Royce Keys has revealed how tightly guarded his WWE debut was at the 2026 Royal Rumble.
Keys, formerly known as Powerhouse Hobbs in AEW, made his surprise entrance during the men’s Royal Rumble match in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Speaking to Stephanie McMahon, he shared details about the lengths WWE went to in order to keep his appearance under wraps.
“I love working out. It’s a stress reliever for me. I was telling Paul [Triple H] when he came into my hidden room in Saudi [Arabia], I was like, ‘Do you think I can maybe use the hotel gym?’ And it’s just like, I knew what was coming next. I asked him. About five seconds of silence. And then he’s like, ‘Well…’ And it was more silence. I’m like, ‘damn.’ He’s like, ‘well, we don’t want you to be seen. You’re a surprise.’ And I’m like, ‘man, okay.’ I know this whole silence thing growing up. Silence means no.”
According to Keys, Triple H made it clear that even a simple gym visit could jeopardize the surprise. Instead, WWE arranged for workout equipment to be delivered directly to his hotel room.
“But he was cool. I had a bench delivered to my room, some bands and some other things. He took care of me.”
Keys went on to make an immediate impact in the Royal Rumble, eliminating former World Champion Damian Priest and establishing himself as a new force on the roster. The secrecy surrounding his debut highlights how carefully WWE manages surprise appearances at major Premium Live Events.
