Royce Keys is finally explaining why he walked away from AEW, and if anyone was expecting a dramatic story, they won’t find one.
Keys left AEW earlier this year before making his WWE debut in the Royal Rumble. At the time, he refused to dwell on comparisons between the two companies, insisting that AEW was “the past” and revealing that Triple H immediately supported his request to work dark matches so he could keep improving.
Now, speaking to 107.7 The Bone, Keys has opened up about what ultimately convinced him to make the jump. While he admitted there were personal reasons behind his departure that he’ll keep private, Keys said the biggest reason didn’t need much explaining. WWE had been the dream since he was a kid, and once that opportunity arrived, there was nothing to think about
“Um, a lot. There’s a lot of personal ones that I won’t speak on, but, you know, the dream is always to be a WWE Superstar. It’s all I dreamed about as a kid. And I will never live my life as to having ‘what ifs.’ What if I did this? What if I would’ve went? What if I didn’t go? There was no second thought about putting pen to paper when that opportunity came up.”
Keys said that’s exactly how he approaches his career. He’d rather take the shot than spend years wondering what could have happened. To him, WWE wasn’t just another company making an offer. It was the place he’d always wanted to be.
“I mean, you look at what WWE is. It’s the all-in, the all and be all of professional wrestling and sports entertainment. So, why wouldn’t I want to go? I felt like LeBron James right now in free agency, you know what I’m saying? It was one of those things like, well, this is what I always wanted. The opportunity’s here. Let’s see what we make out of it. And I will always put 10 toes down and 100%, seven days a week, always bet on myself.”
That doesn’t mean walking away from AEW was easy emotionally. Keys said he still has friends there and always will. But friendships and business aren’t the same thing. When it came time to choose what was best for his career, he believed there was only one answer.
“It’s business. You’re going to have your friends that you’ll always keep in contact with, and you have your acquaintances. But this is business. I have to do what’s best for Royce Keys. And the best thing to do for Royce was to go to WWE.”
Those comments line up with what Keys said shortly after arriving in WWE, when he dismissed the constant comparisons between AEW and WWE by saying he refused to let his past define him. Instead of looking back, he focused on improving, even asking Triple H for extra dark matches because he wanted as much ring time as possible.
Months later, nothing has changed. If anything, Keys sounds even more convinced he made the right call. As far as he’s concerned, signing with WWE wasn’t a gamble—it was the opportunity he’d been waiting for his entire life.
Do you think Royce Keys made the right move leaving AEW for WWE? Let us know in the comments below.
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