Former South Carolina wide receiver Matrick Belton signed with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in February this year and made his first big appearance on the live show this Wednesday.
Belton, who previously appeared as a hooligan for the Apollo Crew, is now taking a more prominent role on the WWE NXT, a Wednesday night show on the USA that is used to showcase upcoming talent.
Belton, now known as “Trick Williams” on the show, is working as a partner with Carmelo Hayes, whom he called “NXT’s Golden Child.”
In his first in-ring promo, Belton said he was in NXT for two reasons, namely, “I was born with a gift of gab and gift, and that’s why my punchlines got so heavy.”
After exchanging a few words, Belton and Haynes, in the video embedded below, jump in with Duke Hudson.
Belton, a Columbia native who played for Keenan High School, joined the program in 2014 after spending the first two years of high school at Hampton University. After sitting out the NCAA transfer rules, Belton played every game for South Carolina in 2015 and made five starts. He caught 11 passes for 121 yards in the first session on the field.
As a senior in 2016, he played primarily on special teams, appearing in nine games. He played 21 games with Gamecox in his two-year career and made five starts.
Belton spent time in training camp with the Philadelphia Eagles. However, he decided to take a chance on pro wrestling and began training at the Combat Zone Wrestling Academy in New Jersey.
Belton has now joined the long list of former players to jump into the WWE rankings. He steps on the footsteps of WWE greats like Bill Goldberg, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Brock Lesnar to get into the ring. Other players who have dominated WWE’s storyline currently include Roman Reyns, Big E Langston, Bray Wyatt and Baron Corbin.
