Royce Keys Opens Up on Working Alongside Jacob Fatu and Cody Rhodes in WWE: ‘That’s Rewarding’

Royce Keys has spoken candidly about what it means to share a locker room with old friends and rivals in WWE, describing the experience as both fulfilling and motivating.

In a recent interview with Josh Henning, the SmackDown star — formerly known as Powerhouse Hobbs during his five years in AEW — reflected on crossing paths with Jacob Fatu and Cody Rhodes since joining the company. Keys made his first WWE appearance in the 2026 Men’s Royal Rumble and, after a three-month wait, properly joined the SmackDown roster. Since his first televised singles match on April 10, he has hit the ground running: winning the 2026 Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, getting tangled up with The Bloodline, and earning a number one contender’s match against then-Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes.

On what it’s like to be working alongside people he has a shared history with, Keys was reflective. “You go to work with your partners. You go to work to make things better. I’m living my dream and I’m doing it with people that I can compete with. There’s no egos or anything like that, it’s good healthy competition trying to outdo each other.”

He got particularly personal when describing his bond with Fatu, recalling the grind they shared long before either man reached this level. “You struggle up and down the road with your partner, driving 150, 200 miles, even sometimes 400 miles to a show then turning right back like Jacob and I did and having to work a 6am job. It’s great man, it lets you know that you have a good circle of people.”

The sentiment carries real weight given how far both men have traveled. Fatu has become one of WWE’s most prominent figures as a cornerstone of The Bloodline, while Keys has wasted no time establishing himself as a legitimate SmackDown threat. Seeing two road warriors who once drove hundreds of miles for indie bookings now competing at the sport’s highest level is the kind of full-circle story professional wrestling rarely gets to tell cleanly.

With Keys continuing to build momentum on SmackDown, the next chapter of his WWE story looks like it’s only just getting started.