Absent WWE star was present backstage on RAW
WWE arguably produced the best episode of Monday Night RAW in 2024 this past Monday night. Several of the top stars got an opportunity to shine.
There was a women's battle royal to determine the final entrant in the women's Elimination Chamber match this Saturday night. The match was produced in a way that every competitor got their moment.
One wrestler who was not present on the show, though, is Nikki Cross. She has been absent for a while now, despite no serious injury or any reason other than perhaps the creative team not knowing what to do with her. She shared a post on Instagram earlier today, in which she is seen backstage on RAW:
"Guess where I am tonight? #WWERaw" Nikki Cross wrote.
The Irish star is a former Women's Champion in WWE. She had a substantial run in NXT and also a brief but noteworthy run on the main roster with a superhero gimmick. At the time, she was known as Nikki A.S.H.
Stevie Richards urges WWE to release Nikki Cross
Wrestling veteran Stevie Richards brought up Nikki Cross' situation in the pro-wrestling juggernaut on The Brand podcast. As far as he is concerned, if the creative team led by Triple H does not have a plan for Cross, they should consider releasing her from her contract.
He was addressing claims that Nikki Cross is being punished for voicing her displeasure at her booking:
"You know what's funny? They're not exclusive to doing that. Every wrestling company throughout history has done this. There's some weird thing with wrestling when you wanna participate, when you wanna earn your money, when you wanna be booked, when you wanna give them a return on the investment, somehow you get heat for that and you get punished. Just release her."
Stevie Richards continued:
"If you have nothing for her or she goes to college, 'Oh, you think you're so smart.' You can see them saying that, 'You think you're so great outside? We're gonna make it to where everybody thinks you're a joke with no credibility," he said.
It looked as though Nikki Cross was due for a push with her new gimmick, but it did not get enough time or space to develop into anything. Cross could remain off television as WrestleMania season is usually exclusive to the stars who will be part of the show.
Should WWE release Nikki Cross, or do you think she could rebuild her momentum on RAW? Sound off in the comments section below!