Royce Keys Breaks Silence On Name Change After Joining WWE

More than two months after his first WWE appearance at the Royal Rumble, Royce Keys made his main roster debut on SmackDown.

On April 10, he faced Berto, who is one-half of Los Garza with Angel, in a singles match. In a show of power, Keys won the bout inside 3 minutes.

During a backstage interview later on the show, he was confronted by MFT leader, Solo Sikoa, hinting at a potential feud between the two heavyweights.

The following week, Royce Keys was part of the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, which has become a tradition on the go-home SmackDown show before WrestleMania since 2021. There, the 41-year-old wrestler outlasted several superstars, eliminating Talla Tonga last, to become the winner.

On April 24, Keys was again approached backstage by Sikoa, who extended him an invitation to join his faction. While the Palo Alto native has kept his distance from Sikoa for the meantime, it remains to be seen if he joins MFT in the future.

Elsewhere, Keys was recently seen in an interview on Unseen with Joey Karni, where he was asked about the meaning behind his name change from Powerhouse Hobbs in AEW to Royce Keys in WWE.

So it’s already out there, Royce is my middle son’s name so that’s my tribute to him. And Keys is part of my late mother’s last name. So put the two together it’s motivating to me, you can’t really f**k up when you got two people you love and care about, using their name, paying homage to them.

Mark Henry Impressed After Royce Keys’ Main Roster Debut

Royce Keys needed just 3 minutes to leave a lasting impression on WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry.

While speaking on the Busted Open podcast, Henry shared his thoughts about Keys’ debut on April 10 against Berto, where he called him ‘a good one.’

I enjoyed the Royce Keys segments. With the match, he stayed within himself, he stayed powerful. He made some mistakes in the sense that, if you’re going to hit somebody with something, follow it up with something.

Don’t get caught up in the crowd, wanting to wave at your friends in the front row and all of that, because you kicked him in the ass.

He hasn’t had a problem with mentorship, there’s a few guys that I know are in his ear that I’ve watched talk to him. He’s going to be a good one, I can see it already. [H/T: WrestleTalk]

Also read: Royce Keys’ Major Condition To Leave AEW For WWE Revealed