WWE: Nikki Cross should be the true leader of SAnitY

Nikki Cross is headed to the WWE main roster, and one way to help her emergence attract attention is to make her the true leader of SAnitY.

Last night, the McMahon family stood in the middle of the Monday Night Raw ring to declare that they were there to “shake things up” on both SmackDown and Raw. This will include introducing new stars to the WWE main roster shows.

One of those names plugged is that of Nikki Cross. What stands out about the Scottish wrestler is that her character is very different from nearly everything that’s seen in WWE. To truly “shake things up,” Cross should not only be pushed as a major heel in the women’s division; she should be positioned as the one true leader of the faction SAnitY.

Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe, Killian Dain and Cross make up the group known as SAnitY. The faction debuted back in 2016 and brought with it an intriguing gimmick that was “new” to the WWE.

When Eric Young emerged as the group’s leader, there was a build of excitement behind the group because of the originality of the characters, Young’s ability to work with nearly any situation, and the inclusion of Cross, Dain and Wolfe. Their biggest moment came when they secured the tag team titles, but that run didn’t last for long as the group was eventually called up to SmackDown in April. But when they made this debut, they were without Cross – who was left back in NXT.

While the reasoning that Cross was left out of the debut was never revealed, it was perceived as a positive step for her, because she could flourish as an individual in a women’s division that needed talent. And that’s exactly what she did. Even though Cross was inserted into the title picture and unsuccessful in her bid against Shayna Baszler, it was her inclusion in the Aleister Black storyline that gave a glimpse into what Cross could do as a central figure in the main event picture.

Now, Cross is headed to the main roster at a time when the women are showing that they can run circles around their male counterparts. SAnitY is widely marginalized, rarely appearing on television. Young, Dain and Wolfe are in serious need of a reboot, and that’s where Cross could come into play. However, instead of just being the backup to Young as the leader, Cross should be the central voice and director of madness for the group.

A current trend in WWE women’s wrestling is to group several women together and plug them into the same storyline. Back when the women’s revolution first kicked off, the debuting NXT women were plugged with veterans that had been on the main roster. Then there were the groups Riott Squad and Absolution to continue that trend. However, there are very few, if any, examples of a woman being a part of a faction that includes men – and zero examples of a woman being the lead of said group. This is one aspect of what makes this idea so captivating.

As the women’s title picture continues to shake out between Asuka, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, and now Ronda Rousey’s involvement, there is going to be a need to distribute talent targeting both titles.

Including Cross will give whichever show she’s added to another viable name that could be a threat to that title; especially with Wolfe, Dain and Young following her beck and call. Plus, Wolfe, Dain and Young can be inserted into their own title chases on the same show.

There’s the opportunity to have the trio challenge for the tag team titles under the Freebird Rule or have Young focus on a mid-card title of his own. And before someone brings up the idea that this would push the group into the mid-card and keep them out of the main event, remember that many of the storylines involving women have headlined PPVs this year and have been the main segment on multiple editions of the main roster shows. It wouldn’t be a hard push to have a new faction led by Cross be the center story as she chases after whomever is the women’s champion.

If leadership within the WWE is really attempting to “shake things up”, there’s an opportunity to really do that by placing Nikki Cross as the leader of the group SAnitY. Young, Wolfe and Dain are falling behind as Cross continues to build her place within the women’s division. This realignment would help get Cross over, while giving Young, Dain and Wolfe a new lease on their place on the main roster.