What college football teams did Trick Williams play for?

Trick Williams, whose real name is Matrick Belton, played collegiate football as a wide receiver. He initially played for Hampton University before transferring to the University of South Carolina, where he competed in 21 games and recorded 121 yards on 11 receptions.

Why was Trick Williams rejected at his first WWE tryout?

During his first WWE tryout in December 2018, Trick Williams was rejected because his movements were rigid and mechanical. His football muscle memory trained him to resist falling, which made him unable to properly execute a flat-back wrestling bump at the time.

How long did Trick Williams train at the CZW Academy?

Trick Williams spent three years training at the Combat Zone Wrestling Academy in southern New Jersey. This grueling warehouse environment helped him unlearn his defensive football habits and master the fundamental mechanics of falling before WWE finally signed him in 2021.

Who did Trick Williams defeat to win the United States Championship?

Trick Williams defeated Sami Zayn to win the United States Championship after his main roster call-up in January 2026. He followed up this victory by successfully defending his newly won championship on May 9, 2026, at the Backlash pay-per-view event.

What musical artist is aligned with Trick Williams at ringside?

Trick Williams is aligned with Grammy-nominated musical artist Lil Yachty, who accompanies him to ringside. Although this partnership is a brilliant presentation choice that adds charisma, Yachty's presence also acts as a visual distraction from Williams' current in-ring mechanical limitations.

Why Trick Williams still hasn't solved his biggest in-ring problem

The Physical Transition Metrics

Let's talk about the physical conversion from the gridiron to the squared circle. Trick Williams, born Matrick Belton, spent twenty years optimizing his body for linear acceleration and explosive cutting as a wide receiver. His collegiate run at Hampton and his transfer to the University of South Carolina required a highly specific athletic profile.

During his tenure with the Gamecocks, he appeared in 21 games and compiled 121 yards on 11 receptions. These numbers represent a grinding, physical struggle to secure a spot in a high-intensity SEC system. After a brief stint at the Philadelphia Eagles' rookie mini-camp in 2018, his football path hit a definitive wall.

The physical transition that followed was not a simple lateral move. It required rewriting two decades of deeply ingrained muscle memory. As detailed by Wrestling Inc, Williams struggled with the fundamental mechanics of falling.

In football, an athlete's entire neurological system is trained to resist going down at all costs. You lower your center of gravity, you keep your feet moving, and you fight to maintain your balance. Professional wrestling demands the exact opposite.

Taking a flat-back bump requires throwing oneself backward and trusting the mat to absorb the kinetic energy. When Williams had his first WWE tryout in December 2018, his movements were rigid and mechanical. His nervous system was still protecting him from the floor.

He was turned down because his body could not yet process the physics of a wrestling bump. He spent three years at the Combat Zone Wrestling Academy in New Jersey unlearning these defensive habits before WWE signed him in 2021.

The CZW Academy Grind

After the failed 2018 tryout, Williams did not give up. He moved to southern New Jersey and entered the notoriously stiff environment of the Combat Zone Wrestling Academy. This was a trial by fire.

Instead of soft mats and air-conditioned performance centers, he took bumps on worn-out canvasses in cold warehouses. It was here that he learned how to properly distribute impact across his broad shoulders. He had to learn to tuck his chin, protect his cervical spine, and stop reaching for the floor with his hands.

This gritty training ground built the foundation of his career. It was a brutal, necessary education that transformed a raw athlete into a potential superstar.

The Technical Evaluation Gap

Trick Williams has achieved rapid success since his main roster call-up in January 2026. He won the United States Championship from Sami Zayn and successfully defended it on May 9, 2026, at Backlash.

However, a close examination of his recent matches reveals significant execution gaps. Williams is exceptionally charismatic, and aligning him with Grammy-nominated artist Lil Yachty is a brilliant presentation choice. Yet, Yachty's presence at ringside serves as a visual distraction from Trick's mechanical limitations.

Yesterday on the May 22, 2026, episode of SmackDown, Trick faced his long-time rival Carmelo Hayes in a non-title match. The match was designed to showcase Trick's dominant physical style. Instead, it exposed a lack of ring positioning and pacing.

