Update On Royce Keys’ WWE Status After Disappearance

Where has Royce Keys gone, and what are WWE’s plans for its newest big-time star?

Former AEW Trios Champion Powerhouse Hobbs stunned many when he made his debut for WWE at the Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia. Hobbs’ AEW name appeared on the video screen before his new moniker, Royce Keys, was unveiled, and that will be the name he goes by moving forward.

Keys lasted just under ten minutes in the match, eliminating Damian Priest before being dumped out by The Vision’s Bronson Reed.

A report from Bodyslam.net noted that although Royce Keys was backstage for the February 2nd edition of Raw, he won’t be staying on Monday nights. Instead, Keys is supposedly going to be unveiled as an official member of the SmackDown roster. But the star has gone missing completely, raising questions about what WWE’s plans for him really are.

What Are WWE’s Plans For Royce Keys?

Now, speaking on a Q&A, WrestleVotes has shed some light on the situation, noting that Keys has been a victim of changing WrestleMania creative, leading to some uncertainty over what his immediate role is going to be:

I do believe the program we end up getting is Damian Priest and Royce Keys, going back to the Royal Rumble. But if you’re changing the top of the card, that means the bottom or middle part of the card is up for grabs.

They had an idea to do Damian Priest and Keys coming out of the Rumble. We talked about the meeting they had—there are still a lot of matches up in the air, and that’s one they reconsidered. That’s the reason Royce Keys hasn’t shown up.

Triple H is supposedly under fire for poor ticket sales for WrestleMania 42, leading the company to rip up their planned card for the event. That is despite them only announcing one match for the two-night show so far, that being Roman Reigns challenging CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship.