Trick Williams WWE's rising star on what Whoop that Trick means and previews WrestleMania| The Pivot

TL;DR

Trick Williams reveals his journey from HBCU football walk-on to WWE star, explaining 'Whoop That Trick' as authentic Black culture embraced worldwide.

Key Points

• 1.'Whoop That Trick' is rooted in pure authenticity. Trick Williams says he couldn't be anyone else — it's how his family talks, how his pops talks, and people of all races and languages now chant it globally, even in Saudi Arabia.
• 2.A pivotal moment came from a church sermon. When deciding whether to pursue wrestling, his pastor's message about 'water coming from the rock — follow the rock' convinced him to move to Philadelphia two weeks later to train.
• 3.His mother programmed delusional belief into all three brothers. She ran practice interviews, told them to sit up straight, and repeatedly affirmed they'd be stars — his brother Hassan credits this as the source of Trick's lifelong confidence.
• 4.Trick Williams is Matric Belton 'turned up to 10.' He admits he occasionally gets caught up in his persona, but his fiancée — a 6-foot former Texas A&M basketball player drafted by the Seattle Storm — keeps him grounded.
• 5.Booker T is his primary mentor and helped launch 'Whoop That Trick.' The WCW five-time champion spotted his talent, taught him small performance details like holding a pose and flexing after a kick, and MCed the crowd chants.
• 6.His leap of faith began by walking on at South Carolina, the #4 team in the nation. Out of 200 walk-on hopefuls cut to 20, then to 8, he earned a spot — and later his photo replaced Steve Spurrier's 80-foot banner at Williams-Brice Stadium.
• 7.Carmelo Hayes felt betrayed when Trick pursued his own singles run. Trick acknowledges Melo's perspective but argues that four years in WWE doesn't negate the grinding he did beforehand in football, substitute teaching, motivational speaking, and delivering food to fund training.
• 8.His first match in front of 12–14 people in New Jersey confirmed wrestling was his calling. The adrenaline spike exceeded anything he felt in football, and he hadn't slept for 48 hours — that internal feeling, not crowd size, told him he was in the right place.
• 9.The Rock chanting 'Whoop That Trick' in the WrestleMania ring was a full-circle moment. Trick connects it to a chain of leaps of faith — reading Jonah, walking on at South Carolina, a failed Eagles tryout, and ultimately trusting the signs God placed in his path.
• 10.Trick's wrestling philosophy mirrors Spurrier's football simplicity: execute what you do best. Steve Spurrier Jr. told him to make sure nobody in the room does your specific thing better than you — Trick applies this by treating every promo as career-defining and throwing his best work every single time.