WWE Created a New Star With One Awesome Segment

Currently, there is a stark difference between the rosters of WWE Raw and SmackDown. Over on Friday nights, the blue brand is stacked with established main eventers like Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, and Randy Orton. On Mondays, the red brand, outside of Roman Reigns, is mostly made of rising talent such as Oba Femi, LA Knight, and Solo Sikoa. If WWE books them right, all three of those Raw stars could be at the level of the SmackDown examples. However, there has also been one superstar who has worked on both brands this year who has been so badly booked that he was almost forgotten. Just a few weeks ago, Royce Keys was dead in the water. Then came the end of the August 24 Raw. With one segment, Keys became someone to pay attention to.

WWE Gave the Former Powerhouse Hobbs Nothing To Do as Royce Keys

• Powerhouse Hobbs didn’t realize his full potential in AEW.
• Royce Keys made his WWE debut at the Royal Rumble, then disappeared for months.
• Keys became a generic babyface on SmackDown.

Before Royce Keys, there was Powerhouse Hobbs. In AEW, Hobbs had the size and talent to be a major star. Sadly, it never happened. Injuries and bad booking either kept him off TV or mostly in the background as muscle for factions. Last year, when it was revealed that he was leaving AEW for WWE, it seemed like a great way to rebound his career. His look was perfect for the WWE system. As long as the company got behind him, the renamed Royce Keys would become a big star.

Royce Keys has failed badly in WWE simply because Triple H and TKO never invested in him. His debut came in front of a dead crowd at the Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia. After that, he disappeared for months. Casual WWE fans who don’t watch AEW had no reason to care about him. And when he did finally appear on WWE TV, he was a generic face on SmackDown trying to get through to Jacob Fatu. Keys had the absolute bare minimum to work with.

Royce Keys Turned Heel and Joined Forces With OTM To End WWE Raw

• Royce Keys was destroyed by Jacob Fatu and stretchered out on an episode of Raw.
• He and NXT’s OTM attacked LA Knight, Solo Sikoa, and the Usos.
• Being given a personality and an intriguing gimmick could save Royce’s WWE career.

Things began to change for Royce Keys when he moved to Raw. Sure, his big moment came when Jacob Fatu destroyed him, resulting in Keys being taken out on a stretcher, but at least he had an actual storyline and something to do. Fans immediately wondered what the point of the kayfabe injury was. Could WWE dare be forgetting about him again, or was Keys in store for a major reset?

The answer came at the end of the August 24 episode of Raw. The main event saw LA Knight and Solo Sikoa take on the Usos when, out of nowhere, Royce Keys and NXT’s OTM entered the ring to demolish everyone in their path, no matter if they were babyface or heel. It was a scene no one saw coming, and immediately injected some energy into a usually dull and predictable product. WWE is finally hearing how frustrated fans are, and in the weeks after SummerSlam they are putting in more effort to create compelling shows.

What WWE really needs is more new stars. With one segment, Royce Keys became one. Gone was the bland babyface. Immediately, Keys got to show a tremendous amount of personality as he yelled and raged, a cocky badass of a man who couldn’t be stopped as he instructed OTM at every move. In only a few minutes, Keys got to show what he’s capable of, similar to how Sikoa got to evolve by going from a generic heel to a hilarious babyface. Sikoa instantly became a main event level star. Can the same happen for Royce?

Royce Keys Can’t Be Forgotten on WWE TV Again

• Ilja Dragunov showed what can happen when WWE loses interest in a rising midcard star.
• Keys’ new faction can’t turn into failed ones like Nexus and Retribution.
• At the age of 41, it’s now or never for Royce Keys to be a main eventer in WWE.

It’s now or never for Royce Keys. WWE has already forgotten about him once. If they do so again, he’s done. There’s no coming back from a push that’s quickly turned off for a struggling midcard talent. Just ask Ilja Dragunov. For Dragunov, he’ll be just fine. Keys can’t say the same. There’s no going back to AEW. And at the age of 41, his time is limited in the wrestling ring.

There are two ways this can go. WWE can build this new group up, making them Shield-like (that’s not to say they could ever reach such an immense level), or they become another one of those groups, like Nexus and Retribution, who show up, cause mayhem, then disappear because there is nothing for them to do after the initial destruction.

WWE must be careful. They’ve got three careers they’re playing with here. If Triple H gets bored and puts them aside in a few weeks, it will seriously hurt Bronco Nima and Lucien Price of OTM. They’re still young though, with careers which can be saved. The same can’t be said for Royce Keys. This is it. Botch it and his WWE career is over with. In a perfect world, it’s not an issue. Keys is a tremendous talent capable of so much. All Triple H has to do is invest in him, then sit back and let the man reach his full potential. With one segment, WWE created a major new star. How high he is allowed to go remains to be seen.