Former WWE star Nikki Cross has opened up about two of the most significant chapters of her career, revealing the frustration surrounding the Wyatt Sicks while also explaining how a determined pitch directly to Vince McMahon helped transform her into Nikki A.S.H. and eventually a world champion.

Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Cross reflected on the Wyatt Sicks’ run in WWE and suggested the faction’s inability to maintain momentum was largely caused by circumstances outside the control of its members.

The Wyatt Sicks officially arrived in June 2024, with Bo Dallas leading the faction created partly as a tribute to his late brother, Bray Wyatt. Cross portrayed Abby the Witch as part of the group.

After almost two years together, all five members were released by WWE on April 24, 2026.

When Cross was asked where she believed things began to lose momentum, she made it clear that the members continued working on ideas throughout the faction’s existence.

“We debuted in June, and we were an act, we were active for around two years, and there was a lot in those two years that was beyond our control.”

Despite the eventual disappointment, Cross spoke positively about several programs the Wyatt Sicks were involved in, particularly their work alongside Solo Sikoa and the MFTs during WWE’s European schedule earlier this year.

“We still got to work with awesome acts. Getting to work with the MFTs was so fun. We did the entire European loop with them at the start of 2026, and that was every night working with those guys, and I had so much fun with those guys because I just felt like I was working with my big brothers every night. I loved working with Solo, and he’s so intelligent with how he plans things and puts things together. And we got to work with Karrion Kross and Scarlett, who are such great characters.”

Cross stopped short of pointing the finger at any particular individual when discussing the faction’s creative difficulties. However, she repeatedly stressed that the group was constantly attempting to develop its characters and propose new directions.

“There was just a lot of things that went on in the last two years that was kind of beyond our control. So I do what I always do. I do my best. I do my job and I do my best. And we would pitch different ideas, and we were always very active with our characters. We believed in the Wyatt Sicks. We believed in Bray. We believe in what we could all do as individuals, so we were always very active with our characters and pitching different ideas and working different stories. What could we go in this direction, this direction? So there was a lot of stuff over the last two years. It was just beyond our control.”

Joe Gacy has previously been more outspoken about the situation, claiming the individual members were not given enough opportunity to establish themselves and that WWE elected to pause the faction rather than allowing the remaining members to continue when Dallas was unavailable.

Nikki Cross Reflects On Emotional Wyatt Sicks Debut

For Cross, being selected for the Wyatt Sicks was particularly meaningful because of her history portraying darker characters.

“I was so blown away. I was honored. But it also made sense to me because no matter what, I know I can do any character that they ask of me. Because of the Nikki Cross Sanity, that was a dark character. Even though she ended up becoming a beloved babyface in NXT, there was still a darkness.”

Even after being given the opportunity, Cross admitted she tried to control her expectations because she knew how quickly creative plans could change in professional wrestling.

“I stayed very balanced. I’ve always been like this. I’m scared to get my hopes up about it, and then it falls through, and you’re left disappointed. I don’t like that feeling.”

Cross was the first member shown during the Wyatt Sicks’ memorable debut sequence, crawling out from underneath the ring.

Her biggest concern during rehearsals was simply making sure she did not spoil the moment.

“It’s the same pressure I put on myself. Do not ruin this. Do not ruin this crawl. Don’t ruin the crawl.”

The backstage scene following the debut remains an even more powerful memory for Cross.

The group gathered alongside Jason and Mandy Baker, who had been closely involved with Bray Wyatt and helped create many of the costumes and masks associated with his characters.

“We came to the back that night, and we stood in a circle. Jason was there too. Jason worked incredibly closely with Bray. We always called it the Wyatt Sicks, and the sixth person for us at that time, for me, the sixth person was Bray. So it really felt like the six of us. Jason and Mandy were there, and we just got to toast and say to Bray and to Brodie.”

Cross admitted the memory remains emotional.

“Even now, thinking about that moment, if I think too hard about it, I’m going to well up inside and get the lump in my throat. That night couldn’t have gone any more perfectly. I’m so proud of that moment and getting to share that with those five people. Hopefully we made Bray proud, and I think the five of us did. I hope we did.”

Bray Wyatt passed away in August 2023, while Brodie Lee, who was part of the original Wyatt Family, died in December 2020.

How Nikki Cross Sold Vince McMahon On Nikki A.S.H.

During the same interview, Cross also revealed the remarkable amount of preparation that went into another major WWE character several years earlier.

Rather than waiting for WWE creative to find something for her, Cross developed Nikki A.S.H. herself and personally took the concept to Vince McMahon.

The idea emerged while her partnership with Alexa Bliss was coming to an end as Bliss became increasingly involved in storylines connected to Bray Wyatt.

“That was my brainchild. The Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss tag team, she was doing more stuff with Bray Wyatt, so I knew that was coming to an end, and that was kind of it for me for a while. There wasn’t anything for me in the storylines, so I was like, all right, I need something.”

Cross did considerably more than simply suggest becoming a superhero.

A longtime fan of The Hurricane and Mighty Molly, she noticed the enormous popularity of superhero movies and believed WWE had an opportunity to introduce a character capable of tapping into that audience.

