Summary

Royce Keys said the gap between his Royal Rumble debut and his April 10 SmackDown television debut started to wear on him once fans began asking why WWE had not followed up right away.

Keys explained that he stayed active during that stretch by working dark matches on both Raw and SmackDown, and he said that was something he personally pushed for. According to Keys, Paul Levesque agreed to it, giving him regular live-match reps before the company formally introduced him on television.

That TV rollout came shortly after Royce Keys made his WWE SmackDown singles debut against Berto, which gave viewers their first real look at him in the ring after the Royal Rumble appearance.

Quote from Royce Keys

"It got under my skin for a hot second. Then I had Hunter, I had Bobby Roode, and I had Cody (Rhodes), Randy (Orton), I had 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 but, I asked Hunter and he agreed if I could do these darks. Who wouldn't wanna wrestle in front of a live crowd? Open up the show, get everybody ready, get it going, in two different cities a week. I did Raw and SmackDown every week until my debut. I put that GIF out with the dude with the seasoning. We was cooking... For Paul to be like, 'Yeah, let's do it. You wanna get after it.' Like, 'Hell yeah, I wanna get after it.' I'm here. I'm not content with just being here. I wanna f'n work. I'm with it, I'm with the grind. I been grinding my whole life, so, let's do it."

Keys later went on to say:

"Yeah, man, that whole package, I believe another one's gonna air, I feel it's definitely gonna help for the people who don't know anything about me. It took a lot for me to open up, and tell a little bit about my life because I kind of, I'm very private and kind of keep things to myself... It is (an emotional story). It's unfortunate how things happened but, I think my belief is, you know, I was built for it."

What Royce Keys' dark-match run says about his WWE start

Royce Keys working dark matches every week suggests WWE wanted him getting comfortable in its live environment before making a full television push. That matters because it frames his post-Rumble absence less as a stall and more as a measured build toward a longer-term role on SmackDown.

It also lines up with the way Keys described his own mindset. Rather than waiting for the next appearance, he wanted ring time, and that usually helps a wrestler settle into a new presentation faster once the cameras are on.

Solo Sikoa's approach after the debut

Keys also said he felt like he had officially arrived after the video package and television debut. After that appearance, he was interviewed backstage and approached by Solo Sikoa, who told him to reach out if he needed anything on SmackDown.

That is a small moment for now, but it gives WWE another thread it can revisit if it wants to connect Keys more directly to one of the brand's established names.

Sources

Royce Keys while speaking on Notsam Wrestling Live!