5 Things You Didn't Know About Nikki Cross

Last night's SmackDown Live saw Becky Lynch came up against the unknown and unpredictable when SAnitY seemingly introduced the newest member of the SmackDown Live roster by reuniting with Nikki Cross - a staple of the faction in their NXT days.

When Young, Dain and Wolfe were drafted to the blue brand in the Superstar Shake-up, though, they arrived with one notable omission - Nikki Cross.

Cross was reportedly kept in NXT so as to not completely deplete a women's roster that's lost so much talent in recent years, but it looks like we may finally have a complete SAnitY on WWE's main roster.

Cross is rarely out of character, so you may have to search pretty hard to find out more about one Nicola Glencross, but we have five facts you may not know about WWE's wildcard, so it's time to get everyone caught up!

Nikki Cross s rarely out of character

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#5 She was formerly Nikki Storm - The Best In The Galaxy

Nikki Storm was a huge indie star!

Well, before WWE birthed Nikki Cross, she had a slightly different persona and a moniker. Nikki Storm was The Best In The Galaxy, taking the world by...well, storm!

Nikki would debut in NXT wearing her "Best In The Galaxy" attire, too, but under her real name of Nikki Glencross. Glencross began training at Scottish Wrestling Alliance in 2008 when she also debuted for the promotion as Nikki Storm. Storm would then go on to make a name for herself on the British indies before becoming a staple of Insane Championship Wrestling after her debut in 2010.

Storm also became a prominent figure in Pro-Wrestling: EVE, where she held the Pro-Wrestling: EVE Championship three times. It wouldn't stop at the UK, though, as Storm would made an instant impact in 2013 when she toured Japan, appearing for JWP Joshi Puroresu, before wrestling for World Wonder Ring Stardom in Summer 2015.

In 2013, Storm also ventured across the pond in the other direction and wrestled for Shimmer Women Athletes, Shine Wrestling and Women Superstars Uncensored among others.

#4 She was trained by a stablemate

Cross was trained by a member of SAnitY

Another little-known fact about Nikki Cross is that she was, in fact, trained by a member of the faction SAnitY.

Reportedly, Cross searched on Google for "Scottish Wrestling School", where she found Source Wrestling School. One trainer who was there at the time was Big Damo - now known as Killian Dain.

Dain trained Cross

In 2016, Dain told the Miami Herald of the attributes that made Cross perfect to teach.

She was fiery, determined, and if we told her she couldn’t do something, then she would go and do it 100 times over.

Dain went on to speak of Nikki's determination to be as good as the male wrestlers in the school.

This was at a time when women’s wrestlers were often treated with kid gloves at wrestling schools, but Nikki absolutely refused to be treated differently to her male counterparts and demanded the guys hit her as hard as they hit each other.

It wasn't all fun and games for Cross, but she had the makings of a star from the get-go.

She was crazily resilient. for example, she broke three bones in her hand and was back to training the next day. i struggle to think if she ever missed a training session.

#3 She competed in Impact Wrestling

Nikki Cross and Al Snow in TNA

Back when Impact Wrestling went by the moniker of Total Nonstop Action, Nikki Cross competed in British Bootcamp 2 in 2014. The unique show was a huge hit for Challenge TV in the UK.

Storm competed alongside current WWE stars such as Mark Andrews, Noam Dar, El Ligero, Dave Mastiff - as well as Grado, Viper and Kay Lee Ray. The mentors on the show were Al Snow, Gail Kim and Samoa Joe, and the first series was won by Rockstar Spud, now known as WWE's Drake Maverick.

While Nikki Cross was unsuccessful in the show, she definitely made an impression with a scathing promo on Gail Kim. The show was eventually won by Mark Andrews, who pipped Rampage Brown and Kay Lee Ray in the final three.

You can watch Nikki's promo on Gail Kim below.

#2 She's very highly educated

Nikki Cross, like several WWE Superstars, isn't just an incredible physical athlete - she also possesses an incredible level of intelligence. Cross holds not only a Bachelor's degree, but also a Master's degree in History, which she earned at The University of Glasgow - a wonderfully prestigious university located in her hometown, and rated as one of the top 100 in the world.

Cross has an incredible fitness background

Not only this, but Cross is also a qualified fitness instructor, nutritionist and personal trainer, as well as a cross-sports athlete in her younger days.

Cross played basketball, field hockey, and netball, and also boasts a background of being both a cheerleader and dancer before making the transition to the squared circle and pushing herself to the top of the wrestling game.

Cross' current character shows just how versatile she is when you take all of this into account, and the confidence in which she portrays the character is even more impressive.

Cross is incredibly sporty

#1 She was a Rosebud

There have been many a Rosebud!

Before signing with WWE, Nikki Cross - like many - had appeared in WWE, but not in a wrestling role. Cross appeared as one of Adam Rose’s 'Rosebuds' at a Live event when RAW and SmackDown aired live from the ECHO Arena in Liverpool in November 2014. In fact, there's even a listing on IMDB for Cross as a Rosebud.

The 5'1 WWE Superstar appeared as a cavewoman for the tour. She's not in bad company, though, as other Rosebuds have included Braun Strowman, Elias, Alexa Bliss and Becky Lynch.

While the footage is just about impossible to find, you can briefly spot Cross in the RAW Fallout video posted below. Adam Rose may be long gone from WWE, but the legacy of the Rosebud lives on.

What would you like to see Nikki Cross do on the main roster? Let us know in the comments.