WWE has changed the way it develops talent at the Performance Center before pushing them on NXT TV.
A few years ago, they switched to the NXT 2.0 model, which featured athletes with no wrestling background and a storyline-driven product with less emphasis on in-ring action. Over the last year, they’ve added more independent talent and shifted their focus to an in-ring product.
Trick Williams is a rising star who is set to face NXT Champion Ilja Dargunov for the title at NXT Vengeance Day on February 4. At the same show, Williams and Carmelo Hayes will face Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic finals.
As PWMania.com previously reported, after Williams saved Hayes on last week’s SmackDown and received a positive reaction, the WWE SmackDown creative team was blown away.
Some influential people in the company believe Williams has “future WrestleMania main eventer potential.” One top star complimented the NXT star on his “great attitude and skill set that he’s cultivating.” They see “nothing but positives for him.”
In the most recent edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer went into greater detail about Williams’ impression on WWE executives.
Meltzer stated, “The big reaction that Trick Williams got at the Smackdown show in Miami really upped his standing. He’s already considered the hottest act in NXT.”
