It’s been over a month since Powerhouse Hobbs competed in his final match for All Elite Wrestling, then joined WWE as an official Superstar. According to WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi, it’s been nearly a year since he and Hobbs discussed the potential of him making such a move to begin with.

On a recent edition of the “Off The Top” podcast, Rikishi recalled an important conversation he had with Hobbs, a long-time mentee of his, about his future in the pro wrestling business back in 2025.

“I believe it was WrestleCon last year in Las Vegas, he stopped by,” Rikishi said. “He’s always been respectful, even when he was in AEW at the time. He would always, just out of the random blue, text me how am I doing and so forth. We had a little chat. I kind of knew he was going to jump ship. It was easy over there for him in AEW, but he wasn’t being used the right way. It’s like, well, listen, you can always leave and go to WWE. If you’re not happy and it’s not about the money anymore, WWE is where it’s at. Every single wrestler on the planet that’s out here in the independent circuit is gunning to be able to be seen or go to WWE. So I said ‘Take a chance. If you’re gonna take a chance, take a chance on yourself.'”

Evidently, Hobbs followed Rikishi’s advice as he debuted in WWE, under the name of Royce Keys, at the 2026 Royal Rumble on January 31. In his initial outing, Hobbs eliminated former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest from the Men’s Royal Rumble match before being tossed out himself by Bronson Reed. As of this writing, the specific WWE brand in which Hobbs will land — “WWE NXT,” “WWE Raw,” or “WWE SmackDown” — is unknown.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Off The Top” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.