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Former WWE Stars Nikki Cross and Big Damo Acquire Multiple Wrestling Promotions

Nikki Cross and her husband, Big Damo, are making moves on the U.K. and U.S. independent wrestling scene.
Rick Ucchino|
Nikki Cross
Nikki Cross | WWE

Two former WWE Superstars are making some major moves on the independent professional wrestling scene.

Nicola Glencross, formerly known as Nikki Cross, and her husband, Damian Mackle a.k.a. Big Damo, are now taking ownership of UK independent promotion PROGRESS Wrestling and Seattle, Washington-based DEFY Wrestling.

The announcement was made on Tuesday morning in a press release from PROGRESS Wrestling. The couple, who first made their names in the UK scene before signing with WWE, want to make sure that these two promotions remain launchpads for the major global stars of the future.

“I’m proud to say we have some of the best wrestlers in the world performing for us right now. Our men’s World Champion Cara Noir and Charlie Sterling are performing at the highest level. Our Tag Team Champions Luke Jacobs and Ethan Allen are two of the best wrestlers in the world under 30. Our women’s division is host to some of the best women wrestlers alive. Women’s champion Alexxis Falcon, Rhio, Kanji, Emersyn Jayne and so many more," Big Damo said in the release.

“We also want to capitalize on our great relationships with talent and promotions worldwide, and create new partnerships that not only bring phenomenal talent to our shores, but also export our best talent to new ventures abroad.”

Nikki Cross makes history following her exit from WWE

The Wyatt Sicks
The Wyatt Sicks | WWE

Glencross recently saw her WWE tenure come to an end after more than a decade with the company. She's a former WWE Women’s Champion, multi-time Women's Tag Team Champion, Money in the Bank winner and is now the first female co-owner in the history of PROGRESS Wrestling and DEFY Wrestling.

“It is not lost on me that there are few female owners in professional wrestling, so I want to bring my experience and insights to the table and elevate PROGRESS and DEFY to new levels," Glencross said.

“We were deeply encouraged by the first PROGRESS Women’s Super Strong Style 16 tournament. Rhio and Gisele competed in an incredible main event, and Rhio proved to be a worthy winner! We will soon be announcing that next year, in 2027, we will host the first stand alone female Super Strong Style 16."

Glencross also said that her and Damo are in the process of bringing PROGRESS to new cities across the UK, with those details to be released in the near future.

The next show, Chapter 195: Wonderbrawl II, will be held in Manchester on June 7 at the O2 Ritz Academy. Chapter 196: Scorchio! will feature Nikki Storm, Glencross' ring name, making her first UK appearance since leaving WWE in April.

More details on Glencross and Mackle's acquisition of PROGRESS and DEFY can be found in the full release linked above.

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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com

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