WWE Reportedly Changed Trick Williams’ U.S. Title Plans Just Weeks After Debuting Custom Championship

WWE went all-in on making Trick Williams feel like a star during his United States Championship reign — right down to giving him his own customized version of the title.

Then, only a few weeks after the belt was unveiled, WWE went in a completely different direction.

On the July 10 edition of Friday Night SmackDown, rapper Lil Yachty presented Williams with a custom United States Championship featuring a distinctive white-fur strap. The championship was designed specifically around Trick’s flashy presentation, and WWE quickly turned the design into merchandise, with a replica version listed for $699.99.

The belt appeared to signal that WWE had significant plans for Williams as champion.

Instead, the custom championship barely had time to settle in.

WWE Reportedly Didn’t Plan To End Trick Williams’ Run So Soon

According to a backstage report from WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select, WWE reportedly did not originally anticipate Williams losing the United States Championship as quickly as he did.

The decision to move the championship to Baron Corbin at SummerSlam reportedly came together relatively late, with the change said to have surprised some people within WWE.

That is particularly interesting considering how much presentation had recently been built around Trick.

Williams had actually held the United States Championship since defeating Sami Zayn at WrestleMania 42, so his overall championship reign was much longer than three weeks. What lasted only about three weeks was the run with his personalized white-fur championship.

WWE was still publicly presenting Trick as its U.S. Champion heading into SummerSlam. The company's official preview specifically highlighted Williams carrying his custom-made championship and noted that Corbin had returned to WWE and immediately targeted him.

At SummerSlam, however, Corbin defeated Williams to become the new United States Champion.

That meant WWE went from unveiling a personalized championship for Trick on July 10 to putting the title on another wrestler at SummerSlam just weeks later.

The Replica Belt Makes The Timing Even More Interesting

Custom championships aren't anything new in WWE. From John Cena's spinner championship to various personalized side plates and specially designed belts, customized titles can become an important part of a wrestler's character.

What makes Trick's situation stand out is the merchandising component.

WWE didn't simply create a prop for television. The company put a replica of Williams' custom championship on sale, suggesting there was at least some expectation that fans would associate the design with Trick for a meaningful period of time. Fightful reported shortly after its debut that WWE was selling the replica for $699.99.

That makes the reported late creative change even more believable as a significant pivot.

WWE had seemingly invested in creating an entire championship identity around Williams, only for the title change to occur shortly afterward.

Could Trick Williams Still Get The Championship Back?

Immediately following SummerSlam, there was an obvious possibility: Corbin could simply serve as a temporary champion before Trick reclaimed the championship in a rematch.

But that theory took another hit on the August 7 edition of SmackDown.

Williams received another opportunity at Corbin, and Corbin retained the United States Championship, extending his reign while Carmelo Hayes subsequently entered the title picture.

That doesn't necessarily mean WWE is finished with Trick Williams as a major player.

Quite the opposite.

Giving Williams his own championship design, pairing him with Lil Yachty and prominently featuring him on SmackDown suggests WWE continues to view Trick as someone with considerable upside.

The bigger question may now be whether Williams needs the United States Championship at all.

A move away from the belt could free Trick to pursue bigger programs on SmackDown, while Corbin's championship reign provides WWE with a fresh direction for the U.S. title and potentially opens the door for names such as Carmelo Hayes.

Still, it's hard to ignore the strange timing.

WWE debuted a custom Trick Williams United States Championship, began selling replicas and then changed champions only a few weeks later.

If the WrestleVotes report is accurate, it appears to be another example of how quickly WWE creative plans can change — even after merchandise and presentation have already been built around a particular direction.

Should WWE Put The United States Championship Back On Trick Williams?

Trick's custom championship felt like it could have become one of the defining visuals of his main-roster run. Now, after Corbin defeated him twice in less than a week, WWE may be moving in another direction entirely.

Would you put the U.S. Championship back on Trick Williams, or is it time for him to move into the WWE Championship picture? 👇