{"id":68132,"date":"2020-05-09T14:16:41","date_gmt":"2020-05-09T18:16:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprowrestling.com\/?p=68132"},"modified":"2020-05-09T14:16:41","modified_gmt":"2020-05-09T18:16:41","slug":"before-they-were-famous-nikki-cross","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2020\/05\/09\/before-they-were-famous-nikki-cross\/","title":{"rendered":"Before They Were Famous: Nikki Cross"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>All wrestlers have to start somewhere on the path to making their dreams a reality, whether it be a wrestling school, church basement, bingo hall, etc. From there, those wrestlers work their way up to the pinnacle of their dreams. For many, that\u2019s a career in <strong>WWE<\/strong>. But sometimes the journey is just as important as the destination. In LWOPW\u2019s newest feature, \u201cBefore They Were Famous,\u201d we take a look at the pre-WWE careers of some of the company\u2019s top current stars, following along on their road to superstardom. In this edition, we dive into the early days of WWE\u2019s \u201cTwisted Sister,\u201d <strong>Nikki Cross<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>If there is any WWE Superstar that takes brutality and asks for seconds, it would be Nikki Cross. Hailing from Glasgow, Scotland, she became known as one of the most unhinged, dangerous competitors in the company. She stood across the ring from everyone from <strong>Asuka<\/strong> to <strong>Shayna Bazler<\/strong> to <strong>Becky Lynch<\/strong>, spitting in the face of fear in the process. Those that have followed Cross\u2019 career will attest that her path to becoming this powder keg of punishment is an interesting one.<\/p>\n<p>Nikki Cross became a professional wrestling fan during her youth. According to an interview with Inside the Ropes, she watched <strong><em>Fully Loaded 2000<\/em><\/strong> with her sister. She became a fan within minutes, which influenced her to pursue it later in life. Cross began her professional wrestling career under the name of <strong>Nikki Storm<\/strong>. She trained at the <strong>Scottish Wrestling Alliance<\/strong>, based in Bellshill. Storm wrestled her first match for the promotion in September of 2008, when she teamed with <strong>Majik<\/strong> in a losing effort to <strong>Ricky Knight<\/strong> and <strong>Sweet Saraya<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"SWA presents: Nikki Storm vs Erin Angel!\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/NsDGZja3-y4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>In 2009, Storm continued to wrestle throughout various promotions in the United Kingdom. Among these were <strong>NXT Pro Wrestling<\/strong> \u2013 no relation to WWE\u2019s black-and-gold brand \u2013 <strong>Triple X Wrestling<\/strong>. In September, Storm competed for her first title, the <strong>World Wide Wrestling League<\/strong> Women\u2019s Championship. Though she lost to titleholder <strong>Sara-Marie Taylor<\/strong>, gold wouldn\u2019t elude Cross for long.<\/p>\n<p>In March of 2010, Storm appeared for <strong>Scottish School of Wrestling<\/strong>\u2019s <strong><em>Muscle and Mayhem<\/em><\/strong> event. During the event in question, she won a tournament to be crowned the inaugural SSW Diamonds Champion. The following October, Storm debuted for <strong>Pro-Wrestling: EVE<\/strong>, where she worked with the likes of <strong>Shanna<\/strong> and <strong>Britani Knight<\/strong>, the daughter of Saraya; Britani would on to achieve fame in WWE as <strong>Paige<\/strong>. It was also in October that Storm finally won the W3L Women\u2019s Championship, which she held the remainder of the year.<\/p>\n<p>Storm returned to EVE in April of 2011 to compete in the EVE Championship tournament. Storm performed valiantly, picking up victories over names including <strong>Rhia O\u2019Reilly<\/strong> and <strong>The Alpha Female<\/strong>, <strong>Jazzy Gabert<\/strong>. However, Storm eventually lost to Britani Knight in the finals. Storm\u2019s work throughout the UK continued, including an additional stint in EVE in October.