Royce Keys has arrived in WWE with some of the biggest names in the history of wrestling, preparing him for this moment.
The 2026 winner of the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, who will join the WWE 2K26 roster in season 6 of the Ringside Pass in October, made his debut for the company in 2026 before really kicking on in the build-up to WrestleMania last month.
Speaking exclusively to Metro in between mocap sessions for the video game, Keys opened up about his journey to the top, and how he’s got Hall of Famer Rikishi and the rest of The Bloodline to thank.
‘Jacob Fatu has been my best friend for the last 14 years,’ he said.
‘Getting in the car and driving 10 hours to a show in Vegas and driving back because we had to work at 7- 8am. There were times we had to start work at 6am and didn’t get in there till eight, you know?
‘I have strong ties with that family, especially being trained by his uncle, Rikishi, learning things from his father, the Tonga Kid.
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‘I remember doing extra work for WWE, and who was there to help me? Jimmy and Jey Uso. So I got ties with that family, nothing but love for that family.’
He recalled times he spent sleeping on that family’s couches and eating at their table, while learning from someone like Rikishi was invaluable.
‘It’s wonderful. Someone who’s going to shoot straight with you. It’s just the same thing, like with Mark Henry, who’s my wrestling dad, who will never let me fail,’ he smiled.
‘I’ll call big Unc up, and that’s Booker T. I got so many people behind me that have been to where I want to be.’
Keys isn’t feeling the pressure of having those legacies behind him.
‘So many legends, Hall of Famers,’ added. ‘Man, it can’t go wrong.’
That’s taken him all the way to WWE, with things coming full circle, as he’ll soon be on the same video game roster as Rikishi, Booker T, Mark Henry and more.
There are current champions helping too, having worked with the likes of WWE 2K26 cover star CM Punk and current WWE Champion Cody Rhodes during their time in AEW.
As for Punk, he said: ‘We stayed in touch no matter what, no matter what the situation was, whether we were working for the same company or not.’
It’s fitting that Punk and Cody were the last two people he spoke to before his Royal Rumble debut, and they both had the same advice.
‘”Stick with it,”‘ they told him. ‘I trust my gut. If it fails, then okay, cool, we rack up, rethink what we’re going to do next.
‘But, man, they told me the same thing, and it’s, “You’re here for a reason”. It’s no mistake that I’m finally here.’
Keys has also been boosted by his work ethic, which is evident from him chatting to us during a long day working on mocap for his video game appearance, which means fans will be getting an ‘authentic’ experience later this year.
‘My character in the game is not going to use a generic Spinebuster,’ he added. ‘It’s my authentic Spinebuster, which is different from everyone else’s.’
Keys is already making waves, and he’s got a clear goal in mind for his WWE career.
‘When the name Royce Keys is mentioned, I want people to think of somebody that’s dominating, like Mark Henry had that “Hall of Pain” era,’ he said.
‘I want to be up in that list. I want to be talked about with someone of that calibre.’
WWE 2K26 is out now, with Royce Keys joining the roster in Ringside Pass season 6 later this year. Tickets for the WWE European Summer Tour are available now from wwe.com/events.
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