Royce Keys has become one of WWE’s hottest acts over the past couple of months, but D-Von Dudley says there was a time when the former AEW star wanted out of the company in a big way.
While speaking on the Duke Loves Rasslin podcast, D-Von reflected on his history with Keys after the conversation turned to how much better he’s been presented in WWE. That led to a discussion about Keys’ AEW run, including the infamous match where Orange Cassidy beat him in less than 10 seconds.
The mention of that bout immediately reminded D-Von of a conversation they had while both were on the Jericho Cruise. D-Von first explained that he’d known Keys since his earlier days working around WWE.
“And I like those guys. I worked with him when I was in NXT. I like those guys a lot. And like I said before, I worked with Royce Keys when he used to come do extra work. You know, he used to be the guy that I would, you know, have working with—helping him produce the matches when I was in WWE as a producer.”
Thinking back to Keys’ time in AEW, D-Von said it was obvious he wasn’t happy with where things were heading. He added that Keys made it very obvious he wanted out of Tony Khan’s company back then already.
“I remember hearing something about that. I remember speaking to him, and he was visibly upset with the company at the time, and he wanted—I was on the Jericho—he wanted out big time, you know.”
D-Von said Keys wasn’t the only one venting frustrations. He revealed that he spoke with several AEW wrestlers during the cruise, and many of them had the same complaint about the company’s booking.
“I believe he—I believe I was—yeah, I was on the Jericho Cruise, and he was on there, and we were talking. Great conversation with not only him, but a couple of other guys from AEW, and they just all showed—they were all saying how they were disappointed in the booking that was going on there.”
Those conversations stuck with D-Von because he felt AEW had the talent to be something much bigger if the creative side came together.
“I remember saying to myself, ‘Damn, if they can just get the right guy to come in and help them book and help put this place back on the map, this might be another WCW versus WWE all over again.’”
Looking back now, it’s a pretty big contrast. D-Von remembers a Royce Keys who wanted out of AEW “big time,” while today he’s one of WWE’s most heavily featured heels as part of 946 and a central part of the company’s biggest storyline on RAW.
What do you think of D-Von’s comments? Has Royce Keys finally found the right spot for his career in WWE? Let us know in the comments below.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
