Nikki Cross Reveals The Story Behind Abby The Witch And Her Connection To Bray Wyatt

BY SACNILK

Nikki Cross has opened up about the difficulty of saying goodbye to her Abby the Witch character following her WWE departure, admitting that the end of her Wyatt Sicks run came as an unexpected development. The Wyatt Sicks debuted in June 2024 as a supernatural faction created to continue the creative legacy of the late Bray Wyatt, who passed away in August 2023. The group was led by Bo Dallas, portraying Uncle Howdy, alongside Nikki Cross (Abby the Witch), Joe Gacy, Dexter Lumis, and Erick Rowan. In a recent sit-down interview with Chris Van Vliet, former WWE Superstar Nikki Cross explained that she became deeply attached to every character she portrayed during her wrestling career, but Abby held a particularly special place in her heart because of the meaning behind the character and its connection to Bray Wyatt. “It was unexpected. It was unexpected. And for every character I've played, whether it be Sanity, whether it be Nikki A.S.H., even Nikki Storm when I said goodbye to her in 2016 before I joined WWE and Abby the Witch, you always feel for me, I always feel attached to the characters. So, it's always difficult to say goodbye.” Cross also reflected on her decade-long WWE run and the relationships she formed during that period, while making it clear that she is looking forward rather than dwelling on the past. “With WWE, I was there for 10 years. I got to travel the world. I got to make amazing friends, make these incredible friendships with people like Sarah Schreiber or with people like Julia and I get to take them forever, you know. With WWE, I was there for 10 years. So, it's always hard to say goodbye to such a substantial, significant chapter in your life. And that being said, I'm so excited for my next chapter and I'm so excited for what's next for myself.”

BY SACNILK

Nikki Cross has revealed how she developed the backstory for Abby the Witch, explaining that she wanted to honor Bray Wyatt's original vision while still putting her own creative stamp on the character. Cross said Abby was originally Bray Wyatt's creation, which meant she felt a responsibility to treat the character with particular care. “So, Abby the Witch, you know, she was Bray Wyatt's creation. She was Bray Wyatt's. You know that there was the character of Abby was already kind of an image in the WWE audience's mind. So for me I had to take, okay, this was Bray's brainchild. So, how do I take that? And how do I, you know, pay my respects to that? Pay homage to that, but also make it my own and do something that I wanted Bray to be proud of and I wanted his family to be proud of.” Cross revealed that she combined elements of the character with parts of her own history and the earlier Nikki Cross persona. “The backstory I came up with was, you know, that little girl in Glasgow, Scotland, that didn't always fit in and she was always wanting to fit in. And then I took a little bit of what I had explored with the Sanity Nikki Cross character and kind of tried to merge them.” For Cross, Abby was more than simply an on-screen persona. She said the mask itself eventually became something she felt emotionally attached to, describing it as almost a source of comfort. “I was so protective of Abby. And I would always carry the mask. The mask ended up becoming almost like a comfort to me, like a comfort. Like I would pretend almost like it was my Chihuahua who I was stroking, but it would be the Abby mask and I would always be holding or whether I was valeting the live events or at the television. And she became so much more than a prop to me. This was the girl that could get me through anything.” Cross added that she wanted to ensure the character respected Wyatt's legacy while also becoming something uniquely her own.

BY SACNILK

In a recent sit-down interview with Chris Van Vliet, former WWE Superstar Nikki Cross revealed that one of her most memorable on-screen personas — Nikki A.S.H., short for "Almost a Superhero" — wasn't handed to her by WWE's creative team. It was her own idea, and she took it straight to the top. Cross explained that the concept grew out of a period when she had little going on in WWE storylines. Her tag team with Alexa Bliss was winding down as Bliss became more involved with Bray Wyatt-related stories, leaving Cross searching for her next chapter. Drawing on her lifelong love of superheroes — she cited the 1990s X-Men cartoon, Rogue, and Storm as major influences — she noticed WWE hadn't had a female superhero-style character since Hurricane Helms and Mighty Molly. She saw an opening and decided to build a pitch around it. Cross didn't just show up with an idea — she put together a full presentation. She commissioned a Scottish artist to design mock-up artwork of the character, complete with a blue-and-gold X-Men-inspired color scheme, a cape, a mask, and a lightning bolt nodding to her independent-circuit persona, Nikki Storm. She even researched box office numbers from major superhero films like Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel to support her case that the concept could be commercially successful. With time running short before Raw, she waited outside Vince McMahon's office for several hours to deliver what she described as an elevator pitch — a quick case for why the character would work and make WWE money. Weeks passed with no word. Then, on Mother's Day, McMahon texted her his verdict, calling the idea "genius" and instructing the creative team to move forward with it. McMahon did put his own stamp on the character, though. He steered it away from Cross's more elaborate original vision — closer to Captain Marvel — toward something simpler and more relatable, in the mold of early Spider-Man. The result was "Nikki Almost a Superhero": a character who isn't a true superhero, but believes she is one anyway. The character resonated. Cross went on to win Money in the Bank as Nikki A.S.H. and cashed in the very next night to become Raw Women's Champion — a milestone she has called the product of years of preparation meeting the right timing. She also credited a specific piece of advice from Hurricane Helms, whom she calls "papa," for shaping the character's execution: no matter what happened in a match, the mask could never come off, since a superhero losing their mask on live television would undercut the entire gimmick. That guidance led to several redesigns of the mask before the team landed on one secure enough for in-ring competition. Cross recently left WWE after a decade with the company and has since returned to the independent scene under her original ring name, Nikki Storm, following her and her husband's acquisition of the UK promotion Progress Wrestling.

BY SACNILK

Not every instance of wrestlers collaborating in the WWE ring constitutes their initial encounter, given that the majority of main roster talents have extensive experience as independent wrestlers, having grappled with numerous opponents outside the realm of WWE or even in NXT prior to ascending to the main stage. ## In the case of Nikki Cross, she is scheduled to face off against Tegan Nox once again, marking the first occasion in a decade that they will cross paths, this time within the confines of WWE. ## Cross's most recent bout occurred during the May 8th edition of Raw, wherein she endured defeat against the formidable Zoey Stark. Subsequently, Cross partook in a backstage segment alongside Stark and Candice LeRae in the most recent episode of Raw. ## As for Nox, her most recent televised match transpired when she and Emma suffered a loss to Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez, the reigning Women's Tag Team Champions, on an episode of SmackDown. ## Cross took to Twitter to divulge the personal significance underlying this impending encounter and to fervently build anticipation for the main event showdown slated to air today on Hulu. ## To stay updated with all the latest combat sports news, add Sacnilk.com to your Google News feeds and follow us on Twitter.

BY SACNILK

It should be noted that four main roster WWE stars appeared on tonight's episode of NXT 2.0 on the USA Network. ## During the show, the NXT Women's Tag Team Champions Kayden Carter and Katana Chance gave an in-ring promo but they were interrupted by Doudrop and Nikki A.S.H. ## They were there to issue a challenge for World's Collide. The match has been confirmed and will take place at Sunday’s NXT Worlds Collide PLE. ## The event will take place on September 4, 2022, at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. It will be the first Worlds Collide event since 2020 and also the final event for NXT UK, which will be relaunched as NXT Europe in 2023. ## IS THIS HAPPENING?!?!@WWENikkiASH and @DoudropWWE have their sights set on the #WWENXT Women's Tag Team Titles! #NXTWorldsCollide @Katana_WWE @wwekayden pic.twitter.com/1tFwa5aHpY— WWE (@WWE) August 31, 2022 ## To stay updated with all the latest combat sports news, add Sacnilk.com to your Google News feeds and follow us on Twitter.

BY SACNILK

Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, Doudrop, Nikki A.S.H. and Alexa Bliss battled inside the career-altering Elimination Chamber for the right to challenge the Raw Women’s Champion at WrestleMania. ## Bianca Belair reaped the rewards of winning Monday Night Raw’s Gauntlet Match, entering the fray last to pick apart what was left of the exhausted field and win the Elimination Chamber Match in her first-ever appearance. ## The event took place on February 19, 2022, at the Jeddah Super Dome in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and streamed live on February 19, 2022, at 12 PM EST/11 PM Central/9 AM PST. ## Liv Morgan Vs. Rhea Ripley Vs. Bianca Belair Vs. Doudrop Vs. Nikki A.S.H. Vs. Alexa Bliss Full Match ## Former WWE SmackDown Women's Champion Bianca Belair is out first, she is followed by Doudrop up next. Both are put through the pods.## Rhea Ripley is up next, she is warming up inside the pod, the music hits as Nikki ASH comes out up next. Liv Morgan follows up next and Alexa Bliss is the final entrance.## We are just informed that Nikki ASH and Liv Morgan are going to start things off...Nikki is able to steal the opening spot, she beats Morgan back and blue. Nikki sends Liv into the ropes and Liv goes out of the ring. Nikki tries to send Liv into the chamber but Liv blocks it. Nikki does the same and Nikki sends Liv to the platform. Liv sends Nikki into one of the pods.## Nikki Irish hits Liv into the chamber. Liv is sent into the ring post and then Nikki gets a near fall.## The next entrant is Doudrop. ## Nikki looks happy and she tells Doudrop to work together, but Doudrop with a head butt to Nikki. Doudrop runs Nikki into the chamber. Doudrop sends Nikki into the chamber. Doudrop grabs Liv off the ropes and runs Liv into the chamber and drops her on the platform. Doudrop kicks Nikki and hits a back senton on Liv. ## Doudrop chokes Liv in the chamber. Nikki moves out of the way and Doudrop hits the ring post. ## We see, The next entrant is Rhea Ripley. Rhea follows and sends Nikki’s head into the chamber and Nikki falls onto Doudrop and Liv. Rhea with Riptide to Nikki for the three counts. ## --Nikki A.S.H. Eliminated ## The next entrant is Alexa Bliss. ## Rhea goes for a belly-to-back superplex but Doudrop pushes Rhea off. Liv with a forearm to Doudrop and Liv with a sunset flip powerbomb for the three counts. ## --Doudrop Eliminated ## Bianca Belair is up next and she is the final. ## Bianca hits with a spinebuster to Bliss followed by a handspring Moonsault to the back. Rhea grabs Alexa and Bianca grabs Liv and they have a delayed vertical suplex contest and it looks like it was a tie. Rhea slaps Bianca. ## --Liv Morgan is eliminated by Alexa Bliss ## We are down to three now, Bianca Belair pins Rhea Ripley with the KOD! ## We're down to Belair and Alexa Bliss! ## Alexa goes for a DDT but Bianca rolls through. Alexa gets her knees up on the handspring Moonsault. Alexa with a rollup for a near fall. Alexa with another near fall. Alexa with a punch and Bianca punches back. Bianca gets Alexa up for KOD for the three counts. ## Liv Morgan Vs. Rhea Ripley Vs. Bianca Belair Vs. Doudrop Vs. Nikki A.S.H. Vs. Alexa Bliss Full Match Winner ## Winner: Bianca Belair won by last eliminating Liv Morgan ## To stay updated with all the latest combat sports news, add Sacnilk.com to your Google News feeds and follow us on Twitter.