They hated me each second

WWE Superstars and almost every pro wrestler, in general, don’t just fight in the ring but also have to endure backstage heat and decisions. Recalling his experience, Trick Williams recently shed light on what happened backstage in TNA when he won the TNA World Championship last year.

Trick Williams was invited to the No-Contest Wrestling podcast on The Rich Eisen Show and asked about his title win. Williams said that while there was a clear storyline for his ascent as the new champ, he wasn’t liked backstage in TNA for becoming its new world champ.

He noted that he understood why he wasn’t welcome, since he was a WWE guy parading with their top honor. However, Williams also admitted that not everyone was against him and that giving him the gold was best for business.

“Ah, they hated me, man. They hated me every second. I mean, I get it. I understand it. You know what I mean? A good, young-looking, dark brother like myself coming in their brand and, you know, taking their title, you know what I mean? Cutting diss tracks on them. Right. There wasn’t nothing to like about me, you know what I’m saying? So I get it, but you know, sometimes that’s what’s best for business. And, you know what I mean? The real ones understood what was best for business. Shout out to Top Dollar. I mean, excuse me, AJ Franchise, you know, he understood, like, hey, hey, you know, we can go somewhere with this movement, you know what I’m saying? So he’s probably the only one who understood the ball.”

Trick Williams won the TNA World Championship on May 25, 2025, at NXT Battleground by defeating Joe Hendry. The 31-year-old wrestler held the title till October 12, 2025, when he was dethroned by Mike Santana at TNA Bound For Glory.

Trick Williams is on his way to compete for the Undisputed WWE Championship

Trick Williams made his debut on SmackDown this year and has instantly planted himself among the big players. He defeated Matt Cardona to qualify for the Fatal Four Way match at Saturday Night’s Main Event to decide the new number one contender for the Undisputed WWE Championship.

The former two-time NXT Champion will face Randy Orton, Damian Priest, and Sami Zayn at SNME to get a chance to challenge Drew McIntyre at the Royal Rumble. Trick Willy has already started to soften the competition and ambushed Zayn on last week’s episode of WWE SmackDown.

However, this resulted in Priest challenging Williams for a singles match just a day ahead of SNME. It would be interesting to see if Williams will be able to defeat The Punisher and still have enough gas in the tank for a Fatal Four Way match on January 24, 2026.

Please credit the YouTube channel of The Rich Eisen Show and give an H/T to Sportskeeda if you use any quotes from this article.