Why a Former NXT Champion is Destined for Main Roster Success
The first SmackDown of 2026 saw a lot of surprises, such as Zack Ryder’s return to WWE as Matt Cardona, Jordynne Grace making an appearance, and a promo interruption that set the stage for a main roster call-up with high implications. While Sami Zayn was cutting a promo inside the ring, he was interrupted by former NXT Champion Trick Williams. He made his intentions known to the WWE Universe: he is on a quest to capture a world title on the main roster. It has been an amazing journey seeing Williams go from being Carmelo Hayes’ partner to becoming one of WWE’s hottest stars, and there is no doubt that Williams is destined for main roster success.
When ‘Hollywood Trick’ first arrived in NXT, he was partnered up with Hayes to form the Trick Melo Gang. Williams would aid Hayes and be by his side as Hayes would capture the NXT North American and NXT Championships. As time went on, Williams knew he had to make a name for himself and decided to step away from Hayes temporarily to pursue a singles run. This run led to Williams capturing the NXT North American Championship from Dominik Mysterio at NXT No Mercy 2023, although his title reign would only last for three days. As Williams would push for an opportunity to challenge for the NXT Championship, jealousy began to form around Hayes, as he knew that Williams could become a barrier between him and the NXT title. Hayes’ jealousy would eventually lead to him turning on Williams, ending their two-year friendship.
Williams would get the upper hand in their feud, winning both matches and sending Hayes on his way to the main roster. Williams, with an entire crowd by his side, managed to do the unthinkable and dethroned Ilja Dragunov to become the new NXT Champion. Williams would drop the title to Ethan Page but would regain it a few months later. After losing the NXT title to Oba Femi, Williams would fail to capture the title once again, leading to Williams slowly lashing out and eventually cementing his heel turn. Williams’ heel run was nothing short of spectacular, adding more fire to his in-ring work and slowly showing more confidence on the microphone. Williams’ success as a heel included a TNA World Championship run, dubbing him the nickname ‘TrickNA.’ Now with his sights set on the main roster, Trick Williams has established himself as a main event contender.
Williams has a catchy theme song, a cool catchphrase in ‘Whoop That Trick,’ a character that works well as a face and a heel, and character development that fits right in on the main roster. It’s a bit surprising that WWE didn’t call him up to the main roster sooner, but keeping him on NXT for a while longer really helped Williams patch up any flaws his character might have had. Williams also has the advantage of being a recognizable character during his few appearances on the main roster. It’s only a matter of when, not if, Williams becomes a world champion on the main roster.
