Royce Keys walked into a main event role, and WWE thinks he belongs there.
WRKD Wrestling reports that Keys has drawn heavy praise behind the scenes for slotting into that spot without any visible adjustment. False Finish adds that one source says several higher-ups in WWE view him as a future World Champion.
Neither report goes further than that, and nothing is booked on the back of it.
The rise has been quick. Keys arrived at the Royal Rumble in January as a surprise entrant at number 14, eliminated Damian Priest, and lasted close to ten minutes before The Vision dumped him out. He did not appear on television again until his SmackDown debut in April, filling the gap with dark matches.
Since moving to Raw, he has been in the middle of everything. Jacob Fatu wrote him off television after their No Holds Barred match on the August 3 Raw. Keys came back on August 24 with Bronco Nima and Lucien Price behind him, and the three closed the show by wiping out The Usos, LA Knight and Solo Sikoa. A week later, they jumped Jey and Jimmy Uso in the parking lot, a segment that became its own story after Netflix pixelated the blood and Triple H posted the unedited version.
He named the group last week. 946 comes from the Oakland ZIP codes Nima grew up around, and False Finish reports Keys handpicked both men and will lead it alone.
The WWE arrival ended six years in AEW, where he worked as Powerhouse Hobbs and won the TNT Championship and the World Trios Titles. His contract expired in January, and he left for WWE rather than re-sign.
He has been open about his ambition. Keys told Stephanie McMahon on What’s Your Story? that he wants to be a champion, a legend, and a Hall of Famer.
