Nikki Cross surprised the wrestling world when she unveiled her new superhero character on Raw several weeks ago, now the Scottish star says she was keen to be an inspiration to little girls.
Cross unveiled her new blue and gold garb, complete with cape, mask, and butterfly motif on the 21st of June episode of Raw. The new gimmick paid dividends straight away as Cross teamed with Alexa Bliss to defeat Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler to claim their place in the women’s Money In The Bank match.
The following week Nikki Cross announced that despite looking like a superhero, she wasn’t quite there yet. Instead Cross was almost a superhero, with WWE seemingly using the name Nikki A.S.H for Cross going forward.
Speaking to WWE Espanol’s El Brunch De WWE, Nikki Cross delved deep into where her new character has spawned from.
Cross explained:
“The idea started to form right about the Royal Rumble. For me, I’ve always taken a lot of inspiration, a lot of comfort, a lot of escapism from superhero movies and superhero television shows in Scotland as a little girl. I would always watch the X-Men cartoon, the Spiderman cartoons. For me, I really wanted to come up with something that was really inspirational to little girls and boys and something that is a very positive message. To me, the whole message is that I don’t have super powers, I don’t have super speed, I don’t have super strength, I can’t fly unfortunately but it’s so you don’t need superpowers to be a superhero.”
“You can be a superhero by being good to people, to be kind, always try to look out for others, and stand up for those in need. To me that’s the really important message of this, we can always be better, we can always do better. The idea is I put on this cape, I put the mask on, I put the outfit on and I can try anything. I really want that message, that’s the message of almost a superhero. I’m so excited and I’m so proud of everything. The butterfly on the outfit represents this metamorphosis, this transformation, and then the lightning bolts around the butterfly, that’s my spark.”
For Cross, the connection with the fans was crucial to her new character, and she says that she wants fans to be able to relate to being ‘almost a superhero.’
Cross continued:
“Yes, I feel so empowered. The costume, we wanted to create something that some people can dress as, cosplay. They can wrap a blue or yellow towel and tie it around their neck and they are Nikki Cross. We really wanted to create something that’s so relatable and something that when they put on the cape and the mask, they feel brave and they feel courageous. For me, I get so much confidence. I put the costume on for the first time and I was like I can take on the world. I felt so confident, I just felt amazing.”
Nikki A.S.H will compete in the women’s Money In The Bank ladder match on July 18th alongside Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Naomi, Zelina Vega, and Carmella with two places still up for grabs.