TradeEdge Exchange:Everyone knows Booker T adlibs for WWE's Trick Williams. But he also helped NXT star grow

In a business where entrances and TradeEdge Exchangemusic is everything, perhaps no WWE star has used their entry into the ring to raise their popularity quite like NXT star Trick Williams. 

It’s even more impressive when the music doesn’t have lyrics. 

When Williams enters the ring at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, the small but roaring NXT crowd makes their presence felt by launching into a chant any viewer at home can hear.

“Whoop that trick, whoop that trick, whoop that trick.”

The electric atmosphere just on his entrance alone shows how quickly Williams has become a fan favorite in WWE’s developmental brand. Since his debut in September 2021, he has gone from Carmelo Hayes’ ringside man to winning the NXT North American Championship this September, and he will compete in the Iron Survivor Challenge at NXT Deadline on Saturday. The winner will become the No. 1 contender for the NXT Championship. It may sound like a fast rise, but if you ask Williams, it’s something he has long anticipated.

“I've been training my whole life to blow up overnight,” Williams told USA TODAY Sports.

Booker T's adlibs

When it came time to figure out his entrance music, Williams said he really searched for the right song to use, one where “people could feel the energy.” 

“That entrance right there sets the tone for the rest of the match, and I've always been big on my entrance song to feel right,” he said.” People can tell when you’re really in the moment.”

As great as the crowd is for Williams’ entrance, it might even be a better experience watching at home, with WWE Hall of Famer and NXT ring announcer Booker T dropping in adlibs that’ll get any viewer hyped. Williams obviously can’t hear what Booker T is saying on commentary when he’s walking in, but he’s seen the videos of it, and it’s something he wants to one day add to his music.

“I want to put his ad libs on the actual song,” Williams said. “I feel like it would get the people going even more.”

Trick Williams’ mentors

All fun aside, Booker T is more than just a guy adding to Williams’ music.

Williams said the Hall of Famer has had a major impact on his development. They check in weekly with each other, looking at film and going over how to succeed in the wrestling business. Another influence in Williams’ development is Shawn Michaels, senior vice president of talent development creative

Williams said Michaels has taught him about the sense of timing in the business, while Booker T’s biggest impact on him has been to own the moment, and look good while doing it. If those two elements can be combined, Williams said he believes he'll have the recipe for success.

“If you can be on time and move at the right time − and look good − you got a chance to do something,” Williams said.

There’s also the lessons Williams has learned from his time with Hayes. Rather than just immediately jumping into the ring and learning on the fly, Williams accompanied Hayes and watched him become an NXT Champion and NXT North American Champion. 

Williams said the early days of the “Trick Melo Gang” allowed him to be himself and learn how to show it on screen, as well as build a relationship with the crowd that has evidently grown strong.

“Carmelo is great, man. Who better to learn from at this point, than working with your boy?” Williams said. “That time was able to give me everything I needed, so I can kind of take off and do my own work.” 

Recent on-screen tension between Williams and Hayes has had fans speculating if a split and feud could be on the horizon, but Williams wants to keep the bond they have going into the new year, with both superstars contending for championships.

NXT Deadline

A unique match, the Iron Survivor Challenge starts with two competitors. Every five minutes, another person enters until all five people are in the match. The goal is to secure the most pinfalls. Whoever has the most after 25 minutes is the winner. Starting the match means more opportunities to get pins, while being last could mean less time but having fresh energy.

The order is undetermined, but Williams hopes he starts the match because he wants to be “whooping [expletive] right away.” A win could mean an NXT Championship in the future, something Williams has wanted since his NXT North American Championship run lasted only three days. He defeated Dominik Mysterio for the title, but lost it back to him the same week. He called his short reign “the best three days of my life,” and it was when he understood the glory of holding a title.

“Once you taste gold, and once you feel gold, your hunger for it magnifies,” Williams said.

It’s his plan to win the title in early 2024, but it could be an even bigger year for him should he get called up to the main roster. Thinking about what it would be like to be on “Raw” or “Smackdown,” he hopes to get a match with Intercontinental Champion Gunther one day. He could also see Shinsuke Nakamura, whom he said has perfected the WWE entrance and is his favorite.

When and if that time comes is unknown, but those unfamiliar with Williams should tune into NXT to see what the hype is about, as he has soared rapidly in the company.

“I just want people to know that that's a cool, real dude right there,” Williams said of himself. “I am Trick Williams, and you get the full Trick Williams experience every single time that you tune in.”