Nikki Cross reached the top of WWE’s women’s division with a character that many fans never expected to see holding the company’s top prize.
Before becoming Nikki A.S.H., Cross was best known for the unpredictable and unhinged persona that had defined much of her WWE career. The Scottish wrestler showed off a different side in 2021, trading her unpredictable persona for a blue superhero outfit and the name Nikki A.S.H. — Almost a Superhero.
Despite the fact that the superhero gimmick was not what fans were used to, it was the Nikki A.S.H. character that led to Cross’s biggest achievement. After winning the Money in the Bank ladder match, Nikki A.S.H. cashed in the contract the following night to win the Raw Women’s Championship.
With her partnership with Alexa Bliss winding down and creative plans for her uncertain, Cross realised she needed to find a new direction. The answer came from one of her lifelong passions: superheroes. The Scottish star wasn’t entering completely unfamiliar territory with her idea. WWE had previously found success with superhero-inspired characters such as The Hurricane and Mighty Molly, two performers Cross had grown up watching and admiring.
Speaking with Chris Van Vliet, Cross confirmed that the character was her idea, adding that she has always been a big superhero fan:
“So that was my brainchild. The Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss tag team, she was kind of doing more stuff with Bray Wyatt. So I knew that was kind of coming to an end, and that was kind of it for me for a while, you know, there was some time where I was, you know, there wasn’t anything for me in the storylines. So I was like, all right, I need something. So the idea of the superhero, I was always the biggest fan of Hurricane Helms, and I was always a huge fan of Mighty Molly, and I loved superheroes.”
Cross confirmed that while she pitched the character, she did not create the costume. Nikki A.S.H. was also never set to have superpowers, unlike other previous wrestling superheroes. Instead, the idea was for her to be an inspirational hero who believed she was capable of taking on anything, while remaining relatable to younger fans.
In Cross’ mind, that made the character accessible to children who could create their own costumes and imagine themselves as superheroes too:
“Don’t get me wrong, I did not make this costume. My girl did it for me, and she’s incredible. But he wanted it a lot more relatable, and so he wanted it to be Nikki almost a superhero because almost is like she’s not quite a superhero, she’s like a superhero in training, but not what they’ve seen before. Because The Hurricane already did that story, so Vince wanted to be a bit more something like little girls could relate to. If they wanted to make themselves a Nicky ASH costume, they could. She knows that she doesn’t have superpowers, but her mindset is that she’s a superhero and can take on the world, and that’s how I approached it.”
The character wasn’t universally embraced by fans, with some viewing Nikki A.S.H. as a comedic departure from the more intense persona Cross had previously established. Cross, however, never viewed the gimmick as a step away from the top of the division.
“It was what I’d built my career towards. I always wanted to be that person for the company. I wanted to be the top girl. And after winning Money in the Bank and after cashing in, leading up to SummerSlam, and I did the triple threat with Charlotte and Rhea, I was so blessed because that time leading up to SummerSlam, I was doing all the press interviews, I was doing all the media interviews, and it was great. It was great preparation. I look at everything like a learning experience. […] Getting to do that, carry out those responsibilities, and I feel like I did myself proud. I did the company proud, and I made my family proud. And to me, that’s the most important thing. As long as I’m making myself proud and my family proud, that’s key.”
The Night Nikki A.S.H. Won The WWE Women’s Championship
Even Cross didn’t know WWE was planning to put the title on her when she arrived at Raw the following night. Not holding onto the briefcase for long, Nikki A.S.H cashed in the contract the next night to win the title. According to Cross, this was as much of a surprise for her as it was to the fans:
“I get there to Raw the next day, I don’t think anything’s happening. There’s nothing in the script. Then all of a sudden, a writer comes up to me and they’re like, ‘Okay, Vince wants to see you in his office.’ I’m like, No! The nugget, the seed starts to form. It’s like, no way they’re going to do a cash-in the next night, no way. Okay, let’s just see how it goes. Let’s just see what happens.”
The main event of Raw saw Charlotte Flair defeat Rhea Ripley. Taking advantage of a fatigued Flair, Nikki A.S.H. stormed to the ring to cash in her contract. Hitting a cross body onto Flair, Nikki A.S.H. pinned The Queen to capture the Raw Women’s Championship. With the fans always being there for her, Nikki celebrated in the crowd as the show went off the air:
“Rhea and Charlotte are having their match, and I’m like, don’t fall. I have never ran so fast in my life, and ran up, did the top rope cross body, 123, and I was Women’s Champion, and I got to celebrate into the crowd, and that’s something I had always wanted to do. So I loved being able just to jump into the crowd because no matter what, we don’t have a show without the fans.
So it was super important to get that moment in. So yeah, I maybe could have stayed in the ring longer, but I was like, no, go be with the people. I’m a woman of the people. So I was super grateful that we got that moment, and then it was there. Then with the next Monday Night Raw, I got to like do the introduction, like welcome to Monday Night Raw. So, being at the top of the mountain and getting to enjoy that moment was incredible.”
Nikki A.S.H. may have been “almost a superhero,” but for one unforgettable night, Nikki Cross was very much at the top of the WWE mountain.
Featured image: WWE
