Add as a preferred source on Google Nikki Cross, once again working under the name Nikki Storm, made her return to the ring on the night of July 23 during OTT After Dark at the Button Factory in Dublin, Ireland.
The former WWE star made a surprise appearance, teaming with her husband, Big Damo. The two defeated The Weirdos, the team of Frankie Vendetta and Kat Von Kay.
It was Storm’s first match in 571 days. Her last match had come on December 29, when The Wyatt Sicks defeated The Final Testament in a non-televised WWE event at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois.
The appearance hadn’t been announced in advance, consistent with After Dark’s format of running without a previously revealed card. The return also came three days before the match being promoted as Storm’s official comeback to the independent circuit, against Session Moth Martina at PROGRESS Chapter 196: Scorchio on July 26.
Storm posted the following:
“Hey there @damomackle. Thank you for the invite tonight, glad I could lend you a hand ❤️After having conflicting schedules for the better part of ten years, it felt damn nice to be in a ring again with my love ❤️ The Best in the Galaxy at @over_the_top_wrestling tonight! See you all in August.”
Cross left WWE on April 24, ending a ten-year run with the company. A little over a month later, she and Damo acquired PROGRESS Wrestling and DEFY Wrestling.
OTT has also advertised Nikki Storm for Summer Bash on August 16 in Belfast. The sequence of dates suggests the return won’t be just a one-off appearance, with Storm beginning a new chapter as both a wrestler and a promotion owner on the independent scene.