Royce Keys Reflects On WWE Royal Rumble Debut

Royce Keys has fondly recalled his WWE debut at the Royal Rumble and the reactions from both the audience and his peers backstage.

Keys debuted at the start of the year at the Royal Rumble PLE in Saudi Arabia, where he was a surprise entrant. He said in an interview with "No-Contest Wrestling" that the experience was reminiscent of wrestling in his garden as a child, despite having traveled for more than a day to reach the Middle Eastern nation.

"I was getting flashbacks 'cause we used to have Royal Rumbles in my front yard, like as a kid," he said. "Like, the whole transition with getting there was wild. It took me 26 hours to get there."

The reception he received when he eventually made it to the arena was overwhelming, as he was welcomed and appreciated by everyone.

"But, man, getting to the arena and, you know, a few people saw me, just the love I got, and then when people found out I was there, and just the love from the locker rooms, like it was crazy. People I never knew who I was, you know, dapping me up and welcoming me. Then, man, in Gorilla, when my music played and it was time to go, like, it was on, man. Like, everything felt slow, like I was in a dream. So that was real cool, man. The energy from the crowd and just everything that I've been through in my life and previous other wrestling organizations just to get to this point. It was amazing," said Keys.

Keys said that because he was a surprise entrant, he wasn't allowed to leave his hotel room. The former AEW star was keen to work out but couldn't, though Triple H arranged for some weights to be brought to his room, allowing him to work out there.