Trick Williams, the current United States Champion in WWE, has opened up about the profound impact John Cena has had on his career. As he prepares to defend his title against Baron Corbin at SummerSlam this weekend, Williams shared insights from multiple conversations with the 16-time world champion.
Cena's psychological approach
Williams, 32, revealed that Cena focused on the mindset behind wrestling. 'I've talked to Cena [on] multiple occasions, all the way back at NXT. He would come back and make himself available to all the new and upcoming talent way back then,' Williams told Metro. 'I would say Cena's more of a psychological guy. He thinks, “What's the story? Why are we doing what we're doing?” He makes you think about the business, the ABCs of wrestling.'
Cena, who retired from in-ring competition in December, encouraged Williams to 'embrace the moment'. Williams recalled a pivotal conversation back in NXT when he asked Cena how to know when it's your time. 'What he said is, “Man, you got to take that opportunity by the horns, man. It's no perfect time, but you got to make it your time. You got to believe within yourself that now is your time,”' Williams explained. 'Ever since that moment when I decided, like, hey, “Trick Williams is gonna do this thing on his own”, I've been living in this realm of “every day is my day”. Approach it with everything I got.'
Fan connection and Lil Yachty
Williams has forged a strong bond with fans, who chant 'Whoop that Trick' during his entrances. He noted that his theme song has no lyrics, allowing the crowd to fill in. 'The coolest part about my theme is that there's no lyrics, because everything that you hear is from the fans, and the fans have decided to interact with my theme song,' he said. 'We can go overseas, Canada, Europe, UK, Saudi Arabia, and everybody's whooping that Trick. It doesn't matter what language you speak.'
Rapper Lil Yachty has become an integral part of Williams' act, serving as his manager. Williams teased that Yachty might eventually have a match. 'Yachty's special, man. He loves the business. He's a smart guy. He's a talented guy. And shoot, man, he may just have a match sometime soon. We've been training.' Williams praised Yachty as a 'natural performer' and said it was his idea to bring him into the ring.
Custom title and SummerSlam
Williams now carries a custom United States Title belt with white fur replacing the traditional leather. Despite mixed reactions from purists, he loves it. 'I love it, man. I got my own legacy title! Eight months into the game on SmackDown, legacy title, all white fur, Trick Willy fur edition,' he raved. He advised that wearing it requires a certain physique: 'You gotta make sure that you're hitting your abs, so you can sport the title the way it needs to be sported. No shirt, vest open, let the people just see the product.'
At SummerSlam, Williams will defend the gold against Baron Corbin, whom he derided. 'You mean the bald-headed bum, Baron Corbin? [He] thinks that he can just hop in and hop on Trick Williams in the middle of his title run, the hottest thing on SmackDown,' Williams said. He questioned Corbin's motives, suggesting the return is about money and fame. Williams declared he is 'here for the long haul' with ambitions to become a 'cultural icon'.
WWE Unreal season 3 is available on Netflix now. SummerSlam streams live on Netflix August 1 and 2 at 11pm.
