Royce Keys wrestles dark match prior to WWE SmackDown
Royce Keys has wrestled his first singles match in WWE.
Prior to the start of Friday’s SmackDown, the former Powerhouse Hobbs wrestled in a dark match against Nathan Frazer. It was his first appearance in a WWE ring since last month’s Royal Rumble match where he made his WWE debut.
Keys entered the match at number 14, immediately eliminating Damian Priest. He also briefly squared off against former AEW associate Cody Rhodes, with commentary alluding to their past. After some time, he was eventually eliminated by members of The Vision.
In a vlog, Keys commented on his impending debut.
“This is wild. This is like something out of a movie, man. This whole setup. Walking down this aisle and into the ring and background. It’s pretty amazing, man. I’m getting goosebumps under this sweatshirt. It’s crazy. It feels real. Looking at the ring, the seats, the stage setup — it’s real. Never thought I would be part of something this big. This is huge. Leading to the Grandaddy of Them All, you know? WrestleMania. This starts tonight,” he said.
Fightful Select reported this week that Keys was at WWE World Headquarters in Stanford, Connecticut to tape an episode of What’s Your Story with Stephanie McMahon.
Bryan Rose is an editor from California that has been covering professional wrestling for well over a decade. He officially joined F4WOnline as an editor in 2017.