Add as a preferred source on Google Trick Williams reflected on his brief time working as a bodyguard for Apollo Crews on WWE SmackDown.
Speaking on What’s Your Story?, Williams discussed being part of the same WWE Performance Center class as Bron Breakker, The Creed Brothers, Tony D’Angelo, Carmelo Hayes and Grayson Waller. WWE announced that class in February 2021, with Williams listed under his real name, Matrick Belton, after playing Division I football at South Carolina.
Williams said:
“My class is pretty special. We the 2.0. group. Bron Breakker, The Creed Brothers, Tony D’Angelo, Carmelo Hayes, Grayson Waller. All us, we all came in together. This is still during COVID, that funny time right there. And I remember them just throwing us into the deep end.”
Williams noted that just two weeks into his time with WWE, he was told he would be going to SmackDown, although he was also warned not to “get a big head” because he had not earned the spot yet.
That appearance came during Apollo Crews’ Nigerian royalty presentation on SmackDown. On the March 5, 2021 episode, Crews was flanked by his Royal Guard while demanding an Intercontinental Championship rematch against Big E.
“This is when Apollo Crews is doing his Nigerian gimmick and I’m one of his Nigerian bodyguards,” Williams said. “I didn’t know where the hard camera was, I’m like, ‘Oh my god, I just see a bunch of monitors and everything looking at me. It was a crazy time.”
Williams said producers and people backstage liked the segment, but the role ended almost immediately after he tested positive for COVID the following week.
“The next week I get COVID, so they said let’s leave those NXT boys down there, we can’t chance that,” Williams said.
Williams said he was not upset by the situation, adding that he did not feel he was ready at the time.
“So that’s how that whole thing started and ended for me. I wasn’t tripping. I wasn’t ready. It was definitely beneficial for my career. My first time going through Gorilla, I wasn’t even on NXT TV.”