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Trick Williams
American professional wrestler (born 1994) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Matrick Mondre Belton (born May 26, 1994) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on its NXT brand, under the ring name Trick Williams. He also makes appearances in WWE's partner promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he is the TNA World Champion in his first reign.
After playing gridiron football in college, Belton began his professional wrestling career in 2018 under the ring name Sweet Daddy Trick when he trained in Philadelphia with his uncle. Belton then signed a developmental contract with WWE in February 2021 and debuted in September of the same year under the Trick Williams ring name. Since then, he has become a two-time NXT Champion, a one-time NXT North American Champion, and was the winner of the 2023 Men's Iron Survivor Challenge. He won the TNA World Championship, his first world championship, in May 2025 and became the first WWE-contracted wrestler to win a TNA championship.
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Football career
Belton excelled in athletics since childhood and played college football on a full scholarship for the Hampton Pirates in 2012 and 2013, the latter season cut short due to a pulled hamstring. Feeling he could do more, he abandoned his scholarship to walk on to the South Carolina Gamecocks team, his father's alma mater, from 2014 to 2016.[3] There, he also played alongside his brothers, André and Hassan. He caught 11 passes for 121 yards during his college career, all of which came in 2015.[7] At South Carolina, he graduated in physical education.[3] He went undrafted in 2017 and spent time as an assistant coach and student-teacher intern at Airport High School in West Columbia, South Carolina in the fall of 2017. He then played in The Spring League in 2018 and attended the Philadelphia Eagles rookie minicamp on a tryout basis in May 2018.[8]
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Professional wrestling career
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Training and early years (2018–2021)
When he realized his football career was going nowhere, he made a last ditch attempt by sending a tape to WWE in order to make the XFL, a quickly defunct football league also ran by Vince McMahon. While he didn't make the XFL, WWE reached out to him via e-mail to encourage him to try out wrestling.[3]
He moved in with his uncle to train and perform for Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) in Philadelphia. He worked as a fitness coach for Orangetheory Fitness by day and attended wrestling school at night. To honor his uncle and black roots, he created a Dolemite-inspired character named after his uncle's nickname "Sweet Daddy Trick" and even created a short film to develop his new persona.[3] When the COVID pandemic hit, he decided to move out of his elderly uncle's house and relocated to Los Angeles, where he worked odd jobs while trying to make it as an actor. While there, he trained and performed at KnokX Pro Wrestling Academy, until he was signed by WWE.[3]
WWE (2021–present)
Debut and Trick Melo Gang (2021–2024)
On February 24, 2021, Belton signed a developmental contract with WWE and was assigned to the WWE Performance Center and subsequently the NXT brand.[2] He made his WWE on-screen debut as an unnamed "Elite Guard" of Apollo Crews on the March 5 episode of SmackDown.[9][10] On the September 14 episode of NXT, Belton made his NXT first appearance under the ring name Trick Williams as a friend of Carmelo Hayes, attacking Duke Hudson before his match, establishing himself as a heel and forming an alliance known as the Trick Melo Gang.[11] Williams made his in-ring debut on the October 5 episode of NXT, teaming with Hayes in a fatal four-way elimination tag team match for the NXT Tag Team Championship, which was won by MSK (Nash Carter and Wes Lee).[12] In 2022, Williams feuded with Lee, defeating him at NXT: The Great American Bash on July 5, but lost to him in a rounds match on the August 9 episode of NXT.[13][14]
Williams and Hayes turned face on the April 4, 2023 episode of NXT after Bron Breakker turned heel by attacking them.[15] On the August 1 episode of NXT, Williams told Hayes that they needed to part ways so he could achieve his own accomplishments, amicably breaking up the Trick Melo Gang.[16] At NXT: Heatwave on August 22, Williams lost to Ilja Dragunov.[17] On the September 26 episode of NXT, Williams became the number one contender to the NXT North American Championship by defeating Axiom, Dragon Lee and Tyler Bate in a fatal four-way match.[18] Four days later at NXT No Mercy, Williams defeated "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio to win the title.[19] Two days later, Williams made his debut appearance on Raw as the new NXT North American Champion.[20] However, on the October 3 episode of NXT, Williams lost the title back to Mysterio after interference from Mysterio's Judgment Day stablemates, ending his reign at three days and marking it the shortest reign in the title's history.[21] Williams made his Main Event debut on the October 16 taping in a losing effort against Chad Gable.[22]
