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Major Update On Royce Keys’ WWE Status Amid TV Absence

By Sridhar Krishnan • Published Mar 07, 2026 10:36 EST
Royce Keys WWE Powerhouse Hobbs
Royce Keys WWE debut at Royal Rumble 2026 - Source: WWE.com

Royce Keys, fka Powerhouse Hobbs in AEW, made his WWE debut at the 2026 Royal Rumble in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Coming in as the #14 participant, Keys spent almost 10 minutes in the match, securing one elimination in the form of Damian Priest.

Considering he put on an impressive showing at the Rumble before being eliminated by The Vision’s Bronson Reed, fans were curious about the direction his character would take.

Royal Rumble took place on January 31, 2026, and the 41-year-old has yet to make his second TV appearance.

However, the Stamford promotion has kept fans interested by having Stephanie McMahon interview him on her What’s Your Story? podcast.

According to Cagematch, Royce Keys has been competing in dark matches on SmackDown. Meanwhile, a PWInsider report stated that WWE has been acclimating him to the production style, something the company does with all of its new hires.

Fans, on the other hand, have speculated that the company’s creative team had no plans for him.

Royce Keys Competes In Another Dark Match On WWE SmackDown

Amid speculations surrounding Royce Keys, the wrestler himself and WWE have been focused on doing their own thing.

No specific date has yet been revealed for Keys’ main roster debut.

Elsewhere, a video shared on X showed that the former AEW star was again featured in a dark match on March 6, when SmackDown was taped at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.

The show also witnessed Drew McIntyre lose the Undisputed WWE Championship to Cody Rhodes in the main event, which experienced a referee bump and an interference from Jacob Fatu.