Royce Keys, fka Powerhouse Hobbs, recently made his debut in WWE. He entered the Men’s Royal Rumble Match at number 14 and received quite a reception from the crowd. The reason the audience cheered was that the company initially used his former moniker.
The titantron itself showed the name ‘Powerhouse Hobbs’, but as the music dropped, it changed to ‘Royce Keys’. It was reported earlier that his name in WWE would be changed. Now, the reported reason behind the change has also come to light. According to Fightful Select, Royce is the name of his youngest son, and Keys is the maiden name of his late mother.
Thanks for the submission!
Michael Cole and Wade Barrett introduced Keys on commentary. The Monstar walked into the ring, which already had four stars. Upon his arrival, he confronted Damian Priest and ended up eliminating him. However, that was his only elimination.
You can view Keys’ first WWE entrance in the video below.
Keys lasted around ten minutes in the match and had some major interactions. He manhandled Je’Von Evans and then bumped into his former AEW colleague, Cody Rhodes. As he shifted his attention towards smashing Logan Paul, The Vision stepped in. Towards the end, he was sidelined by the faction and was eliminated by Bronson Reed.
Powerhouse Hobbs’ achievements in AEW
From 2020 to 2026, Powerhouse Hobbs achieved both singles and tag team success in AEW. In 2023, Hobbs defeated another literal ‘powerhouse’, Wardlow, to win the prestigious TNT Championship.
The Monstar, alongside his former faction, The Opps, also found success in the trios division. Teaming up with Katsuyori Shibata and Samoa Joe, he won the AEW World Trios Championship. In January 2026, The Opps lost the gold, which was followed by Hobbs’ AEW exit.
What are your thoughts on The Monstar’s WWE moniker? Hit the discuss button and share your thoughts.
Edited by Pratik Singh