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Trick Williams Can Be WWE’s Next Mainstream Star

There may be no denying Trick Williams' rise to the top of WWE. Let’s talk about it.
Blake Lovell|
Trick Williams
Trick Williams | The CW Network

Let’s talk about it.

Trick Williams has appeared on three editions of SmackDown since his WWE main roster call-up.

He interrupted Sami Zayn on January 2, did the same to Randy Orton before defeating Rey Fenix in his debut match on January 9, and then there was the closing visual of SmackDown on January 16.

In segments featuring a future world champ and a 14-time champ, the biggest star shined brightest. That star was Trick Willy.

The crowd reaction told the story. Whether chanting “whoop that Trick” in unison or expressing pure joy at any mention of lemon pepper steppers, WWE fans are simply in love with the guy.

It’s easy to understand why.

However you want to define “it,” Trick has it in spades. There’s an undeniable energy when he’s on the screen, and there’s an undeniable response from the fans in the arena.

Remember that, because they’re the ones who are going to catapult the 31-year-old into superstardom.

It’s early, but there’s little hesitation in saying this: Trick is going to be WWE’s next mainstream star.

He has the charisma, aura, and star presence that few talents have had in the past decade or more. Having a popular catchphrase and interactive entrance can help you reach the top, but the overall presentation is everything.

WWE is presenting Trick like a megastar, and he taken the handoff and run with it, garnering some of the loudest reactions of anyone on the blue brand.

You know, the same brand that features Zayn, Orton, Cody Rhodes, Jacob Fatu, and Undisputed WWE Champion Drew McIntyre.

Since it’s 2026, comparisons to the meteoric rise of legends like The Rock and others have already been made online.

That’s a bit extreme this early on, even if the enthusiasm is understandable.

Still, Trick has the box office appeal to be a future crossover star in Hollywood, and there’s an indisputable feel that his larger-than-life persona can take him far in the modern era of WWE.

But what about the actual wrestling?

Few have ever denied Trick’s ability to win over the crowd with his charm and personality. However, some have had questions regarding his bell-to-bell performances.

Which brings us back to the three most important words in the WWE language: Presentation is everything.

Believe it or not, things can be exaggerated on the internet. Trick isn’t a bad wrestler. Does he have room for improvement in some areas? Sure, which is no different than many other talents early in their WWE careers.

If you want to indulge the premature comparisons to all-time WWE legends for a second, some of them didn't even sniff being one of the top 10 wrestlers on the planet. Instead, they focused their efforts on a handful of personality-driven characteristics that made them magnetic to the fans, both inside and outside of the ring.

You always accentuate the positives and hide the negatives.

He just needs to be Trick Willy, an authentic, brash 31-year-old who knows he has to the tools to be one of the top stars in the professional wrestling business.

Trick Williams Can Take His Game To Another Level In WWE

Trick Williams
Trick Williams | The CW Network

WWE isn’t shy about its desire to make money in the TKO era, and company executives should see dollar signs every time they look at the former NXT and TNA World Heavyweight Champion.

That’s where the setting also matters.

He is going to have every opportunity to develop any potential negatives into a revenue-producing positives due to the roster around him.

The NXT experience was invaluable for Trick, but NXT is still NXT. It’s a developmental brand where you can hone your skills with others who are at a similar level experience-wise.

But now, he’s going to be working with ring veterans who understand the little things necessary to turn a newcomer into someone who can carry an entire company.

You can watch matches with current or past greats and soak up plenty of knowledge, but it’s a different animal when you get to apply what you’ve learned in on-the-job training with the likes of Zayn, Orton, Rhodes, McIntyre, and more.

In knowing that, capping Trick’s WrestleMania main event-level star appeal just five years into his career would be silly.

There’s an argument to made that the NXT big three of Trick, Oba Femi, and Je’Von Evans is one of the most ready-made trio of rising stars WWE has produced in quite a while.

Femi is a future WrestleMania main eventer, and Evans will likely prove to be the most electric in the ring.

However, it should not be lost on anyone that in the most crowded season of the year for WWE, the company chose to throw Trick right in with other top superstars vying for their opportunity at a title match at WrestleMania.

He isn’t going to win the Fatal 4-Way Match at Saturday Night’s Main Event next week in Montreal, and he isn’t going to win the 2026 Men’s Royal Rumble in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Not all of them have thrived in their sink-or-swim moment.

But there has only been a select group of up-and-coming talents that have sported the unique combination of “it” skills that Trick has at his disposal.

So far, so good for the two-time NXT Champion, who can be the face of a new generation.

To be one of the greats, once was the freshness of his arrival wears off, he’ll have to do what many others have done before him and that’s keep finding ways to reinvent himself with the audience.

That shouldn’t be difficult with his gift of gab and physical attributes, and it’s up to WWE to package both into something special.

Yes, people are indeed talking about it. If WWE plays it right, they’re gonna be talking about the name Trick Williams for many years to come.

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Published | Modified
Blake Lovell
BLAKE LOVELL

Blake Lovell has worked in the sports media industry for nearly two decades, including covering WWE and professional wrestling for various digital outlets since 2019. He is a former editor/columnist for 411Mania and ClutchPoints. As a wrestling journalist, he has interviewed legends such as The Hardy Boyz, written numerous columns, and more. You can follow him on X at @wrestleblake for more discussion on wrestling's past, present, and future.

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