Royce Keys: Never thought I’d be part of something as big as WWE Royal Rumble
Debuting for WWE in the Royal Rumble was a dream come true for the former Powerhouse Hobbs.
Now known as Royce Keys, Hobbs arrived in WWE as a surprise entrant in the men’s Royal Rumble match last Saturday. He signed with WWE after finishing up with AEW last month, ending a nearly six-year run that included TNT and Trios Championship reigns.
WWE uploaded a behind-the-scenes video today documenting Hobbs’ debut. It includes comments from him before the match, along with interactions he had with Cody Rhodes and Paul “Triple H” Levesque.
“This is wild. This is like something out of a movie, man,” Hobbs said while taking a look at the Rumble stage. “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.”
Hobbs then caught up with another former AEW wrestler in Cody Rhodes — and Hobbs took a moment to explain how much Rhodes means to him.
“He’s probably going to get mad, but this dude doesn’t know how special he is to me. Thank you for everything. That dude’s been there for me, like, toughest time of my life when my mom passed away. But if I gotta kick his ass, then I gotta kick his ass [laughs]. This is special, man. It’s just like, seeing familiar faces. It’s real. You know, I’m home, I’m moved in. So it’s time to collect.”
WWE included brief footage of the talk Hobbs had with Levesque before the Rumble. Hobbs said Levesque helped ease his nerves by telling him that he was in WWE for a reason.
“We’re going to get rolling and get some good sh*t started,” Levesque told Hobbs. “We’ll be in a good place.”
Hobbs entered the Rumble at number 14 and eliminated Damian Priest during his time in the match. It was Bronson Reed who ended up eliminating Hobbs from the match.
“Eliminating a former World Champion. Ah, I’m here, I’m here, I’m here, I’m here,” Hobbs said after competing. “I’m going to take everything I want. Everything.”
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.