On the October 17 episode of NXT, Williams was slotted into the triple threat match between Hayes, Dijak and Baron Corbin to make it a fatal four-way match for a NXT Championship opportunity against Dragunov at NXT: Halloween Havoc, causing a rift between Williams and Hayes. Before the match started, Williams was found attacked backstage and taken to a hospital. Hayes then defeated Dijak and Corbin for the title opportunity.[23] At Night 2 of Halloween Havoc on October 31, Williams returned and cost Hayes the NXT Championship match.[24] On the November 14 episode of NXT, he defeated Joe Coffey to qualify for the Iron Survivor Challenge at NXT Deadline.[25] At the event on December 9, Williams won the men's Iron Survivor Challenge to earn an NXT Championship match against Dragunov at NXT: New Year's Evil on January 2, 2024.[26] At the event, it was announced that Dragunov was not medically cleared to wrestle. Instead, Hayes put Williams in a match against Grayson Waller with his Iron Survivor Challenge title match on the line, which he won after interference from Kevin Owens.[27] On the January 16 episode of NXT, Dragunov returned from injury and informed Williams that their title match would take place at NXT Vengeance Day. At the same time, Williams and Hayes defeated Edris Enofé and Malik Blade in the first round of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.[28] Williams made his SmackDown appearance debut on January 26, saving Hayes from a beatdown by A-Town Down Under (Waller and Austin Theory).[29] On the January 30 episode of NXT, Williams and Hayes defeated Latino World Order's Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro to advance to the finals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.[30]
Championship reigns (2024–present)
At NXT Vengeance Day on February 4, Williams and Hayes lost to Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker in the finals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Later that night, Williams failed to win the NXT Championship from Dragunov. After the match, Hayes attacked Williams with a steel chair, ending their partnership.[31] On the following episode of NXT, Hayes revealed that he was the one who attacked Williams back in October 2023.[32] After Tony D'Angelo defeated Hayes at NXT: Roadblock, Williams made his return and attacked Hayes.[33] The following week on NXT, Williams challenged Hayes to a match at NXT Stand & Deliver on April 6, which Williams won.[34][35][36] On the following episode of NXT, Williams called out Dragunov to challenge him for the NXT Championship. Dragunov agreed to a title match at Spring Breakin' on the condition that Williams leave NXT if he loses, which Williams accepted.[37] In a NXT Stand & Deliver rematch on the April 16 episode of NXT, Williams defeated Hayes in a steel cage match despite interference from Hayes' security team to end their feud.[38] On Week 1 of Spring Breakin', Williams defeated Dragunov to capture the NXT Championship for the first time in his career.[39] On the May 7 episode of NXT, Noam Dar called Williams a fraud and proceeded to attack Williams shortly after Lash Legend revealed that she was having a relationship with Williams.[40] On the following week, Dar was found attacked by an unknown assailant.[41] On the May 28 episode of NXT, Williams was attacked by a debuting Ethan Page, who revealed himself as the one who attacked Dar previously and Mensah earlier that night.[42] A week later, Page officially signed with NXT, whose contract also contains a NXT Championship match at NXT Battleground where Williams successfully retained his title.[43][44] At NXT Heatwave on July 7, Williams lost the title to Page in a fatal four-way match also involving Evans and Shawn Spears, the former of whom Page pinned, ending his reign at 75 days.[45]
