‘I think you’re special’: Inside Trick Williams’ meteoric rise up the WWE roster

Trick Williams, draped in his now customary fur coat, is unveiled under a single spotlight before making his way into WWE’s famed Elimination Chamber. It’s late February, and as the audience in Chicago sings “Whoop That Trick,” following each beat of the 32-year-old’s theme song, Williams feeds energy right back to the crowd.

Backstage on the latest season of “WWE: Unreal,” which premiered Tuesday, Paul Heyman is then seen chatting with WWE executive Michael Hayes. Both men gush over the 6-foot-5, 250-pound newcomer.

“This motherf***er’s going to be a monster,” Heyman says.

“Just in time, too. This year is going to be a breakout.”

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - FEBRUARY 28: Trick Williams makes his way to the ring during WWE Elimination Chamber at the United Center on February 28, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Craig Melvin/WWE via Getty Images) — Feb. 28, 2026: Trick Williams makes his way to WWE’s Elimination Chamber at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
(WWE via Getty Images)

Williams rose to stardom on the NXT scene, firmly planted his flag through a crossover run with TNA, and since debuting on the WWE main roster in January, has wasted no time establishing himself in less than a full year on “WWE Smackdown,” capturing and defending the promotion’s U.S. Championship.

“Man, the whole thing with this whole ‘Unreal’ season is, no pun intended, it has been unreal,” Williams told Uncrowned ahead of this season’s release.

“Just seeing how fast my life has escalated within the past seven months. From watching Paul Heyman for a very long time — we’re talking about a guy who’s been in the business longer than I’ve been alive. And some of my favorite segments, I can actually remember him being in the segment point-blank, period, when I’m thinking about wrestling. Yeah, any time he says something, man, my ears are wide open. If he has something good to say, then I’m on cloud nine.”

The verbal endorsement of an all-time great bodes well for Williams. Heyman’s track record for spotting talent like “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Mick Foley and CM Punk speaks for itself.

For Williams, it’s nothing new, having received praise from the likes of Shawn Michaels and Booker T during his time in NXT, and now Triple H, Heyman and even Brock Lesnar since moving up to the main roster. Williams still gets chills thinking about the conversation he had with Heyman and Lesnar after WrestleMania 42.

“I talked to Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar after my WrestleMania match. Talking to them, the GOATs, Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar, they said, ‘This is what I thought about your match: I think you’re special. I think you have something. But this is what I want you to do to take it to the next level,'” Williams recalls. “Man, I get chills just thinking about that conversation I had, because these are the guys who made me love the business today.

“It’s just a beautiful thing, man, a beautiful thing.”

Williams is one of the featured stars on this third season of “WWE: Unreal,” which is airing now on Netflix. The series follows several of WWE’s biggest names — including John Cena, CM Punk, Liv Morgan, Seth Rollins, AJ Lee and Bron Breakker — through one of the company’s busiest stretches of the year.

Williams’ story gives a glimpse behind the scenes into his family life, his offscreen relationship with fellow WWE star Lash Legend, and his dynamic with onscreen colleague Lil Yachty. The show offers fans a deeper understanding of what carried Williams to this point and the inside story of his rapid ascent within WWE.

“I’ve been through the fire for so much of my life,” Williams says.

“Getting a little win, then losing and deciding to get back up and keep fighting. And over the years, that has manifested into confidence, that lets me know, ‘OK, I do belong. OK, I can get this job done.’ Regardless of how it looks today, I already know where I’m going, and for me, I didn’t develop that type of confidence purely off of delusion. No, I lost and I won and I scratched and I clawed for a very long time to be able to talk trash the way I do every single night. I don’t think people really know the whole story, and that’s cool.”

While “Unreal” offers fans a look behind the WWE curtain, the cameras also capture Williams as a performer still learning in real time despite his rapid rise.

“‘Starting to click’ is a very touchy thing, because the funny thing about wrestling, and probably anything in life, man, the day you have a great match, nobody can tell you nothing,” Williams says. “You’re on top of the world. ‘I have life figured out. You come to me, I can help you with your taxes, I can tell you how to get in shape, I can tell you how to get that lineup. Whatever you need, I can get it done.’

“Then the moment something happens that’s not quite as good as you want it, you go completely back to the drawing board. If you’re not careful, you tuck your tail and you run behind the desk somewhere. But, that’s what the business is all about, honestly, just staying not too high, not too low, staying level-headed.

“I don’t have it figured out by any means,” he continues, “but I have a mindset going about it that, man, I’m going to go hard every single day. Every single day, I’m just trying to win the day. And as long as I keep that mindset, I never get too complacent, and I’m ready to work.”

Part of Williams’ appeal has been his onscreen partnership with Grammy-nominated rapper Lil Yachty. Williams hardly needed help connecting with audiences, but Yachty has added another layer to his presentation. Their chemistry has blurred the lines between celebrity crossover and genuine friendship.

ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY - JULY 3: Trick Williams and Lil Yachty look on during SmackDown at Boardwalk Hall Arena on July 3, 2026 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. (Photo by Brien Adams/WWE via Getty Images) — Trick Williams and Lil Yachty have reigned over WWE’s U.S. Championship.
(WWE via Getty Images)

“Me and Yachty, I’ve known him before — the world got to see it on TV because he loves the business. He’s been a fan of the business his whole life,” Williams says. “And where we meet is a complete obsession with greatness. He’s willing to put his whole career on the line and take a chance to become a whole WWE superstar out the blue.

“Unprovoked, put his tours and his dates all to the side and is committed to training and working hard, and popping up on TV with Trick Willie every single week, and I appreciate that. And he wants to be great, man. He loves the business and I love the business, and we’re friends, so I think that’s what works.”

Yachty’s immersion into the WWE has been intentional, Williams says. The rapper has soaked in as much as he can and is incrementally getting more involved in what fans see on the screen.

“We’re here every single week,” Williams continues.

“And I’m sure he’s going to get in that ring, and we’re going to have some tag matches sometime soon. And shoot, he can have his singles matches too because he wants it and he’s going to get it.”

Like many of today’s biggest stars, Williams has embraced living somewhere between hero and villain. His charisma evokes shades of Razor Ramon, while his willingness to bend the rules recalls “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Rather than fit neatly into either role, Williams has found success inhabiting both.

Williams knows exactly who he is, and that self-awareness has given him the freedom to thrive in wrestling’s increasingly gray area between hero and villain.

“Truth is, I’m probably both. I’m the hero in somebody’s story and I’m the villain in somebody else’s,” Williams says.

“And I can live with that, because either way, they’re going to be talking about me, and that’s what I want the most.”

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