It’s been a whirlwind for Nikki A.S.H. (aka Nikki Cross) over the past few months, as the almost superhero not only came away with the golden briefcase at Money in the Bank but then cashed it in the very next night on Charlotte Flair to become the new Raw Women’s Champion. Then she took down Flair again in a No Holds Barred match, which showed just how determined WWE’s favorite hero is to keep that title around her waist. Her greatest challenge yet lies in front of her, as she will take on both Flair and Rhea Ripley at SummerSlam, and ComicBook.com recently had the chance to talk to Nikki A.S.H. all about the big match, as well as the rollercoaster ride to the title thus far, dancing with The New Day, and even what her lineup would be for an almost superhero team.
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First though we had to talk about the wild ride to the Raw Women’s Championship, and any one of the moments leading up to it would be memorable, but having all of it happen in such a short timeframe makes it impossible to pick a favorite.
“Oh my goodness. I mean, I have to say so it was so, the Money in the Bank moment was like an amazing moment. That was a first, that was my first time back in front of the fans and the briefcase and the happy tears just kind of came,” Cross said. “And then the next day was cashing in and becoming the Raw Women’s Champion. And I just, it was just sheer triumph and jubilation. So I think those two moments back to back, even though they were the same feeling, it was like one was, they ended up like celebrating into the crowd and being with our fans again.”
“I don’t know if anything is going to top those moments, but there have been great moments with even people that were like… Mentors to me. Went on the WWE The Bump and they brought on Robbie Brookside and the Hurricane who, Robby’s been a great mentor, my trainer, and one of my friends, and been so there for me,” Cross said. “And then Hurricane has been amazing. Like… he’s been so supportive and letting me pick his brain and just helping me so much along the way.”
“And then when I won the Championship and came through the gorilla, a couple of the boys in the locker room had Face Timed my husband. So I was able to see my husband at that time, and that was a really touching moment,” Cross said. “And Tamina for instance, like mama bear, locker room leader, gave me this big hug and I just started crying, and then I was able to like, see like say Sarah Schreiber, who’s one of my best friends and getting to give her a hug and she’s been there every step of the way as well. It’s been incredible and it to try and pick one moment is impossible”
While Nikki A.S.H. is all about inspiring and being a role model, that doesn’t mean she’s a pushover, something she’s shown on many occasions against Charlotte.
“Yeah for me, Nikki A.S.H, there are so many different elements to her because there are so many different elements to me. When I think that Nikki A.S.H there’s playfulness and there’s like a little bit of like mystery, like mischief, a little bit playfulness, but then there is that, you know, there’s this, the character is going to be underestimated because she’s smaller. I think superheroes, you know, and I’m almost a superhero as well, so that, again, I’m not quite superhero yet, but for me, the perfect example is Captain America, Steve Rogers, before he got the Super Serum, he was still standing up to bullies. He was still standing up for himself. He was like, I could do this all day.”
“And like that to me is Nikki A.S.H. There’ll be times where she falls down, but she’ll pick herself back up and because that’s life, that’s life,” Cross said. “She’s not always going to, she’s not going to be perfect, but she’ll always fight and she’ll always try and just always stand up for herself. And I very much, I believe that, and being able to put that into the character has been really, really satisfying because I think it’s sending a really good message, which I like.”
Nikki will be taking on both Ripley and Flair in her SummerSlam match, but she views both opponents differently. “So for me, I think when you’re Raw Women’s Champion, there’s a target on your Cape,” Cross said. “I cashed that Money in the Bank case on Charlotte, and a couple of months ago with Charlotte and Rhea taking me really lightly in the Beat The Clock Challenges. Rhea afterwards was like, okay, I took you too lightly. Underestimated you. Charlotte, it was, she’s still Charlotte, so it’s, I think the queen has taken it personally.”
Now, while we know Nikki’s almost a superhero, there’s no reason she can’t create an almost superteam, and so we asked who she would add to the roster for her own team right now. “Right off the bat, I need The Hurricane, and, and in terms of names, would it be, the Butterfly League?” She then revealed the rest of the lineup, adding “I will need time to think about this in terms of the name, but Hurricane and then The New Day. That’s four people right there. And with me being the fifth member, that’d be like the Spice Girls. That would be superheroes meets Marvel meets WWE. It would be global domination. It would be galactical domination. It would be universal domination. And, I’m with it. I support it.”
You can catch Nikki A.S.H. every week on Monday Night Raw, which airs on USA Network at 8 PM EST. You can see Nikki A.S.H. take on Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair at SummerSlam, which streams live on Peacock at 8 PM EST, with the kickoff show happening at 7 PM EST.
Who do you want to see Nikki A.S.H. face next? Let us know in the comments or as always you can talk all things WWE with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!
