A Thursday announcement from WWE included news that the wrestling giant’s late-week show, Friday Night SmackDown, would be in Columbia, South Carolina this spring. On Friday, May 15, SmackDown will be in the Palmetto State’s capital city for a live show at Colonial Life Arena.
It will mark a homecoming for one of the wrestling industry’s brightest young stars.
Matrick Belton, whose ring name is Trick Williams, was a member of the South Carolina football program from 2014 to 2016. Now, he is a popular wrestler who has earned his way up the ranks to the SmackDown roster.
Trick Williams, a native of Columbia, has been with WWE since 2021. He signed a developmental contract with the organization after brief stints in multiple professional football leagues. He rose to prominence as a roster member of WWE NXT, even earning multiple championships. Williams is now a full-time contributor on SmackDown and an emerging star.
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During his South Carolina football career, Williams–then only known as Belton–worked his way up from FCS transfer walk-on to Gamecock contributor. Following a pre-transfer portal NCAA-mandated transfer redshirt season, he was the team’s Most Outstanding Offensive Walk-On for the 2015 spring.
The strong offseason led to him playing in all 12 games of the 2015 season. That came with five starts, 11 catches, and 121 yards receiving. He had a smaller role as a senior after missing part of the offseason. Still, he played a lot on special teams for USC that year.
A former standout at WJ Keenan High School in Columbia, Williams began his college career at Hampton University in Virginia. He played two seasons for the Pirates before transferring home to join the Gamecocks. He played for both Steve Spurrier and Will Muschamp at Carolina.
