Ex-AEW Star’s Shock WWE Royal Rumble Debut Leads To Major Confusion

The Royal Rumble is always a night of surprises in WWE, but there was also some confusion after the arrival of an ex-AEW champion.

The 2026 Royal Rumble is now in the books with Liv Morgan walking away with the victory in the women’s match to book her title shot at WrestleMania 42. That bout saw the very unexpected return of WWE Hall of Famer Brie Bella to the ring for the first time in four years. Perhaps the biggest surprise in that match was who didn’t appear as the bookmaker’s favourite to win the bout; Bianca Belair didn’t even end up being a part of it.

In the men’s match, it was Roman Reigns who walked away with the victory. Reigns now joins an exclusive club of two-time winners of the match alongside the likes of Hulk Hogan, John Cena, Cody Rhodes, Batista, and Charlotte Flair.

Royce Keys WWE Intro Causes Confusion

The men’s match also saw the arrival of Royce Keys to WWE. Keys is former AEW star, Powerhouse Hobbs, and WWE used that name to introduce their new star on the video screen before it disappeared to be replaced by his new moniker. WWE had previously done similar things but on a much smaller scale when they introduced Kenta and Prince Devitt into the company before renaming them Hideo Itami and Finn Balor, respectively.

Keys spent less than ten minutes in the match but claimed the scalp of Damian Priest before he was dispatched by Bronson Reed. Fightful Select has reported that “very positive things” had been heard about Keys regarding his debut, but also his backstage interactions with staff.

It was noted that there was some confusion about how WWE could even reference the Powerhouse Hobbs name, as it originated in AEW. How the company were able to do that still remains unexplained.