After his popular and celebrated AEW run from 2020 to 2026, Powerhouse Hobbs left Tony Khan's All Elite Wrestling to join greener pastures at WWE. Just days after losing his AEW World Trios titles, Hobbs, now known as Royce Keys, made his shocking WWE Royal Rumble debut in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
However, after an impactful and epic debut, Keys vanished from televised programs. Despite an appearance on Stephanie McMahon's podcast and major hype surrounding his status, Keys disappeared from televised storylines and programs.
While not wrestling on television, Keys has been active in his in-ring career. Since his Royal Rumble debut on Jan. 31, 2026, Keys has wrestled three dark matches on Friday Night SmackDown against Nathan Frazer, Chris Sabin, and Alex Shelley, winning each one of them.
However, a recent update from WrestleVotes' recent Q&A Session noted that despite being present backstage during SmackDown shows and wrestling dark matches, WWE currently has no creative plans for the 41-year-old. With no confirmed creative plans set, it is currently unclear when the Stamford-based promotion plans on showcasing and debuting Keys on the television shows, RAW, SmackDown, or NXT. His last in-ring match dates back to a dark match on the Feb. 27 episode of SmackDown against Alex Shelley.
Royce Keys gets honest about his post-WWE goals
A few days ago, while appearing on What’s Your Story? with Stephanie McMahon, Royce Keys opened up in detail about his post-WWE plans and visions.
“To think that I’m making my dreams come true. I tell people I’m not satisfied with this. It’s a great introduction, I love it. But I plan on rewriting things, being here until I say, ‘You know what, I think I want to step away.’ I want to help this company in a different way, whether that’s backstage or whatever. I have goals and plans that I’ve written out,” Keys said.
