Weeks after departing AEW and signing with WWE, the former Powerhouse Hobbs made his debut at Saturday’s Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia.
The newly-named Royce Keys appeared during the men’s Rumble match at number 14, immediately squaring off with Damian Priest and eliminating him. He also tangled with former AEW roster mate Cody Rhodes which was alluded to.
When Hobbs/Keys came out, his entrance video flashed the name ‘Powerhouse Hobbs’ before transitioning to his new name to signal the transition.
After five years, Hobbs/Keys finished up with AEW in mid-January, dropping the Trios titles on the January 17 AEW Collision episode that was taped the night news broke that his deal was expiring and he was expected to be heading to WWE.
Our Dave Meltzer reported that AEW made a push to re-sign the 35-year-old Hobbs to a substantial new contract, but Hobbs/Keys wanted to go to WWE instead — a place that had wanted him for quite some time according to reports.
The career of Hobbs/Keys began in 2009 on the California indie scene with his big break coming in the summer of July 2020 during the pandemic era of AEW at Daily’s Place.
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Josh Nason
Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He’s a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.
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