After losing the NXT Championship, Williams got into with a feud with Pete Dunne, who derided Williams for seeking advice to recapture the NXT Championship. This led to a match at Week 2 of NXT: The Great American Bash on August 6 where Dunne won.[46] Williams retaliated by costing Dunne in a triple threat match against Joe Hendry and Wes Lee for a NXT Championship match at NXT No Mercy on September 1,[47] where Williams served as the special guest referee for the NXT Championship match between Hendry and Page. After the match, he was attacked by Dunne.[48] On the September 10 episode of NXT, Williams defeated Dunne in a Last Man Standing match to end their feud and to earn an NXT Championship match at NXT's CW premiere on October 1,[49] where he defeated Page (with CM Punk as the special guest referee) to win his second NXT Championship.[50] It was announced on the October 15 episode of NXT that Williams will defend his newly won NXT Championship in a Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal match at NXT Halloween Havoc against Page, who had won a triple threat number one contender's match. After spinning the wheel, it was revealed that the two would face off in a Devil's Playground match.[51] At the event on October 27, Williams defeated Page to retain the title. After the match, Williams was attacked by Page and Ridge Holland before Bubba Ray Dudley came out to save him.[52] At NXT 2300 on November 6, Williams and Bubba Ray lost to Holland and Page, with Williams being pinned by Holland. After the match, Bubba Ray and Williams put Page through a table that was brought to the ring by D-Von Dudley.[53] At NXT Deadline on December 7, Williams defeated Holland to retain the title and end their feud.[54]On the December 17 episode of NXT, Williams' title match against Eddy Thorpe ended in controversial fashion as two referees counted two separate pins. After the show went off the air, NXT General Manager Ava confirmed that both Williams and Thorpe's shoulders were down, resulting in a double pinfall and thus Williams retained the title.[55] At NXT: New Year's Evil on January 7, 2025, Williams lost the title to Oba Femi in a triple threat match also involving Thorpe, ending his second reign at 98 days.[56] Williams continued his feud with Thorpe, which culminated in a strap match at NXT Vengeance Day on February 15, where Williams lost.[57] On the March 18 episode of NXT, Williams defeated Thorpe in an NXT Underground match to end their feud. After the match, Williams called out Femi to confront him. Immediately after, they were surrounded by Darkstate (Dion Lennox, Cutler James, Saquon Shugars, and Osiris Griffin) and Femi was taken out by Je'Von Evans.[58] At NXT Stand and Deliver on April 19, Williams failed to regain the title from Femi in a triple threat match also involving Evans.[59]
On the April 22 episode of NXT, Williams began to tease a heel turn, as his character shifted to become more selfish and entitled as he whined for another title opportunity from Femi. Afterwards, Williams would insult TNA World Champion Joe Hendry following his surprise appearance and quick loss to Randy Orton at WrestleMania 41. Williams solidified his heel turn by attacking Hendry at Rebellion and later helping DarkState win their match against Hendry and Hank and Tank (Hank Walker and Tank Ledger) on the May 6 episode of NXT. At NXT Battleground on May 25, Williams defeated Hendry to win the title. On the June 3 episode of NXT, Williams successfully defended the title against Mike Santana in his first title defense after interference from First Class (A. J. Francis and KC Navarro).[60]
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2025–present)
Trick Williams made his Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) debut at Rebellion on April 27, 2025, where he attacked Joe Hendry after Hendry retained his TNA World Championship against Frankie Kazarian and Ethan Page.[61]
On May 25, Williams defeated Hendry to win the TNA World Championship at NXT Battleground.This marked the first world championship in his career and the first time a contracted WWE wrestler won a TNA title.[62] Williams would retain the TNA World Title against Elijah at Against All Odds.[63] On July 20 at Slammiversary, Williams successfully defended his title against Hendry and Mike Santana.[64]
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Other media
Belton, as Trick Williams, made his video game debut as a playable character in WWE 2K23 as a DLC[65] and has since appeared in WWE 2K24[66] and WWE 2K25.[67]
Belton worked as an extra in the third season of the TV series All American. He also appeared as a guest star in the finale of the show's seventh season, portraying the character of Eddie Blair.[68]
Discography
Personal life
Belton is currently in a relationship with fellow female American professional wrestler Anriel Howard, who currently competes under the ring name Lash Legend.[76]
Championships and accomplishments
References
External links
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