Trick Williams on Unreal and lifting wrestling's curtain
Trick Williams stars in Netflix's WWE Unreal Season 3, giving fans a rare look behind wrestling's curtain as the United States Champion prepares for SummerSlam. The rising star says he is fine with the access, and credits John Cena's advice with helping him seize every opportunity in WWE.
The third season of WWE Unreal is streaming on Netflix now, following celebrity breaking news around one of SmackDown's fastest-rising acts. Williams sits at the center of that access-driven series while also gearing up to defend his United States Championship against Baron Corbin at SummerSlam, live on Netflix on August 1 and 2.
Key Takeaways
- Trick Williams features heavily in Netflix's WWE Unreal Season 3, a behind-the-scenes look at modern WWE.
- He told interviewers he is comfortable with cameras capturing authentic moments once kept off-limits.
- John Cena's NXT-era advice—to make every day "your time"—still shapes how he approaches the business.
- As U.S. Champion, he faces Baron Corbin in his SummerSlam debut and has vowed to chase WrestleMania main events for years.
Why does Trick Williams not mind fans seeing behind the curtain?
Speaking to The Independent, Williams discussed life in and out of the ring as Unreal pulls back layers on an industry that once guarded its secrets closely. He said he does not mind taking fans behind that curtain.
In a separate interview with SPORTbible, he framed the exposure as part of his origin story. Trick Williams, he explained, is an abbreviation of his true persona, Mattrick—so longer camera time simply shows more of who he already is on-screen.
"Mattrick and Trick are not polar opposites," he said, describing the character as "the same person turned up just a little bit." He also admitted he often did not know cameras were rolling for Unreal, which helped produce genuine moments rather than staged ones.
The series also captures personal beats, including touring with fellow wrestler Lash Legend and his parents' emotional reactions to seeing him succeed on the biggest stage.
How did John Cena's advice change Trick Williams' career?
One Unreal scene shows Cena giving Williams and Oba Femi a pep talk before their first WrestleMania matches. Williams told Metro their bond goes further: Cena made himself available to NXT talent and pushed the "ABCs of wrestling"—story, purpose, and ideology.
Asked how to know "when it's your time," Cena told him there is no perfect moment. "You got to take that opportunity by the horns," Williams recalled. "You got to believe within yourself that now is your time."
Since deciding "Trick Williams is gonna do this thing on his own," he said he has lived by "every day is my day," aiming to be the best version of himself. That mindset helped power a breakout run that includes winning the United States Championship against Sami Zayn at WrestleMania in Las Vegas.
What is next for Trick Williams at SummerSlam?
Williams makes his SummerSlam debut at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, defending against recently returned Baron Corbin with manager Lil Yachty in his corner. He has teased that the rapper has been training and "may just have a match sometime soon."
Looking further ahead, Williams made a bold promise: he wants to headline WrestleMania "for years and years and years to come," insisting he is "here for the long haul" and chasing a path bigger than one title defense.
Fans already answer his lyric-free theme with "Whoop that Trick" chants from Canada to the UK to Saudi Arabia—proof the curtain pull has only widened the connection Unreal is built to show.