Former NFL star signs WWE contract after getting waived before 2023 season
Former Miami Dolphins defenseman Trill Williams is hanging up his cleats and putting on his wrestling boots, inking a deal with WWE.
Williams, 24, left Syracuse in 2021. However, the safety landed a deal with the New Orleans Saints practice squad and later joined the Dolphins.
With an appearance for Miami under his belt, he remained unsigned for two years after being waived by the Dolphins before the 2023 season, eventually switching to pro wrestling.
According to Bobby Shouse of The Dive Bar Podcast, Williams signed with the WWE after a successful tryout over the summer.
The timeline for his TV appearances with the promotion remains unclear, although he will likely start with the developmental program NXT.
Former Miami Dolphins player Trill Williams signed with WWE after being released from the NFL
Williams already made his debut in front of the WWE cameras with a backstage cameo on Tuesday’s episode of NXT.
The Syracuse product’s supposed path also stems from WWE’s flagship programs, Raw and Smackdown, which rarely welcome new talent unless they have valuable wrestling experience.
Williams wouldn’t be the first NFL star to try his hand at professional wrestling. Veteran WWE talent Baron Corbin, who left the promotion earlier this month, spent time with the Indianapolis Colts in 2009 and the Arizona Cardinals between 2010 and 2011 before packing the squared circle.
On the contrary, WWE and UFC star Brock Lesnar tried his luck in the NFL by joining the Vikings. However, the wrestling legend was cut in the preseason.
Roman Reigns, the biggest star in the WWE today, also tried out for the Vikings and Jaguars before spending a season with the Edmonton Eskimos in the Canadian Football League.