Matrick Mondre Belton (born May 26, 1994) is an American professional wrestler, and former football player. As of February 2021, he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Trick Williams and is the current WWE United States Champion in his second reign. He is also a former two-time NXT Champion, and a former one-time NXT North American Champion. He also made appearances in WWE's partner promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he is a former one-time TNA World Champion.
Belton played gridiron football in college at the power five level for the South Carolina Gamecocks. He began his professional wrestling career in 2018 under the ring name Sweet Daddy Trick when he trained in Philadelphia with his uncle. Belton then signed a developmental contract with WWE in February 2021 and debuted in September of the same year under the Trick Williams ring name. Since then, he has become the WWE United States Champion, a two-time NXT Champion, a one-time NXT North American Champion, and was the winner of the 2023 Men's Iron Survivor Challenge. He won the TNA World Championship, his first world championship, in May 2025 and became the first WWE-contracted wrestler to win a TNA championship. In 2026, he started being managed by Lil Yachty.
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Early life, education, and football career
Matrick Mondre Belton was born on May 26, 1994, in Columbia, South Carolina, the son of Monica and Patrick Belton. Excelling in athletics since childhood, he attended Keenan High School, where he played basketball and American football, accumulating 1,157 yards and nine touchdowns as a senior before graduating in 2012. He then attended Hampton University and played on a full scholarship for the Hampton Pirates in 2012 and 2013; the latter season was cut short due to a pulled hamstring. He abandoned his scholarship to walk on to the South Carolina Gamecocks team, his father's alma mater, from 2014 to 2016, where he also played alongside his brothers André and Hassan. He caught 11 passes for 121 yards during his college career, all of which came in 2015. In December 2016, Belton graduated from the University of South Carolina with a degree in physical education. He went undrafted in 2017 and spent time as an assistant coach and student-teacher intern at Airport High School in West Columbia in the fall. The following year, he played in The Spring League and attended the Philadelphia Eagles rookie mini-camp on a tryout basis in May.
Professional wrestling career
Training and early years (2018–2021)
After being cut from the mini-camp, Belton sent a tape to WWE in an attempt to enter the XFL, a quickly defunct football league also ran by Vince McMahon. While he was unsuccessful, WWE reached out to him via email to encourage him to try out wrestling. He participated in a WWE tryout in December 2018. He moved in with his uncle to train and perform for Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) in Philadelphia, working as a fitness coach for Orangetheory Fitness by day and attending wrestling school at night. To honor his uncle and black roots, Belton created a Dolemite-inspired character named after his uncle's nickname, "Sweet Daddy Trick", and a short film to develop his new persona. His first recorded match took place on January 31, 2020, where he lost to D. J. Hyde. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he moved out of his uncle's house and relocated to Los Angeles, where he worked odd jobs while also training at KnokX Pro Wrestling Academy until he was signed by WWE.
WWE (2021–present)
On February 24, 2021, Belton signed a developmental contract with WWE, reporting to the WWE Performance Center and subsequently the NXT brand. The following month, he appeared as an unnamed bodyguard of Apollo Crews on SmackDown. On the September 14 episode of NXT, Belton made his first NXT appearance as a friend of Carmelo Hayes under the ring name Trick Williams and attacked Duke Hudson, establishing himself as a heel and forming an alliance known as the Trick Melo Gang. Williams made his in-ring debut on the October 5 episode of NXT, teaming with Hayes in a fatal four-way elimination tag team match for the NXT Tag Team Championship, which was won by MSK (Nash Carter and Wes Lee). In mid-2022, Williams feuded with Lee, defeating him at NXT: The Great American Bash on July 5, before losing to Lee in a rounds match on the August 9 episode of NXT.
Williams and Hayes turned face on the April 4, 2023 episode of NXT, after Bron Breakker turned heel by attacking them. On the August 1 episode of NXT, Williams told Hayes that they needed to part ways so he could achieve his own accomplishments, amicably breaking up the Trick Melo Gang. At NXT: Heatwave on August 22, Williams lost to Ilja Dragunov. On the September 26 episode of NXT, Williams defeated Axiom, Dragon Lee and Tyler Bate in a fatal four-way match to become the number one contender for the NXT North American Championship, which he won from "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio four days later at NXT No Mercy. However, on the October 3 episode of NXT, Williams lost the title back to Mysterio after interference from Mysterio's Judgment Day stablemates, ending his reign at three days, the shortest reign in the title's history.
On the October 17 episode of NXT, Williams was slotted into the triple threat match between Hayes, Dijak and Baron Corbin to make it a fatal four-way match for a NXT Championship opportunity against Dragunov at NXT: Halloween Havoc, causing a rift between Williams and Hayes. Before the match started, Williams was found attacked backstage and taken to a hospital. Hayes then defeated Dijak and Corbin for the title opportunity. On Night 2 of Halloween Havoc on October 31, Williams returned and cost Hayes the NXT Championship match. At NXT Deadline on December 9, Williams won the men's Iron Survivor Challenge to earn an NXT Championship match against Dragunov at NXT: New Year's Evil on January 2, 2024. At the event, after it was announced that Dragunov was not medically cleared to wrestle, Hayes placed Williams in a match against Grayson Waller with his title shot on the line, which he won after interference from Kevin Owens. On the January 16 episode of NXT, Dragunov returned from injury and informed Williams that their title match would take place at NXT Vengeance Day.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2025)
Trick Williams made his Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) debut at Rebellion on April 27, 2025, attacking Joe Hendry following his successful TNA World Championship defense against Frankie Kazarian and Ethan Page. Williams attacked Hendry again on the May 1 episode of Impact!, costing him and the Hardy Boyz their match against Kazarian, Nic Nemeth and Ryan Nemeth. Williams and Kazarian lost to Hendry and Elijah in a tag team match at Under Siege on May 23.
On May 25, Williams defeated Hendry to win the TNA World Championship at NXT Battleground, marking the first time a WWE-contracted wrestler won a TNA title. Williams successfully defended the title against Elijah at Against All Odds on June 6 with the help of A. J. Francis, Hendry and Mike Santana at Slammiversary on July 20, and Moose at Emergence on August 15. Santana and Steve Maclin defeated Williams and Francis on the August 28 episode of Impact!, earning Santana the right to challenge Williams for the TNA World Championship. At Bound For Glory on October 12, Williams lost the title to Santana, ending his reign at 140 days.
Other media
Television
Belton worked as an extra in the third season of the TV series All American. He also appeared as a guest star in the finale of the show's seventh season, portraying the character of Eddie Blair.
Personal life
On June 20, 2026, Belton married fellow professional wrestler Anriel Howard, better known under the ring name Lash Legend, in Port Antonio, Jamaica.
Championships and accomplishments
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
Ranked No. 8 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2026
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
TNA World Championship (1 time)
WWE
WWE United States Championship (2 times, current)
NXT Championship (2 times)
NXT North American Championship (1 time)
Men's Iron Survivor Challenge (2023)
NXT Year-End Award
Match of the Year (2025) – vs. Oba Femi and Je'Von Evans at NXT Stand & Deliver