Trick Williams is known for his explosive offense in the ring, and he has fans all over chanting “WHOOP THAT TRICK”at him. He emerged in the WWE landscape from a football background, adding to a long list of Superstars who entered through the gridiron.
During a conversation with Brad Gilmore, Trick Williams clarified that the XFL was indeed an option for him. He had a tryout with the Philadelphia Eagles, but he didn’t make it. Then his agent arranged an XFL tryout.
This was the XFL during Vince McMahon’s second re-birth of the league, prior to the pandemic. So, when WWE saw the kind of skills Trick Williams brought to the table, things changed for his life.
“I wasn’t into wrestling. I was into football. After college, I had a mini camp tryout with the Philadelphia Eagles, but I got cut. From there, I didn’t know what I was going to do, but I wanted to play football. I had an agent at the time who wanted me to tryout for the XFL. The XFL was owned by Vince McMahon. I filled out this questionnaire for the XFL, and the next day WWE reached out to me.”
WWE Superstars’ Connection to Football
Transitioning from football to pro wrestling is a common journey, with figures like The Rock, Roman Reigns, and Baron Corbin making their way to WWE from the football world. Trick Williams, too, had football as a potential path, and interestingly, it almost led him to the XFL.
The Rock resurrected the XFL after Vince McMahon’s attempt to revive the defunct league faced setbacks. McMahon’s XFL reboot was thwarted by the pandemic, but The Rock took up the mantle shortly after. Williams, however, tried out for McMahon’s version of the XFL reboot, although it didn’t steer him toward a football career.
Trick Williams’ Future in WWE
Trick Williams is gearing up for the challenge against Ilja Dragunov at NXT New Year’s Evil on January 2nd. That is a huge opportunity for Trick Williams, as he has worked hard for over a year to make it to this point in his WWE career, even if his original path was in the football world.
