Triple H Officially Welcomes Ex-AEW Star To WWE SmackDown

Triple H has broken his silence after an ex-AEW star’s WWE SmackDown debut.

Royce Keys, fka Powerhouse Hobbs, jumped ship from All Elite Wrestling to WWE earlier this year, appearing at the Royal Rumble premium live event. He lasted almost 10 minutes in the 30-man extravaganza before getting eliminated by Bronson Reed.

Despite an impressive showing at Royal Rumble, he didn’t make any TV appearances until this week’s SmackDown. The April 10 episode of the Friday night show saw Royce Keys’ debut on the main roster, and he faced Berto of Los Garza. The two-time AEW champion dominated Berto, getting the victory after a Spinebuster.

Following Keys’ match on SmackDown, Triple H took to X (formerly Twitter) to share a backstage photo with the 6ft 1in superstar. The WWE CCO wrote that it is just the beginning for Royce Keys before congratulating him in his post.

Just the beginning… congratulations @realRoyceKeys on a dominant #SmackDown debut.

Check out Triple H’s message below:

Just the beginning… congratulations @realRoyceKeys on a dominant #SmackDown debut. pic.twitter.com/RXslVGasBT

— Triple H (@TripleH) April 11, 2026

Royce Keys has big goals in WWE

While speaking during a recent edition of Stephanie McMahon’s What’s Your Story? podcast, Royce Keys stated that his goal is to become a legend in the sports entertainment juggernaut.

He also eventually wants to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

“I have so many goals. I want to become champion. I want to become a legend. I want to be in the Hall of Fame. I want to be remembered as one of the most dominant and feared competitors. It’s what I’ve dreamed of. The moment I had talks about signing here, this isn’t a one-off or ‘I’m a WWE superstar now.’ Nah, I still have to work. It took me years to get here. Honeymoon phase is over. Let’s get with it and do work,” Keys said. [H/T: WrestlingNews.Co]