Nikki Cross recently addressed criticism surrounding her previous ‘Nikki ASH’ gimmick now that she has shifted back to her old character.
In June 2021, she debuted a new character, Nikki ASH, with superhero-like gear. The “ASH” stood for ‘Almost A Superhero. The character became more comical than her previous gimmick.
She found a lot of success with the character, notably winning the 2021 Money in the Bank match and the Raw Women’s Title.
In a post on Twitter, artist Rob Downie mentioned that he personally faced backlash from wrestling fans after helping the WWE star pitch her ‘ASH’ character. Nikki shared his post and added the following:
“They might not have liked it, but I loved my MITB Win, my Raw Women’s Championship run and history making 3 time Tag Team Championships reign (1st woman to do so) and multiple wins as 24/7 champ. I had convos with kids who adored it, dressed up like me and it warmed my heart.”
Last month, Nikki returned to her old character and aligned herself with Damage CTRL in recent weeks.
Cross, Bayley, Dakota Kai, IYO SKY & Rhea Ripley will battle Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Mia Yim, and a fifth competitor to be announced in a WarGames match at next Saturday’s Survivor Series.
They might not have liked it, but I loved my MITB Win, my Raw Women’s Championship run and history making 3 time Tag Team Championships# reign (1st woman to do so) and multiple wins as 24/7 champ. I had convos with kids who adored it, dressed up like me and it warmed my heart 😘 https://t.co/W5bqRvBFHX
— Nicola Glencross (@WWENikkiCross) November 19, 2022