There was a highly noticeable dead spot at the eight minutes and fourteen seconds mark where Trick lost his place in the sequence. Hayes had to physically grab him and drag him into a side headlock to reset the spot.

Even more concerning was the finish of the match. Ricky Saints interfered, distracting the referee and Hayes. Trick capitalized with his "Trick Shot" knee strike for the pin.

Booking a massive, athletic babyface champion to win via cheap external distraction is a terrible decision. It undercuts the legitimacy of his title reign. It also validated Hayes' pre-match promo where he claimed Trick is merely carrying a belt rather than being a true champion.

If Trick cannot win clean on television, his credibility will quickly evaporate. The fans want a fighting champion, not someone who relies on outside help to survive basic television matches.

The Yachty Distraction

The introduction of Lil Yachty to Trick's entrance has created one of the most electric spectacles in the business today. The visual of the Grammy-nominated artist walking Trick to the ring while the crowd chants along is undeniable box office.

However, this spectacle has a secondary, more pragmatic function. It acts as a smoke screen. The hype and energy divert the audience's focus from Trick's slow footwork and occasional positioning errors.

While it works wonders on television, it does not fool experienced opponents in the ring. Hayes highlighted this exact issue during his verbal evisceration of Trick on SmackDown.

The Tactical Rematch in Turin

The controversial finish on SmackDown has made a rematch inevitable. The two former NXT champions are now on a direct collision course for WWE Clash in Italy on May 31, 2026. This match will take place at the Inalpi Arena in Turin and will stream internationally on Netflix.

The tactical matchup between these two rivals is highly complex. Hayes is a mechanical virtuoso who rarely wastes a movement. His offense is built on aerial precision, featuring springboards and his "Nothing But Net" diving leg drop.

Trick relies on explosive bursts of speed. This is where his football background becomes an asset. His acceleration is elite, allowing him to cover the distance of the ring in a fraction of a second.

But Hayes knows how to exploit Trick's physical stiffness. In their historic main event at NXT Stand & Deliver on April 6, 2024, Hayes targeted Trick's neck and lower back with targeted suplexes. He repeated this strategy during their Steel Cage match on April 16, 2024.

Trick survived those encounters through sheer athletic resilience. But the mileage is starting to show. Trick is carrying more mass now than he did during his NXT run.

This added muscle has slowed his lateral agility. Hayes will undoubtedly look to exploit this slowdown by utilizing quick, horizontal movement to keep Trick off-balance.

Unpacking the Stand & Deliver History

To understand the stakes in Turin, we must analyze their encounter at NXT Stand & Deliver on April 6, 2024. In the main event in Philadelphia, Trick defeated Hayes in a match that was praised for its intense emotion but criticized for its mechanical roughness.

Trick's victory was a triumph of willpower, but his physical execution was erratic. He rushed his spots and missed several timing cues during the middle stretch of the match.

Hayes practically had to carry the pacing to prevent a complete breakdown. If Trick repeats those mechanical errors at Clash in Italy, Hayes will make him pay dearly.

The Turin Prediction

This championship bout will not be a technical exhibition. The personal animosity between these two is too deep. Hayes will attempt to slow the pace to a crawl, utilizing ground-and-pound tactics to neutralize Trick's explosive burst.

Trick will need to find a way to dictate the tempo without relying on outside interference. SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis must ban Ricky Saints from ringside to ensure a clean contest. Without his cohort, Trick will be forced to stand on his own merits.

This is a high-risk scenario for the champion. Hayes is the superior in-ring general and will dictate the flow of the match. He will likely hit a cutter off the top rope followed by a series of superkicks to wear Trick down.

But WWE's developmental trajectory for Trick is clear. They are determined to build him into a top-tier main-event superstar. A title change so soon after Backlash would derail his momentum entirely.

Expect Trick to endure a massive beating, selling his back for the majority of the match. He will catch Hayes mid-air during a springboard attempt and transition into a massive slam. One final, desperate "Trick Shot" knee strike will secure the pinfall victory.

Trick will retain the United States Championship in Turin. However, it will be a deeply flawed performance that does nothing to quiet his critics. The fans will leave Turin wondering if Carmelo Hayes was right all along.