Now that Royce Keys is establishing himself as a TV presence in WWE, the previous AEW star is able to talk more about the previous few months. After recently revealing that he asked Triple H for a series of dark matches prior to joining TV full-time, Keys also spoke to Fox News and touched on his debut on the WWE Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia.
“For me, it was an enormous test,” Keys said. “Recent audience, latest style, being to date away from home – I didn’t know what to anticipate. Probably one among the handful of times I have been nervous in my life.”
Keys appeared within the 14th spot of the Men’s Royal Rumble match, lasting just a little under 10 minutes and earning a single elimination along the best way. After eliminating Damian Priest, Keys was thrown excessive rope by Bronson Reed.
“Once I got to walk down that aisle, the whole lot felt so natural, getting within the ring and just being there. All eyes on me,” Keys continued. “It was definitely rewarding. You ever get that feeling such as you were meant to do something? I had that feeling then.”
Following the aforementioned dark matches, Keys made his return to TV on the “WWE SmackDown” ahead of WrestleMania 42, winning this yr’s Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal against opponents including Rey Fenix, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Johnny Gargano. Then, the week after that, Keys appeared in a backstage segment together with receiving a video package offering some insight into his personal life.