6 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown (9 Jan - Results & Review)

3. Trick Williams Pulls Off Another Big Star Promo

Logic is everything, and Trick Williams has it. He interrupted Randy Orton during the opening promo before his match vs. Rey Fenix. Trick did the same thing to Sami Zayn last week, but this time it ended in violence. The former NXT Champion took a kicking from Randy then powdered, which enabled The Miz to attack from behind; it was he who ate an RKO instead so Trick didn’t have to.

Nope, no problems with any of this. Orton put Williams over on the mic, and Trick questioned why Randy would say he has no brains. If anything, he’s smart for getting into the ring with top stars. There's your solid logic. Williams rightly pointed out that he's deliberately getting up in the faces of people WWE and fans care about. By doing so, he's putting himself firmly in the spotlight and some of their star power is rubbing off on him.

That's so, so basic, but it's something that's rarely acknowledged by wrestlers themselves.

Some will still be smarting over Trick's match with Rey Fenix in the 'Downs' section, but brace yourself for some gushing praise about his promo work opposite Randy. Williams was out there with one of the biggest legacy (ahem) stars of all time, and he looked like be belonged. That deserves a huge pat on the back.

Matches like Trick vs. Sami and Trick vs. Orton are certainly something to look forward to in 2026. It'd be silly to criticise WWE for trying everything they can think of to make Williams look like a major player straight off the bat.