Nicola Glencross (April 21, 1989) is a Scottish female professional wrestler currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) on the Raw brand under the ring name Nikki Cross. Cross is a three-time WWE Women's Tag Team Champion with Alexa Bliss twice and Rhea Ripley once. Before signing with WWE in 2016, she spent much of her early career from 2008 to 2016 on the independent circuit in the United Kingdom and Europe, working widely under the ring name Nikki Storm.
Early life
Before wrestling, Glencross was a cheerleader for the University of Glasgow and also went to dancing school for 13 years and participated in dancing shows, exams and competitions. Throughout high school she also played field hockey, basketball and netball and was also a part of the Athletics Team.
Professional wrestling career
Early career
Nicola Glencross began her training in February 2008. She is also a fully qualified personal trainer based in Glasgow. Glencross has wrestled for Top UK Promotions such as the Scottish Wrestling Alliance, Pro Wrestling EVE, Insane Championship Wrestling and All Star Wrestling.
Glencross made her in-ring debut around the age of 19. She wrestled throughout the United Kingdom promotions, beginning with the Scottish Wrestling Alliance on September 20, 2008 as Nikki Storm at the SWA The Gathering II: A Call To Arms event, teaming with Majik in a mixed tag match won by Ricky Knight & Sweet Saraya. She also wrestled for the Scottish School Of Wrestling where she became the first-ever SSW Diamonds Champion. Storm also wrestled for Pro Wrestling EVE, where she won the Pro Wrestling EVE Championship on three occasions. While wrestling in the World Wide Wrestling League, Storm won the W3L Women's Championship. Storm has travelled internationally to wrestle in the United States for promotions including Absolute Intense Wrestling, Global Force Wrestling, Vicious Outcast Wrestling, SHIMMER Women Athletes, SHINE Wrestling, Carolina Wrestling Federation Mid-Atlantic, Women Superstars Uncensored and Queens of Combat. She also has wrestled in Germany for Westside Xtreme Wrestling and in Japan for World Wonder Ring Stardom and Japanese Women Pro-Wrestling Project. Her last match in the independent promotions was on April 3, 2016 for Insane Championship Wrestling's ICW BarraMania II event in a Loser Leaves Town match won by Sammii Jayne.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2014)
Glencross also joined the TNA Gut Check tryouts held in Nottingham, England during January 2013. Glencross participated in the TNA British Boot Camp 2, as of October 20, 2014, joining fellow UK finalists Kay Lee Ray, El Ligero, Rampage Brown, Kris Travis, Noam Dar and Mark Andrews. The competition was eventually won by Andrews.
World Wrestling Entertainment
NXT (2016-2018)
During April 2016, Glencross signed with the WWE. She debuted in WWE's NXT program on April 22 under her real name, teaming with Mandy Rose in a tag match won by Aliyah & Liv Morgan. She wrestled most of her early matches during 2016 under her real name before debuting on August 27 as Nikki Cross. Around September 2016, Cross, she joined the NXT stable SAniTY. She had her first title match on the November 16th edition of NXT, against Ember Moon and defending NXT Women's Champion Asuka, the match's eventual winner.
Cross's next title match opportunity came the following year in 2017 during the January 12 edition of NXT in a triple threat match won by defending champion Asuka, involving secondary challenger Billie Kay. She later faced Asuka for the NXT Women's title on June 23, in a Last Woman Standing match, which was won by Asuka. On August 9, she was again involved in a triple threat match against Asuka for the Women's title, involving Ember Moon as the second challenger, but both were defeated by Asuka. The same two challengers met Asuka in a rematch during the August 12 edition of NXT but were again defeated. During the September 14 edition of NXT, Cross was involved in a Triple Threat Qualifying match won by Peyton Royce involving Liv Morgan as the third opponent. On the October 4 edition of NXT, Cross won a Battle Royal Qualifying match for the right to challenge for the Women's Championship. However, there has not been a title match scheduled since Asuka vacated the championship back on August 24. On November 18 at NXT TakeOver: WarGames, Cross was involved in a Fatal Four Way Match against Ember Moon, Kairi Sane and Peyton Royce to determine the new NXT Women's Champion however, was unsuccessful in winning the title as Moon emerged the victor.
By March 20, 2018, Cross's next title opportunity arrived in a triple threat match involving Aliyah and the NXT Women's Champion Ember Moon. Neither Cross or Aliyah succeeded in defeating Moon for the title. During the first night of the 2018 WrestleMania Axxess event, Cross entered the NXT Women's Title Invitational, advancing in the first round after eliminating Aliyah. She was later eliminated in the semi finals by Dakota Kai during the third night of WrestleMania Axxes.
During the April 14th edition of NXT, Cross wrestled Dakota Kai, Bianca Belair and Vanessa Borne in a fatal four-way match to determine the new number one contender for the NXT Women's title. The four-way match was won by Kai. By April 21, the Women's Championship had changed hands and was held by Shayna Baszler. Cross was unsuccessful in defeating Baszler for the title on this occasion. Her last NXT match was on May 12, teaming with Dakota Kai in defeating Reina Gonzalez & Shayna Baszler. After the 2018 WWE Superstar Shake-up, Cross's SAnitY team was drafted to Smackdown, leaving her on NXT strictly as a singles wrestler.
