s crazy antics certainly suggest that she isn’t someone to mess with, and even if after she has been off television for a while, when Nikki Cross does appear the response is always the same. This was evident in the buildup to her recent NXT women’s championship match at NXT Takeover: Chicago II, against current NXT women’s champion Shayna Baszler. Ever since her arrival, Baszler has been like a school yard bully, imposing her will on anyone and everyone in her path. She certainly made that impression on Dakota Kai after injuring her, and then in the weeks after that took place as well. However, when Baszler crossed paths with Cross it was a very different response altogether. It was, in essence, a case of the bully being intimidated. Cross would steal the women’s title belt and parade around the ring, infuriating Baszler. What fans hadn’t anticipated was how much Cross was able to get into the head of Baszler with her mannerisms and rabid nature.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeK0yP6OZbA
Much like an unchained beast, Cross approaches each match with no fear. Despite losing to Baszler at NXT Takeover: Chicago II, her response was the same. As she was being choked out into unconsciousness, she smiled as she went to sleep. This suggests that there really is nothing that fazes her. She will impose punishment upon herself when what her opposition does isn’t enough. If that doesn’t suggest crazy, we really aren’t sure what does. She may never capture the NXT women’s championship, but each time she steps into the ring she is a threat. Her drive and will show that she won’t surrender, something those around her need to be mindful of. What does the future hold for her in NXT? It is likely only a matter of time before she is among the next group of talent called up to the Raw or Smackdown Live brands. Whether or not she will be aligned with her fellow Sanity brethren is anyone’s guess at this point. Wherever she ends, up fans will celebrate her arrival. Both the Raw and Smackdown Live women’s divisions will end up facing a threat they may not be ready for. Fans can see that Nikki is someone to fear and without a doubt is not someone to cross.