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"SWA presents: Nikki Storm vs Kirsty Love\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qYCe47_Jebs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Once again, Storm wrestled for EVE, this time in the <strong><em>Queen of the Ring<\/em><\/strong> tournament in February of 2012. This would prove more successful than the EVE Championship Tournament the year prior, as Storm ultimately defeated future <strong>NXT UK<\/strong> Women\u2019s Champion <strong>Kay Lee Ray<\/strong> in the finals. From there, Storm continued to build momentum in the promotion. She ultimately defeated The Alpha Female, at <strong><em>Wrestle-Fever<\/em><\/strong> in November, for her first EVE Championship. Storm would immediately lose the title to <strong>Emi Sakura<\/strong> the same night.<\/p>\n<p>It didn\u2019t take long for Storm to avenge the aforementioned loss. In February of 2013, at <strong><em>No Man\u2019s Land 2<\/em><\/strong>, she defeated Sakura for her second EVE Championship. The following April, Storm toured Japan for the first time with <strong>Japanese Women Pro-Wrestling Project<\/strong>. During this tour, Storm tested her mettle against Sakura, <strong>Command Bolshoi<\/strong>, and <strong>Hanako Nakamori<\/strong>, just to name a few. In the fall, Storm made her way to the United States. In the months that followed, she appeared for independent women\u2019s promotions <strong>SHINE<\/strong>, <strong>Women Superstars Uncensored<\/strong>, and <strong>SHIMMER<\/strong>. This brought more eyes to Storm\u2019s work, which would prove advantageous in the years that followed.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"FREE MATCH - Nikki Cross v Rockstar Spud\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/MEBHju8C-BU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>As Storm\u2019s star continued to rise in the United Kingdom and abroad, so did her list of promotions where she appeared. From <strong>Absolute Intense Wrestling<\/strong> in March of 2014 to <strong>Fierce Females<\/strong> in May that same year, Storm became more and more prominent in the UK scene. She also competed in <em><strong>British Boot Camp 2<\/strong><\/em>, a reality TV show by <strong>Total Nonstop Action Wrestling<\/strong> that aired in October. She competed against future well-known UK stars, including <strong>Grado<\/strong>, <strong>Dave Mastiff<\/strong>, and eventual winner, <strong>Mark Andrews<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>In May of 2015, Storm returned to Japan for a tour with <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprowrestling.com\/2020\/04\/06\/must-watch-matches-stardom-2019\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>World Wonder Ring Stardom<\/strong><\/a>. She worked with such names as <strong>Mayu Iwatani<\/strong> and <strong>Kairi Hojo<\/strong>, the latter perhaps better known as <strong>Kairi Sane<\/strong> in WWE. Additionally, Storm joined the promotion\u2019s nefarious stable, <strong>Oedo Tai<\/strong>. She regularly teamed with <strong>Star Fire<\/strong>, <strong>Hudson Envy<\/strong> and <strong>Kris Wolf<\/strong>, and even engaged <strong>Io Shirai<\/strong> in title contention. Back in the United Kingdom, Storm competed in an <strong>Insane Championship Wrestling<\/strong> Women\u2019s Championship tournament; this was ultimately won by <strong>Viper<\/strong>, the future <strong>Piper Niven<\/strong> of WWE. 2015 was also notable in that Storm received a tryout with World Wrestling Entertainment. The following year, she put pen to paper.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_68130\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-68130\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-68130\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprowrestling.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2020\/05\/Nikki-Cross-1.jpg\" alt=\"Nikki Cross\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2020\/05\/Nikki-Cross-1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2020\/05\/Nikki-Cross-1-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-68130\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo \/ World Wrestling Entertainment<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In April of 2016, the new signee began working <strong>NXT<\/strong> live dates under her real name, <strong>Nicola Glencross<\/strong>. She made her TV debut in the summer. Glencross teamed with <strong>Carmella<\/strong> and <strong>Liv Morgan<\/strong> to defeat the trio of future tag team partner <strong>Alexa Bliss<\/strong>, <strong>Mandy Rose<\/strong>, and <strong>Daria Berenato<\/strong>; the latter would be renamed <strong>Sonya Deville<\/strong> the following year. By the fall, Glencross developed a mean streak, courtesy of <strong>Sanity<\/strong>. Now named Nikki Cross, she aligned herself with <strong>Killian Dain<\/strong>, <strong>Alexander Wolfe<\/strong>, and <strong>Eric Young<\/strong>, the group running roughshod on NXT.