WWE's Royce Keys (FKA Powerhouse Hobbs) Details Royal Rumble Debut

Royce Keys, the former Powerhouse Hobbs in AEW, made his WWE debut in a big way, as the 14th entrant into the Royal Rumble match in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Debuting at the premium live event required a good about of secrecy, even in the foreign country. Keys sat down with Stephanie McMahon on her "What's Your Story?" podcast after his debut, and talked about everything around his first WWE appearance, from the flight over, to how he kept hidden, and his slight frustration with the latter.

"It was funny because I asked [Paul "Triple H" Levesque.] I love working out," he said. "It's a stress reliever for me. And I'm talking to Paul, like, 'Hey. I'm here. Think I can maybe use the hotel gym?' And it was just like, I knew what was coming next. I asked him, about five seconds of silence... He's like, 'Well, we don't want you to be seen and you're a surprise,' and I'm like, 'Man, okay.' I know this whole silence thing growing up. Silence means, 'No.' But, he was cool. I had a bench delivered to my room, some bands and some dumbbells. He took care of me."

As for the flight, Keys described it being "hella long." He explained to McMahon he entertained the woman he sat beside, who witnessed his struggles, being too large for the seat to be comfortable, despite it reclining.

Keys has yet to make his debut on WWE television, and what brand he'll end up on is not currently known. His appearance on McMahon's podcast has been his most recent appearance for anything WWE-related since the Rumble on January 31.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "What's Your Story?" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.