Though it took a few years, the association between Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams arguably became the dominant storyline on "NXT," as the partners saw their friendship slowly deteriorate due to jealousy and ambition. Now, a few months after the dust has settled from their rivalry, which saw Williams emerge victorious and Hayes move up to the main roster, Williams is reflecting on what made the storyline between the two click.

In an interview with "Stay Busy with Armon Sadler," Williams credited the long-simmering tension between himself and Hayes as the secret sauce behind their rivalry. As such, he now values tension, real or storyline, as an important tool.

"I think the cool thing to learn for me...was tension isn't necessarily a bad thing," Williams said. "Sometimes tension is necessary. Like, say working with Melo, if I was just so comfortable, so happy being there and he was so happy that I was there, then I wouldn't have felt that urge to do what I needed to do. Sometimes that tension of 'Man...I've got to share this space with Melo, but Melo has to share this space with me.' And the people loved us being together. I enjoyed...we was truly friends, we still are friends. 

"But...it was crowded, you know what I mean? Because at the end of the day, Carmelo Hayes is a competitor and he wants to be that guy. And at the end of the day, Trick Williams is a competitor, and I will be that guy. And this is what happens. If it wasn't tension, if it wasn't uncomfortable, then who knows...I'm grateful for the tension, I'm grateful for the spot I was in when I had to watch Melo do his thing, because I learned a lot in that spot."