Friday Night SmackDown star Royce Keys has identified improving his microphone skills as a major goal of his in WWE.
Since re-emerging on WWE screens on the April 10 episode of SmackDown – over two months on from his initial debut during the 2026 Men’s Royal Rumble – Royce Keys has emerged as one of the brightest new stars on the blue brand.
As well as his obvious physical attributes between the ropes, WWE has put a spotlight on Keys’ background growing up in Palo Alto, California, as well as his relationships with members of Anoa’i family before joining WWE.
While he’s yet to cut a live promo in the ring, the interactions with Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu and The Usos has allowed Keys to show more of his character and set up some potentially compelling stories for him going forward on SmackDown.
Speaking with SportsBoom, Keys picked out promos as the area of his game he’s aiming to improve the most in WWE:
“Talking to the audience. You can always get better at promos. You can always figure out a different way or how to get better connecting with the audience.”
Keys then named Jake “The Snake” Roberts as an inspiration of his on the microphone, drawing similarities between the WWE Hall of Famer and his own grandfather:
“One person that comes to mind is Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts. He reminds me of my grandfather, because my grandfather was stern and he knew he was serious, and he didn’t have to yell.
“You look back at old Jake Roberts’ promos, he never yelled. But you knew he was serious.”
Royce Keys Lists WWE Stars He Looked Up To Growing Up
After 10 years competing on the independent scene and six years in AEW, Keys is now a member of the WWE roster and working alongside some familiar faces, as well as plenty of first-time opponents.
Outside of the ring Keys is rubbish shoulders with some of his biggest influences growing up, with the former Powerhouse Hobbs naming WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H and NXT commentator Booker T as two of many former WWE stars he looked up to.
Listing off his “many” inspirations, Keys said:
“There were many, there wasn’t just one.
“There were many such as Mark Henry, Booker, T, Stone Cold, The Rock. There was Mr. Perfect, Rick Rude, Haku. So many different guys that looked up to depending on where I was in my life.
“I like a lot of Triple H. There was some X-Pac. It depends on the mood I was in. Sometimes I would pretend I was a different wrestler every day growing up.”
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