Royce Keys used a series of dark matches to adjust to life in WWE following his Royal Rumble appearance. Before officially joining SmackDown, the former Powerhouse Hobbs spent several weeks competing in non-televised bouts to get comfortable in his new environment.

Speaking with Sam Roberts on SiriusXM, Keys revealed that the idea for the dark matches came from him. He approached Paul Levesque with the plan, and it was approved. The goal was simple. He wanted time in front of live crowds while waiting for his official television debut.

“It got under my skin for a hot second, and I had Hunter, I had Bobby Roode, and I had Cody, Randy, I have a lot of people tell me, ‘Don’t let that sh*t bother you, because they don’t know what you’re doing.’ It got out there that I did some dark matches,” Keys said. “But I asked Hunter and he agreed, if I could do these darks. Like, who wouldn’t want to wrestle in front of a live crowd, open up the show, get everybody ready, you know, get it going in two different cities a week. I did Raw and SmackDown every week until my debut.”

Keys admitted that criticism online did affect him at first. Some fans questioned why he disappeared from television after the Royal Rumble. However, several WWE veterans helped him stay focused, including Bobby Roode, Cody Rhodes, and Randy Orton. They encouraged him to ignore outside noise and trust the process.

By the time Keys made his SmackDown debut, where he defeated Berto, he felt fully prepared. The weeks of dark matches gave him confidence and helped him settle into WWE’s pace and expectations.

“I’m with it. I’m with the grind, I’ve been grinding my whole life,” Keys said. “I was totally comfortable Friday, the debut. I was comfortable. I was with it. Just like getting up, putting on your shoes, tying your shoes. Like, I was comfortable doing it.”

WWE also introduced Keys to the audience with a video package focused on his personal journey. The piece highlighted the challenges he has faced and the effort it took to reach this point. While opening up was not easy, Keys said he wanted to share his story to motivate others and show what is possible through hard work.

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