Summary

Trick Williams says his time alongside Carmelo Hayes in NXT helped change the way he looks at wrestling as a collaborative business.

Speaking on Stephanie McMahon's podcast, the WWE United States Champion reflected on how he and Hayes were initially pushed together even though both men wanted to break out as singles stars. Williams said the pairing ended up benefiting both of them, and he now sees a similar dynamic in the support Lil Yachty has been giving him on the main roster.

That comparison adds another layer to Williams' recent comments about the rapper's growing interest in WWE. Williams previously said Lil Yachty wants to step into a WWE ring, and this latest interview framed that partnership as part of his current rise.

Quote from Trick Williams

"So when they say, 'We're going. Next week, we're gonna get this thing going.' Like, oh shoot. They said, 'Trick and Melo. Y'all gonna be a package deal,' and from there, Melo's like — we was the same class. He always wanted to be a solo act, and I always wanted to be a solo act. That was the dream. That was the goal, and they said, 'Y'all gonna do this together,' and to Melo's credit, he took the challenge on the head and said, 'Let's do this. Let's make this work,' and I was able to learn a lot from Melo, and I feel like it was beneficial for both of us, you know, them throwing us into the deep end of NXT 2.0. To see us both doing our thing today is pretty dope."

Williams later went on to say:

"I would say having an athletic background, I was raised — and my pops was in the military. There's a dynamic of, you know, players play, coaches coach. Whatever they say, you do, and you like it. Where people who came from the indies had a more sense of being their own personal brand, and being in control of their brand and if they don't like something, they're pitching different things. I never went to Steve Spurrier and said I don't like your play, you know what I mean? Just throw it to me. I would have got the ball way more if that was the case… But that's one of the things I learned, like, he had ideas and he formed a relationship with the writers and everything like that. In a weird way, I always looked at the coaches like the opposition. Probably because of Hampton (University), and I always had a chip on my shoulder where I had to prove to the coaches that I'm good enough. You're gonna give me a spot because I earned it… He didn't have that chip. He probably has a different chip. I don't know… He worked with them for the best product… Up to that point, I've never been able to just kind of go with the flow and trust the process. So that was where I had to learn this is a collaborative effort, and everybody wants everybody's brand to be as big as it possibly can be because at the end of the day, we wanna make money. It's a business… It might be your role to help somebody else look better today, and that's okay. But at the end of the day, if you do it well, then somebody might be helping you one day, and that's exactly what I was doing for Melo — Lil Yachty is doing for me today."

What Carmelo Hayes taught Trick Williams

Williams' comments make it clear that Carmelo Hayes helped him adjust to a different side of the wrestling business in NXT. Instead of viewing creative direction as something to simply react to, Williams said he learned the value of collaboration and pitching ideas for the strongest overall presentation.

That matters for Williams' current WWE run because it shows how his partnership with Hayes still shapes the way he approaches his position on the main roster. It also helps explain why he views Lil Yachty's involvement as more than a celebrity cameo, but as a useful part of building his momentum.

Sources

Trick Williams while speaking on What’s Your Story? with Steph McMahon