<\/p>\n<p>While the men of Sanity focused on tag team action, Cross found herself involved in the NXT Women\u2019s Championship scene. Though she would never win the title in question, she held her own against such names as <strong>Ruby Riott<\/strong>, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprowrestling.com\/2020\/04\/14\/before-they-were-famous-asuka\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Asuka<\/a>, and Baszler. In fact, it almost seemed like her focus was not on winning gold. Instead, her priority appeared to be administering as much pain as possible. By January of 2019, Cross left NXT behind in favor of the bright lights of the main roster.<\/p>\n<p>Nikki Cross debuted on the main roster in a major way, appearing in the second women\u2019s <strong><em>Royal Rumble<\/em><\/strong> match. She floated around until she aligned herself with Bliss in May. Though this initially appeared to be a mismatch, they went on to become a solid team. This led to Cross and Bliss upsetting <strong>The IIconics<\/strong>, <strong>Billie Kay<\/strong> and <strong>Peyton Royce<\/strong>, for the WWE Women\u2019s Tag Team Championship in August. Though they lost the straps to <strong>The Kabuki Warriors<\/strong> at <strong><em>Hell in a Cell<\/em><\/strong> in October, Bliss and Cross would reclaim them at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wwe.com\/shows\/wrestlemania\/wrestlemania-36\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong><em>WrestleMania 36<\/em><\/strong><\/a> the following year.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_68129\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-68129\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-68129\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprowrestling.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2020\/05\/Nikki-Cross-2.jpg\" alt=\"Alexa Bliss Nikki Cross\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2020\/05\/Nikki-Cross-2.jpg 600w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2020\/05\/Nikki-Cross-2-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-68129\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo \/ World Wrestling Entertainment<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The character progression of Nikki Cross in WWE has been nothing short of fascinating. Though she initially gained fame as the dark-haired loose cannon of the women\u2019s division, her attitude has since subdued and became more fun-loving. This isn\u2019t to say that she isn\u2019t any less of a formidable opponent. Whether in singles competition or the women\u2019s tag team division where she currently specializes, she isn&#8217;t to be taken lightly. Though her union with Bliss shows no signs of faltering, it\u2019s safe to say that she\u2019s poised for success no matter where the road takes her.<\/p>\n<p><em>Stay tuned to the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprowrestling.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/a> for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>All wrestlers have to start somewhere on the path to making their dreams a reality, whether it be a wrestling school, church basement, bingo hall, etc. From there, those wrestlers work their way up to the pinnacle of their dreams. For many, that\u2019s a career in WWE. But sometimes the journey is just as important [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3354,"featured_media":68131,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,2192,5272,318,319,317,323,4,5,3],"tags":[5034,762,263,116,673,308,4376,4311,47],"class_list":["post-68132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-wrestling","category-pro-wrestling-eve","category-shimmer","category-shine","category-women","category-world-wonder-ring-stardom","category-wwe","category-nxt","category-wwe-universe","tag-jwp","tag-nikki-cross","tag-nikki-storm","tag-nxt","tag-shimmer","tag-shine","tag-world-wonder-ring-stardom","tag-wsu","tag-wwe"],"modified_by":"Robbie Sutter","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68132","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3354"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68132"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68132\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68131"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}