Exclusive: Trick Williams Is Pulling Up to WrestleMania 42 Like He Owns It

WrestleMania is where future legends make their mark in WWE, and SmackDown standout Trick Williams is looking to do exactly that in his first-ever match at the event next weekend.

It's a common theme throughout this year's loaded card. Along with Williams, WrestleMania 42 will see a slew of fresh faces make their debut on the grand stage, including his NXT contemporaries, Oba Femi and Je'Von Evans.

All three will be involved in highly anticipated outings at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, and it surely won't be the last time.

Only three months into his main roster run, Williams has already made a name for himself on SmackDown. Now, he has the chance to walk out of The Show of Shows with the United States Championship if he can defeat Sami Zayn.

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As a former NXT North American champion, a two-time NXT champion and even a TNA world champion, Williams is no stranger to gold. He dominated the NXT ranks for over four years and is ready to continue taking SmackDown by storm.

When It 'Clicked' for Trick on Main Roster

Trick Williams had been waiting in the wings in NXT for a main roster call-up for some time.

He made the jump from football to WWE in early 2021 and went on to become one of the cornerstones of NXT. After reaching the mountaintop, he bided his time until an opportunity arrived for him to be brought to either Raw or SmackDown.

NXT call-ups are traditionally saved for after WrestleMania, but the rosters needed new blood in the worst way and thus the 31-year-old was among an elite few who arrived at the onset of the year.

He credits NXT's head honcho Shawn Michaels for properly preparing him for the bright lights of WWE and the Performance Center system as a whole.

"At NXT, they put us in intense situations, like practicing all the time, training weights, going to do interviews, going to do matches, doing a match in front of two or three hundred people," Williams told B/R.

"I would say maybe that's harder than going out there in front of 15,000 every single Friday because it's just more intimate and you can feel the energy of the people probably a little bit closer.

"As far as the transition to SmackDown, man, I've had a lot of people who've been there to help it operate smoothly. I'm grateful for that."

It's not uncommon for certain acts that are popular in NXT to fail to translate to the main roster audience. That was never a concern for anyone who saw what Williams was capable of during his stint down in developmental.

His in-ring ability was always adequate, but his mic skills were where he shined. He exudes charisma every time he talks, so it was hardly surprising he got over with fans quickly.

His issues with Zayn were apparent from the first night he showed up on the blue brand and confronted the Canadian star. Since then, Williams has been pretty prominently featured in high-profile matches and never looked out of place.

"I would say the top moment thus far has to be Elimination Chamber, right there in Chicago, where the crowd's just going crazy," Williams said. "And getting that new entrance, the entrance that the people have never seen before. I stole that thing that Bobby Roode used to have, 'revolving superstar' is what I like to call it. They put me on a rotisserie because I'm cooking. I think that's the moment for me where it changed from NXT Trick Williams. This is a whole new version of turn-up that you're all going to get."

Neither Face Nor Heel

Although Williams was best known for his time spent as a fan favorite while in NXT, it was during his TNA World Championship run that he completely reinvented himself as a heel and managed to turn the crowd against him.

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He's carried that bombastic attitude with him to SmackDown, even if it hasn't been enough to get him booed. If anything, fans have started to side with him over Zayn, leading to speculation that a double turn could be imminent.

Regardless of where he is in the world, he views every appearance as a chance to leave a lasting impression. The resounding chants of "Whoop That Trick" in international arenas specifically are proof that he's doing something right.

"Every single time they play my music, I go out there with the intention for everybody to at least know my name by the end of my segment," Williams said. "You can't control if people like you beforehand. But once they get the Trick Williams experience, then I expect them to be on board.

"Going to SmackDown and going to places I've never been before like Montreal, Toronto, Germany, the UK, Saudi Arabia... There's no way to know how people are going to respond to you.

"Every single time I get to go out there in front of the people and my music plays, I take it personally as a challenge to show everybody what Trick Williams is about."

Lines are blurred so often in WWE that it's sometimes difficult to decipher who's a face, who's a heel and if it's even relevant. For Williams, he's only concerned with being his authentic self and rocking with those who rock with him.

"That's the thing about Trick Williams," he said. "See, you got to understand there's no babyface, no heel, no good guy, no bad guy. Trick Williams is going to be Trick Williams, no matter the situation.

"If you boo me today, you're probably going to be cheering me tomorrow. You may boo me the day after that. It really doesn't matter. My job is to be Trick Williams and that's all it is. And that's all that's going to be."

Williams' arrival on SmackDown signaled a new era with himself, Oba Femi and Je'Von Evans leading the charge.

The three met in the main event of NXT's Stand & Deliver event over WrestleMania 41 weekend in Las Vegas in 2025. One year later, they're WWE's biggest breakout stars with the most to gain at WrestleMania 42.

They're all competing for the same spot at the top, along with the rest of the roster, but the immense amount of talent they possess will ensure they're successful no matter what.

"It's definitely a special time in WWE, with the likes of myself, Oba and Je'Von," Williams said. "It just feels fresh. It feels new, it's exciting. I know one thing about the three of us is: we're hungry. You could see that in the main event of Stand & Deliver last year. We all went out there with something to prove.

"It's cool because we do have things in common. We are three young, Black men, but at the same time, we're all very different in how we execute and do everything that we do.

"You know, Trick Williams is more of the smooth, cocky, trash-talking character," he added. "Je'Von is young, bouncy, jumping all over the place. Oba is The Ruler, the strong, powerful, dominant one. We don't step on each other's territory, but we're all equally hungry and we all equally want to make it to the top. It's a special time in WWE for us. It's my job to hold down SmackDown and bring it to a level that we keep it exciting."

With WrestleMania being where legacies are cemented and moments are made, fans should expect Williams to own the spotlight in Vegas and at every installment thereafter.

Capturing the United States Championship is merely the first step in his ascent to superstardom.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.