Trick Williams successfully defended his United States Championship against Sami Zayn in a brutal and intense match at WWE Backlash 2026. Williams demonstrated his physical toughness and endurance in this match, as well as his rising status in the world of professional wrestling. He previously tried to make a career in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles, but football isn’t meant for him.
Before Trick Williams, whose real name is Matrick Belton, became one of WWE’s fastest rising stars, he was chasing a football dream that never fully came together.
“Football wasn’t showing me love the way I thought it was,” Williams told Front Office Sports.
Williams starred at Hampton University as a wide receiver from 2013 to 2014. Hoping to improve his NFL chances, he transferred to the University of South Carolina and finished his college career with the Gamecocks in the SEC.
Despite that move, his football career never took off. In two seasons at South Carolina, he played 21 games with only five starts, recording 11 catches for 121 yards and no touchdowns.
Williams had tried out for the 2017 NFL Draft but went undrafted. He then began coaching and worked as a student-teacher intern at Airport High School in West Columbia while keeping the hope of becoming an NFL player alive. In 2018, he played in The Spring League before earning a spot in the Philadelphia Eagles’ rookie mini-camp. But after getting cut from that team, it was evident his NFL dream was slowly dying.
That disappointment unexpectedly changed his life. Williams asked his agent to send his information to the XFL, the spring football league started by Vince McMahon. Instead of hearing back from the XFL, he received a call from WWE.
“Maybe I got mixed up in the system,” Belton joked. “Up to that point, I had never thought about being a WWE superstar.”
In 2021, he officially signed with WWE and began performing as Trick Williams on WWE SmackDown.
Williams is now the reigning WWE United States Champion, a two-time NXT Champion, and a former NXT North American Champion. He also made appearances in Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling, where he won the TNA World Championship.
Even after joining WWE, he still had the opportunity to play football. Before he made his way to WWE’s main roster, the New York Jets got in contact with him to see if he could return to the NFL, Williams told The Mack Down Report. But instead of playing in the NFL, Williams decided to focus on wrestling
Football and wrestling have long been connected in WWE. Legends like Dwayne Johnson and Bill Goldberg both played football before becoming wrestling icons. Roman Reigns also played college football before entering WWE.
For Trick Williams, getting cut by the Philadelphia Eagles ended one dream but led him to the WWE career he was meant for.
A look at Trick Williams’ WWE journey
Football helped Trick Williams prepare for the physical side of wrestling, but the transition was not easy. Shawn Michaels said WWE first passed on Belton because wrestling needed more “smoothness and grace” than football.
Even so, that tryout changed everything for him. He realized his football journey was over and decided to fully focus on wrestling. Williams trained in Philadelphia with former WWE wrestlers Drew Gulak and Joe Gacy while also working as a fitness trainer.
He got another tryout with WWE in March 2020 and relocated to Los Angeles during the pandemic to train with wrestling legend Rikishi at KnokX Pro. After losing his job as a fitness trainer, he earned money by delivering food, doing online teaching, and making music videos until he got another shot with WWE.
This happened in December 2020. Within two months, he signed with WWE and quickly became one of the biggest names in NXT, where he won the NXT Championship two times. When Williams debuted on WWE SmackDown, the crowd instantly embraced his energy and “Whoop That Trick” chants.
Three months after that, Williams entered the ring with Lil Yachty in a giant fur coat and beat Sami Zayn to win his first title in the main roster. Finally, years after his football career was over, Williams found his home.