Throughout the summer, Cross started a feud with Shayna Baszler over the NXT Women's Championship, which led to a match between the two, 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 the 17 October episode of NXT, a rematch took place, which ended in a no contest, after Aleister Black returned and interrupted it to ask Cross who his attacker is. 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 NXT TakeOver: WarGames. Cross wrestled her final match on the 9 January 2019 episode of NXT, where she lost to Bianca Belair, officially ending the feud between the two as well.
Main roster (2018–present)
On the 6 November 2018 tapings of SmackDown from Manchester, England, Cross faced WWE SmackDown Women's Champion Becky Lynch after she answered the open challenge issued by the latter but was unable to defeat her. A month later, on the December 17th episode of Raw, Cross was announced as one of the six NXT superstars that are about to be moved to the main roster to "shake things up".
The following year during 2019, Bliss formed a tag team with Alexa Bliss. On the 5 August episode of Raw, Bliss and Cross competed in a Tag Team Elimination Fatal Four-Way match, defeating The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka & Kairi Sane), Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville and the Tag Team Champions The IIconics (Billie Kay & Peyton Royce) to win the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship for the first time. This also marked Cross' first WWE championship reign. They won their first title defense during the SummerSlam Kickoff, defeating The IIconics in a rematch. During the August 12 episode of RAW, Cross and Bliss won their second title defense after defeating The Kabuki Warriors.
Personal life
Glencross is qualified in Fitness Instructing and Personal training. She also holds qualifications in advanced nutrition and advanced anatomy and physiology. She is a fully qualified kettle bells, studio cycling and circuits instructor.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- As Nikki Cross
- As Nikki Storm
- Eye of the Storm (Double underhook crossface)
- Hail Storm (Diving headbutt)
- Perfect Storm (Samoan driver)
- Storm Breaker
- Signature moves
- Tornado DDT
- Running Bulldog
- Crossbody
- Tag teams and stables
- Nicknames
- "The Best in the Galaxy"
- "The White Chocolate Cheesecake of Sports Entertainment"
- Entrance music
- "Larger than Life" by Backstreet Boys (Independent circuit)
- "Controlled Chaos" by CFO$ (NXT; October 12, 2016–2017; used as a member of SAnitY)
- "Glasgow Cross" by CFO$ (NXT; June 28, 2017–present)
Championships and accomplishments
- Pro Wrestling EVE Championship (3 times)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI ranked her #32 in the 2014 PWI Top 50 Females
- PWI ranked her #39 in the 2015 PWI Top 50 Females
- PWI ranked her #40 in the 2017 PWI Top 50 Females
- PWI ranked her #24 in the 2018 PWI Top 100 Females
- PWI ranked her #18 in the 2019 PWI Top 100 Females
- PWI ranked her #38 in the 2021 PWI Top 150 Females
- PWI ranked her #109 in the 2022 PWI Top 150 Females
- PWI ranked her #175 in the 2023 PWI Top 250 Females
- World Wide Wrestling League
- W3L Women's Championship (1 time)
- World Wrestling Entertainment
- WWE Raw Women's Championship (1 time)
- WWE Women's Tag Team Championship (3 times) with Alexa Bliss (2) and Rhea Ripley (1)
- WWE 24-7 Championship (3 times)
External links
| 2015 PWI Top 50 Females |
|---|
| Nikki Bella • Paige • Sasha Banks • Santana Garrett • Gail Kim • Charlotte • Naomi • Cherry Bomb • Courtney Rush • Taryn Terrell • Bayley • Brie Bella • Sexy Star • Cheerleader Melissa • Lufisto • Nicole Matthews • Becky Lynch • Kimber Lee • Natalya • Jessicka Havok • Awesome Kong • Candice LeRae • Brooke • Athena • Ivelisse • Jade • Madison Rayne • Leva Bates • Barbi Hayden • Angelina Love • Emma • Saraya Knight • Veda Scott • Velvet Sky • Madison Eagles • Kay Lee Ray • Marti Belle • Kellie Skater • Nikki Storm • Evie • Heidi Lovelace • Tessa Blanchard • Portia Perez • Alicia Fox • Cat Power • Crazy Mary Dobson • Xandra Bale • La Rosa Negra • Malia Hosaka • Vanessa Kraven |
| 2017 PWI Top 50 Females |
|---|
| Asuka • Charlotte Flair • Alexa Bliss • Sasha Banks • Bayley • Io Shirai • Natalya • Sienna • Naomi • Kairi Sane • Mercedes Martinez • Shayna Baszler • Rosemary • LuFisto • Mayu Iwantani • Mia Yim • Allie • Ember Moon • Becky Lynch • Madison Eagles • Nicole Savoy • Nia Jax • Candice LeRae • Toni Storm • Hiroyo Matsumoto • Chelsea Green • Saraya Knight • Shazza McKenzie • Kay Lee Ray • Mickie James • Dakota Kai • Nicole Matthews • Alex Windsor • Deonna Purrazzo • Abbey Laith • Risa Sera • Viper • Carmella • Ruby Riot • Nikki Cross • Vanessa Kraven • Santana Garrett • Tessa Blanchard • Arisa Nakajima • Lady Lory • Shotzi Blackheart • Veda Scott • Alpha Female • Marti Belle • Zoey Skye |
