 Accompanied by Barnidge and Austin Dillon, Williams made his debut at Slammiversary XV on July 2, 2017, teaming with Moose (himself a former NFL player) in a victory over Chris Adonis and Eli Drake.His performance in the match received rave reviews from critics, including journalist Dave Meltzer, who stated that Williams "has the potential to be one of the greatest wrestlers I've ever seen", and compared him to other athletes turned wrestlers such as Matt Riddle, Akiyama, and Kurt Angle.Bryan Alvarez stated that Williams was "pretty damn amazing in his first-ever match".