Nikki Cross breaks silence on her unexpected WWE departure

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Nikki Cross has opened up about her unexpected WWE departure, admitting that leaving the company after a decade was difficult while expressing excitement about what comes next in her wrestling career.

Cross discussed her WWE exit in a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet, explaining that the departure was unexpected and that saying goodbye was particularly difficult because of the attachment she developed to the different characters she portrayed throughout her career.

Nikki Cross says WWE departure was unexpected

Cross confirmed that her departure from WWE was not something she had expected.

Her decade-long run with the company ended in April 2026, when she was among a number of performers who departed WWE following WrestleMania 42. Fightful listed Cross among the talents who left the company on April 24.

For Cross, however, the significance of the departure went beyond simply leaving a wrestling promotion.

It marked the end of a substantial chapter of her life.

Ten years of Nikki Cross in WWE

Cross joined WWE in 2016 after establishing herself on the independent wrestling scene.

During her time with the company, she performed under several different identities and became associated with some of WWE's most memorable women's storylines.

She was part of Sanity during her NXT run before moving to WWE's main roster.

Her partnership with Alexa Bliss eventually produced multiple Women's Tag Team Championship reigns, while her Nikki A.S.H. character gave her another major chapter as a singles performer.

Cross also became a member of the Wyatt Sicks, appearing as Abby the Witch.

That final character was particularly meaningful because of her connection to the larger Bray Wyatt-inspired universe.

Saying goodbye to her characters was difficult

Cross explained that she becomes emotionally attached to the characters she portrays.

She referenced several stages of her career, including Sanity, Nikki A.S.H., Nikki Storm and Abby the Witch, while explaining why leaving WWE was emotionally complicated.

That connection helps explain why her departure was more than simply the end of a contract.

Each character represented a different period of her professional life.

Cross therefore had to say goodbye not only to WWE but also to personas that had become important parts of her career.

Cross remembers the people she met

While discussing her WWE departure, Cross also highlighted the friendships she developed during her decade with the company.

She specifically mentioned people including Sarah Schreiber and Giulia, as well as the wider group of wrestlers, coaches and producers she worked alongside.

Her comments underline how much the WWE experience extended beyond performing on television.

Cross travelled around the world during her time with the promotion and built relationships that she expects to carry into the next stage of her career.

The Wyatt Sicks chapter ends

Cross' departure also brought an end to her WWE run as part of the Wyatt Sicks.

The group had become one of WWE's most distinctive factions after debuting in 2024, with Cross portraying Abby the Witch.

Several members of the group subsequently departed WWE during the company's post-WrestleMania roster changes.

Cross was the first major departure announced on April 24, and other Wyatt Sicks members also subsequently left the company.

For Cross, it meant the conclusion of a particularly unusual final chapter in WWE.

What comes next for Nikki Cross?

Despite the unexpected nature of her WWE exit, Cross is looking forward rather than dwelling on the past.

She said she is excited about her next chapter and what lies ahead in wrestling.

That next chapter has already begun to take shape.

Cross made her first in-ring appearance since leaving WWE at OTT in July, marking her return to independent wrestling competition.

Her post-WWE career therefore gives fans an opportunity to see what Cross can do outside the environment where she spent the previous decade.

Sevens Sports Arena analysis

The most revealing part of Nikki Cross' WWE departure is that she does not appear to view it simply as an ending.

It is an unexpected conclusion to a ten-year run, but Cross is already framing it as the beginning of something new.

Her WWE career contained several distinct eras.

There was the unpredictable Nikki Cross of NXT, the Nikki A.S.H. character, her successful partnership with Alexa Bliss and, ultimately, her role as Abby the Witch within the Wyatt Sicks.

That variety is one of the defining features of Cross' career.

Her next challenge will be creating another chapter without the machinery of WWE behind her.

The independent wrestling scene offers a very different environment, but Cross brings a decade of major-company experience with her.

That experience could make her next move particularly interesting.

What happens next?

Nikki Cross is officially moving forward after an unexpected WWE departure that ended her ten-year run with the company.

Rather than treating the exit solely as a setback, Cross has made it clear that she is excited about the future.

Her return to independent wrestling has already given fans the first glimpse of that next chapter.

For now, the former WWE star is closing the book on ten years with WWE while preparing to write an entirely new one.