WWE's Trick Williams Believes NXT & TNA Experience Prepared Him For The Main Roster

Before ascending to WWE's main roster in 2026, Trick Williams spent a number of years in "WWE NXT," the company's developmental brand. Through a cross-promotional partnership, he also often competed in a TNA ring. According to Williams, both opportunities helped shape him for his current position on the "WWE SmackDown" brand.

"It is crazy because you know how the TNA locker room is," Williams told "Busted Open Radio.""It's kind of I don't want to say the wild, wild west, but there's a lot of freedom there where you have to trust yourself as a performer to go with your gut and do what you feel is right. NXT, it is a quote unquote developmental brand where there's a whole lot of other pressures. As a young aspiring talent, you feel the pressure from Shawn Michaels every single day you're walking through gorilla. Now, if you can look Shawn Michaels in the face every single Tuesday, then you can do a one-on-one promo with Randy Orton."

As Williams alluded to, WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels has taken over as the head booker of "NXT," with his official title being the Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative. Meanwhile, WWE CCO Paul "Triple H" Levesque leads the creative direction for WWE's main roster.

In one of his first official outings on "SmackDown" under Levesque, Williams traded words with WWE veteran Randy Orton, resulting in the former NXT Champion getting dropped with a hanging DDT.

As a part of WWE's multi-year partnership with TNA, Williams challenged Joe Hendry for the TNA World Championship at "NXT" Battleground, and in a shocking outcome, he emerged victorious. From there, he became a regular fixture on TNA television during his reign.

"When you make it to TNA, it's more like you're considered to be a grown man," Williams said about his TNA run. "They're not going to tell you every single detail. They're not going to tell you, look this way, make sure you talk to the people that way. They're going to tell you what the assignment is and you do that to the best of your ability. But they're trusting you as a performer to go out there and get the job done. The reason I think that's a beautiful thing is because it's not so tight on direction. You have an opportunity to see what works for you. Nobody's going to tell you what to do. You can go see what works for yourself."

With TNA's more relaxed approach to creative, Williams noted that he was able to take risks in the promotion's ring, while also building trust in himself as a performer. For instance, Williams learned that if he hit a certain move, the audience would positively react to it, which enticed him to use it again in the future.

"Once you get to the [WWE] main roster, you have to be able to put yourself in positions to look good. They're going to help you, it's not about that, but you're a grown man," he added.

Most recently, Williams competed in a four-way bout at WWE Saturday Night's Main Event, where the winner earned an Undisputed WWE Championship match against Drew McIntyre at the 2026 Royal Rumble.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.