Trick Williams Recalls WWE Debut That Occurred Before NXT Run

Trick Williams is a star on the rise on the WWE SmackDown, and it’s actually where he made his WWE debut.

When Trick Williams signed with WWE in February 2021, he did so as a former college football player who tried to make it in the NFL, but then realized he had a future in pro wrestling.

By the time WWE NXT 2.0 started in September 2021, Trick Williams was a regular on the show alongside Carmelo Hayes and eventually became a huge star in NXT over the next four years. During his NXT run, Trick Williams was a 2-time NXT Champion and also held the TNA World Title while being a main eventer on the brand.

In his first WrestleMania match at WrestleMania 42, Trick Williams beat Sami Zayn to become the United States Champion on the SmackDown brand.

That Williams-Zayn feud is continuing past WrestleMania because Zayn attacked Williams on SmackDown on April 24th after Zayn was dressed up as the Gingerbread Man.

Trick Williams’ WWE Debut Was Actually On SmackDown

It turns out that Williams actually debuted on SmackDown just a few weeks after signing with WWE in 2021. This was when Apollo Crews (who was recently released) was doing his Nigerian prince gimmick, and Williams was there as one of Apollo’s guards, along with another wrestler named Denzel Dejournette.

During his appearance on Stephanie McMahon’s What’s Your Story podcast, Trick Williams talked about his WWE debut during the COVID-era of WWE with no fans in attendance.

“My class is pretty special. We the 2.0. group. Bron Breakker, The Creed Brothers, Tony D’Angelo, Carmelo Hayes, Grayson Waller. All us, we all came in together. This is still during COVID, that funny time right there. And I remember them just throwing us into the deep end. I was there for two weeks, I get a dot on my TR app that said, ‘You’re going to SmackDown.’ I was like, ‘Oh shoot.’ They said, ‘Yeah, you’re going to SmackDown but don’t get a big head, you didn’t deserve it yet.’ Ok, let’s just see what’s going to happen.

This is when Apollo Crews is doing his Nigerian gimmick and I’m one of his Nigerian bodyguards. I didn’t know where the hard camera was, I’m like, ‘Oh my god, I just see a bunch of monitors and everything looking at me. It was a crazy time.”

Trick Williams’ run on SmackDown ended up being short-lived.

“All the producers, everyone in the back said they loved the segment and everything like that. The next week I get COVID, so they said let’s leave those NXT boys down there, we can’t chance that.

So that’s how that whole thing started and ended for me. I wasn’t tripping. I wasn’t ready. It was definitely beneficial for my career. My first time going through Gorilla, I wasn’t even on NXT TV.” (H/T Wrestletalk)

The US Champion Williams also spoke about how Oba Femi, Je’Von Evans, and Trick push eachother to be better.

“Myself, Oba, Je’Von, we all worked Stand & Deliver last year. And I remember everybody said, ‘I’m going crazy. They’re gonna remember our match.’ And that’s exactly what we did last year. Those are two guys, and myself included, who want to be the top of the business. We all competing, you know what I mean? All three of us, we all want that number one spot. But it’s healthy. They’re my boys. ‘You went viral this week? I’m going viral, too. I’m going viral this week.’ Every week, we’re at it. Level up. And I think we’re pushing each other. I’m glad to be with them boys because they want it.”

It’s certainly a trio to keep an eye on in 2026 and beyond.