Nikki Storm Addresses the Wyatt Sicks’ Unexpected Release, Reveals Abby the Witch’s Backstory

Former WWE Superstar Nikki Storm (formerly Nikki Cross) recently spoke to Insight with Chris Van Vliet to discuss her WWE release, her career, Abby the Witch’s backstory, buying PROGRESS Wrestling, and more. Below are some highlights:

On Her Abby the Witch Character

“So, in my entire wrestling career, I’ve played so many different characters, and sometimes the characters have been more me turned up, and then there’s been other characters where you can disappear to, and you can kind of go into that dark place or just that place where you want to be alone in your head, and that’s kind of what I tried to adopt that mindset with Abby, and that’s what I’ve always enjoyed. I’ve always been very protective of each character I’ve played, I’ve always put a lot of love into them. I’ve put my soul into all the characters, and it’s about, for me, finding a backstory for each character, and also finding that part of me that resonates with that character. So there’s a little Abby in me. There’s a little Nikki A.S.H. in me, there’s Nikki Cross in me, there’s Nikki Storm in me. I just really always want to, with these characters, give it my 100% because that’s what the characters deserve, and so I’ve been very fortunate to be able to delve into every character and learn something about myself along the way.”

Her Backstory for Abby the Witch

“So Abby the Witch, she was Bray Wyatt’s creation. There was the character of Abby was already kind of an image in the WWE audience’s mind. So for me, this was Bray’s brainchild. So how do I take that, and how do I pay my respects to that, pay homage to that, but also make it my own, and do something that I wanted Bray to be proud of? I wanted his family to be proud of it, and with Abby, the backstory I came up with was that little girl in Glasgow, Scotland, that didn’t always fit in. She was always wanting to fit in, and then I took a little bit of what I had explored with the SAnitY Nikki Cross character and kind of tried to merge them, and that was what I wanted with Abby the Witch.

“It was to pay respects to Bray Wyatt and the Wyatt Sicks, but also put my twist on it because I feel like that’s what we would have wanted for me to become Abby, to be Abby. I’m so protective of Abby, and I would always carry the mask. It ended up becoming almost like a comfort to me. I would pretend almost like it was my Chihuahua who I was stroking, but it would be the Abby the mask. I would always be holding her, whether I was valeting the live events or at the television, and she became so much more than a prop to me. This was the goal that could get me through anything. I just always want to pay the utmost respect to any character that I’m given.”

Nikki Storm After Being Released by WWE After Being There for 10 Years

“It was unexpected. For every character I’ve played. Whether it be Sanity, whether it be Nikki A.S.H., even Nikki Storm when I said goodbye to her in 2016 before I joined WWE and Abby the Witch, I always feel attached to the characters, so it’s always difficult to say goodbye. With WWE, I was there for 10 years. I got to travel the world. I got to make amazing friends, make these incredible friendships with people like Sarah Schreiber, with people like Giulia, and I get to take them forever. With WWE, I was there for 10 years, so it’s always hard to say goodbye to such a substantial, significant chapter in your life.

“That being said, I’m so excited for my next chapter, and I’m so excited for what’s next for myself, and I can’t wait to go out to the world and go out to the galaxy. It was unexpected, and it’s always hard to say goodbye to a character in people that you become so bonded with. Myself and Dexter, Joe Gacy, Bo Dallas, and Erick Rowan, we’ve shared something that I don’t know if anyone will ever be able to relate to: the five of us sharing this experience. So it’s always hard to say goodbye, but I think I don’t ever want to be stuck in the past. It was a great 10 years, but I’m also excited for the next 10 years.”

Following her WWE release in April, Storm and her husband, Big Damo, acquired PROGRESS and Defy Wrestling.