USA

WWE star Royce Keys talks debut, goals for SmackDown roster

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Royce Keys’ backstory heading to SmackDown has been well explained.

The 6-foot-11 East Palo Alto, Calif., native started out on the independent scene and moved up to All Elite Wrestling when her mother suffered a shocking fatal overdose in 2021. He continued to push and work, knowing that the spirit of his grandparents and mother were still with him as he made his WWE debut in 2026.

ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. GET THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!

Royce Keys looks in the ring during WWE’s Royal Rumble at Riyadh Season Stadium at KAFD on January 31, 2026 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Andrew Timms/WWE)

“I would like to say that I was born to be a professional wrestler and I was born to work in this business as a sports entertainer,” he told Fox News Digital. “So my grandparents moved from Mississippi to San Francisco and lived right across the street from the Cow Palace. … I grew up hearing the names of ‘Chief Chief’ Peter Maivia, Ray Stevens, Pat Patterson, Kenji Shibuya, Pepper Gomez, and so wrestling was one of my first memories since I can remember anything. It brought so much joy, happiness and success into my life.”

Keys made her debut in the company as a surprise participant in the men’s Royal Rumble match in Saudi Arabia. He eliminated one opponent before being eliminated himself.

He said walking through the curtain was an experience like any other.

“For me, it was a big test, new audience, new style, being so far from home, I didn’t know what to expect. It was probably one of the few times in my life when I was nervous,” he recalled. “But when I walked down that aisle, it all felt so natural – getting in the ring and being there. All eyes were on me. It was definitely rewarding. Do you ever feel like you have to do something? That’s how I felt then.”

Keys was off-screen for a while as she tried to get her feet under her in the WWE ring.

CLICK HERE TO GET MORE SPORTS NEWS ON FOXNEWS.COM

Royce Keys watches the SAP Center in San Jose, California during SmackDown

Royce Keys watches during SmackDown from SAP Center on April 10, 2026 in San Jose, California. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

After having several dark matches, Keys defeated Berto in his first SmackDown appearance. He later appeared in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal the night before WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas and won.

He said he brings a certain X-factor that will make him stand out among the other big men on the roster.

“I think the intensity, the intimidation, the fear, you know, I tend to get straight to the point when I’m in the ring. I believe some of the things I do in the ring not only make people in the arena feel, ‘Ohh,’ but also people at home feel it through their TV screens,” he said. “It’s just a lot of domination. I think my life, everything I’ve been through in my life has prepared me for this point, and I intend to be that monster, or I would like to say, as we say in the title, I would like to be that ‘monster’ that will change the game, help it, or elevate it.”

Keys said he will make his opponents suffer to get into the championship picture, whether it’s the Undisputed WWE Championship or the United States Championship.

“I think all of the above,” he told Fox News Digital. “I have a motto that I’ve lived by since I was a kid and was taught by the OGs and a lot of the guys here (in the Bay Area): I’m taking anything I want. Anything I want to take or anything I see, I’m going to take it, whether it’s a championship, whether it’s hurting people, whether it’s dominating the SmackDown brand and dominating who else wants to come, going to another brand and dominating it. My life is what got me to this point and everything I’ve been through in my life got me to this point and I don’t think there’s anyone that can stop me.”