She walks like a cyclone dipped in velvet, speaks like she’s been baptized in boom-bap and California smog. Faith Jefferies, better known to the foam-finger masses as Nikkita Lyons, is a walking contradiction — a lioness of the squared circle born in the land of slot machines and raised in the hollowed-out glamour of Hollywood. And if you think that’s a metaphor, wait ‘til you see her spin kick someone’s soul into the next zip code.
This isn’t your run-of-the-mill wrestling Cinderella story. There’s no pumpkin carriage here — just busted kneecaps, record deals, late-night sparring sessions, and a taste for war painted in eyeliner. Nikkita Lyons didn’t waltz into WWE. She strutted in, barefoot, with a black belt in taekwondo and a chip on her shoulder the size of Sunset Boulevard.
The Girl Who Kicked Before She Could Drive
Faith was breaking boards and bones before most kids learned how to properly tie their shoes. Taekwondo at age four. Black belt by eight. A childhood spent kicking and screaming — but with purpose. Raised among the plastic palm trees and fake tans of Tinseltown, she didn’t become part of the machine. She ripped the gears out and started building her own engine.
While most of her peers were thinking about prom dates and Instagram filters, Jefferies was thinking about how to turn her rage into rhythm — how to package the beast inside into something beautiful, brutal, and bankable. She graduated high school early in 2017, stepped out into the cruel glare of the LA sun, and never looked back.
She was barely legal, already lethal, and burning for something more.
Faith the Lioness: The First Roar
Before WWE caught wind of her, she prowled the indies like a silent storm. Women of Wrestling (WOW) gave her the moniker “Faith The Lioness,” and the name stuck like sweat to canvas. Under the guidance of Selina Majors, she learned to lace up boots instead of just breaking boards.
Her early performances weren’t polished. They were raw, messy — like demo tapes from a band that hadn’t figured out its sound yet. But the promise was there. The limbs were long. The charisma oozed like warm bourbon. There was something primal about her even then, something that made fans lean forward and say, “She’s not ready yet…but she will be.”
Welcome to the Jungle, WWE
In 2021, WWE held a tryout in Las Vegas. Jefferies showed up like a wrecking ball in yoga pants. They signed her before the mat cooled off.
She debuted on 205 Live as Nikkita Lyons on December 31, 2021 — poetic, really, to ring in the new year with a loss. Amari Miller pinned her that night, but nobody cared. It wasn’t about the L. It was about the look. That wild mane of blonde curls, the martial arts flair, the mic cadence that sounded part preacher, part rapper, part motivational speaker at a truck stop.
On February 22, 2022, she made her NXT debut and beat Kayla Inlay. Within weeks, she was knee-deep in a feud with Lash Legend, a pairing that felt like a Saturday night bar fight with lighting cues. Nikkita won both matches, and the crowd howled like it was gospel.
She teamed with Cora Jade at Spring Breakin’ and beat Natalya and Legend. Everything was pointing up. Until it wasn’t.
Ligaments and Long Roads
On May 24, 2022, the rocket ride stalled. Lyons suffered a partial MCL tear and a sprain. The kind of injury that makes you rewatch your highlights and wonder if the mountain was worth the climb. She went dark. Instagram blackouts. Rehab marathons. The echo of what could’ve been.
But this isn’t a Disney film. Comebacks here don’t come with violins — they come with stitches and self-doubt. On June 28, she returned to NXT and beat Mandy Rose by disqualification. The roar was back. But like all wild animals, the business has a short memory. She was tossed into battle royals, tag matches, and backstage angles that smelled more like filler than faith.
False Starts and Funky Storylines
She was supposed to enter the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Tournament on the main roster with Zoey Stark. Concussions, bad luck, and backstage politics made sure that never saw daylight.
She kept showing up, though. Teaming with Stark. Losing to Stark. Getting betrayed by Stark. Getting injured again — this time by Blair Davenport. The calendar pages flipped while Nikkita sat at home with ice on her knees and doubt in her bones.
For a moment, you wondered if she’d ever rise again or if she’d become another cautionary tale. A lioness stuffed and mounted on the wall of “what ifs.”
But on December 5, 2023, nearly a year later, she returned — not just physically, but spiritually. She mauled Davenport with the fury of someone who’s stared down failure and said, “Not yet.” The following week, she returned to the ring with Lyra Valkyria — a tag match she lost, sure, but a reminder: the hunt is never over.
Heel Turns and Heel Clicks
In October 2024, Lyons started playing with fire. Signs of a heel turn. Attacking fan favorites. Sneering in promos. That soft-spoken spiritual warrior from her debut days was now side-eyeing the camera like a femme fatale with blood on her hands.
She attacked Adrianna Rizzo. Lost to Kelani Jordan. Started circling Ashante “Thee” Adonis and Karmen Petrovic in a strange, sultry storyline that felt like a leftover soap opera from the ’90s. But wrestling’s always been part Shakespeare, part strip club, part demolition derby. Nikkita didn’t just survive it — she reveled in it.
Then came the move to Evolve. On May 7, 2025, she debuted with a win over Kendal Grey. A new chapter. A fresh ring. Another jungle.
Beats, Bars, and Broken Bodies
Outside the ropes, she’s FaithyJ — a musician with bars to spit and beats to drop. “To Be A Champion” hit the web like a slow burn anthem — not some Billboard chart-topper, but a war cry for the spiritually battered. She appeared in Trick Williams’ music video like a queen surveying her empire, boots laced and eyes gleaming.
She was also “She-Raw” on the Zeus Network’s One Mo’ Chance. Another mask. Another role. Another hustle.
Because that’s what Lyons — what Faith — is all about. She’s not content with being a wrestler. Or a musician. Or an actress. She’s the walking manifestation of the modern American hustle. A little bruised. A little corny. A lot dangerous.
Still Hungry
Nikkita Lyons doesn’t have gold around her waist — not yet. She hasn’t main-evented WrestleMania. Hasn’t etched her name into the Mount Rushmore of women’s wrestling.
But maybe that’s the point. She’s not done cooking.
She’s been injured. Betrayed. Misused. Mocked. And she keeps coming back. Every time the jungle tries to chew her up, she grabs it by the throat and growls back.
Some wrestlers are born for the spotlight. Some wrestlers are born for the fight. Nikkita Lyons — Faith Jefferies — might just be both. And if you don’t believe it, just wait until she spins on one leg and kicks the disbelief right out of your mouth.