“I was always the biggest fan of Hurricane Helms, and I was always a huge fan of Mighty Molly, and I loved superheroes. I loved the X-Men cartoon when I was growing up. There was a gap on the roster. We didn’t have anything like that. We hadn’t had anything like that in a really long time. And at this point, superheroes were that genre. The Avengers, Wonder Woman had just come out, so the box office numbers were talking.”

Cross created an entire portfolio supporting her proposal, including research into major superhero movies, television shows and streaming content.

“I came up with this entire pitch. I had a portfolio, like a binder, and I did the market research for it. What were the box office numbers for Wonder Woman, the figures of what they grossed, and then Captain Marvel and Avengers, all the big major superhero movies and the television shows and what was available on streaming. Put it together, put together possible names.”

She even hired a Scottish artist to produce potential costume designs. One used blue and gold inspired by the X-Men, while another green version was prepared in case McMahon preferred something different.

Cross then took her research directly to WWE's chairman.

Cross Waited Hours Outside Vince McMahon's Office

On a Monday Night Raw television day, Cross sat outside McMahon's office for hours waiting for an opportunity to make her case.

With the show approaching, she eventually went inside and delivered a simple business-focused pitch.

“I waited outside Vince’s office for about a few hours. Monday night Raw, it’s not that far away from starting, and I didn’t have a lot of time, so I just basically gave it to Vince and was like, hey, I’ve got an idea. This will make you money. I just went in and gave him an elevator pitch. This will make you money. This is why. Here’s the proof. Here’s my pitch. Here’s my idea.”

Cross heard nothing for several weeks.

Then, on Mother’s Day, she received a message from McMahon that changed everything.

“I got a text on Mother’s Day from him saying, I think your idea is genius. And hearing this from him, I was like, whoa. He’s literally saying this idea is genius. And I knew it was a good idea. I don’t know if I would have used the word genius because I’m a little more humble than that. And he was like, tell creative to get started on it. And I literally texted every creative member who I had the number for.”

McMahon did make an important adjustment to Cross' original vision.

Rather than presenting her as a fully fledged superhero, he wanted Cross to become "Almost A Superhero." The homemade appearance of the costume was also intentional, making the character something younger fans could realistically imitate.

“He wanted it to be Nikki Almost A Superhero, because almost, it’s like she’s not quite a superhero. She’s like a superhero in training. Vince wanted it to be something little girls could relate to, like if they wanted to make themselves a Nikki A.S.H. costume, they could. Mentally, she doesn’t think she has superpowers, but her mindset is that she’s a superhero and can take on the world.”

Cross said she eventually understood the thinking when she encountered children dressed as Nikki A.S.H.

“When I first got the call from the company, I posted something on my Instagram and Twitter. The first photo I used was a little girl holding my hand in a Nikki A.S.H. costume, and I’m holding the Raw Women’s Championship. That photo is framed in my office because I will never forget that little girl’s face. In that very moment, I understood why make the superhero relatable.”

The Hurricane Gave Cross One Important Piece Of Advice

Before taking the character onto WWE television, Cross approached Shane "Hurricane" Helms because of the obvious similarities to his famous superhero presentation.

“I wanted to make sure he was okay with it. I always call him Papa. He was so supportive. His advice was, no matter what, your mask has to stay on, because you cannot do a superhero character and then get a wardrobe malfunction with the mask coming off.”

Jason Baker, who also worked on masks associated with the Wyatt characters, created Cross' superhero mask from a cast of her face.

Several versions were required before they found one secure enough for wrestling.

“If that mask had come off, it would have been game over.”

Cross said the finished mask was so tight that it could cause headaches and leave an indentation on her nose, but keeping it securely attached was considered essential.

Nikki A.S.H. Quickly Became Raw Women's Champion

The gamble ultimately paid off considerably faster than Cross could have anticipated.

She revealed that she did not know she was winning the 2021 Women's Money in the Bank ladder match until a producer informed her during rehearsal.

Cross then arrived at Raw the following day with no expectation that she would immediately cash in the briefcase.

“I get to Raw the next day and I don’t think anything’s happening. It’s nothing’s in the script. So I’m like, maybe I’m just doing something on social media. And then a writer comes up to me and they’re like, okay, Vince wants to see you in his office. And I’m like, no way. No way they’re going to do a cash-in the next night.”

Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley were already inside McMahon's office when Cross arrived.

Later that evening, Cross waited in Gorilla Position as Flair and Ripley competed, knowing she was about to receive one of the biggest opportunities of her career.

Once again, her main concern was making sure she did not ruin the moment.

“Don’t trip and fall. Don’t trip, don’t fall. If you trip and fall, it’s game over. Don’t ruin this.”

Cross successfully cashed in on Flair on July 19, 2021, becoming Raw Women's Champion just one night after winning Money in the Bank.

The achievement came during WWE's first weekend back in front of full live crowds following the pandemic-era restrictions.

Cross believes the timing helped make the optimistic superhero character connect.

“Maybe that’s just what the world needed at that time, just something joyful.”