Nikki Cross Is Studying For An Impressive Advanced Degree When She's Not Wrestling

Nikki Cross has racked up quite a solid resume during her tenure in WWE so far. A former "Raw" Women's Champion and three-time WWE Women's Tag Team Champion, Cross has watched wrestling since the age of ten before transforming her passion into a reality. After she built a career on the independent circuit in the United Kingdom, Cross officially joined the ranks of WWE in 2016.

Outside of her wrestling obligations, Cross also managed to secure qualifications as a personal trainer and qualified fitness instructor. In addition, Cross — real name Nicola Glencross — earned her Bachelor's degree studying History at the University of Glasgow. As Cross moved to America to sign with WWE, she later took on some more courses at a college in Florida, within reach of the WWE Performance Center in Orlando.

"I was doing women's history and American history and also art history," Cross said while appearing on "Chasing Glory With Lilian Garcia." Her studies there would serve as a trial run for the former "Almost Super Hero," as she hoped to enroll somewhere full-time to pursue the next phase of her academic career. "The Master's [degree] is such a huge undertaking. It's a massive commitment mentally."

By September 2019, Nikki Cross enlisted back in school after being accepted to the University of Edinburgh in Scotland — which offers a "completely online degree" — she told RondaRousey.com, allowing her to work while on the road with WWE. That track would now land Cross in her last full year, as she nears closer to achieving her Master's degree and with the option to "get a Ph.D. if I want to."

Nikki Cross puts a lot of value in her continuing education, "because you're not always going to be able to wrestle," she told Lilian Garcia. "We are all like one day away from God forbid that [career-ending injury]." Professional wrestling stands as Cross' biggest passion in life, but many performers have stressed the importance of having a backup option due to the inherent risk and unpredictability of the sport. "Wrestling is my passion, but I always knew that there is a possibility that I'm not physically going to be able to do that, when I'm 50 or 60, right," she added.

Luckily for Cross, she highly enjoys her backup plan. "I did women's history this last 12 months [before enrolling at Edinburgh] and it was like the closest thing besides wrestling that I would come home and talk for hours about," she said. Her studies there taught her a number of different perspectives on the subject, which she came to "admire and respect." In addition, Cross believes that learning from the past will hopefully prevent the same mistakes. Ultimately though, Cross aims to eventually become a history teacher.