Powerhouse Hobbs

Powerhouse Hobbs
Hobbs in 2022
Born (1985-01-23) January 23, 1985 (age 41)
East Palo Alto, California
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Powerhouse Hobbs
Royce Keys
Will Hobbs
Will.I.IS
Will Rood
Billed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Billed weight270 lb (120 kg)
Billed fromEast Palo Alto, California
Trained byDonovan Morgan
Ezekiel Jackson
Frank Murdoch
Michael Modest
Roland Alexander
DebutJuly 18, 2009

William Hobson (born January 23, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He currently wrestles for WWE on their Raw brand under the ring name Royce Keys. He is the leader of the stable The 946. Hobson is also known for his time in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Powerhouse Hobbs.

Career

All Elite Wrestling (2020–2026)

On the July 7, 2020 episode of Dark, Hobbs made his AEW debut, losing to Orange Cassidy. At All Out, Hobbs participated in the 21-man Casino Battle Royale to try and earn a shot at the AEW World Championship in a future match. The match was won by Lance Archer. AEW owner Tony Khan announced that Hobbs had signed a contract to become a member of the AEW roster. On the October 7 episode of Dynamite, Hobbs challenged Brian Cage for his FTW Championship but was unsuccessful. On the November 18 episode of Dynamite, Hobbs ran-in to save Cody Rhodes and Darby Allin from an attack by Team Taz (Taz, Brian Cage, and Ricky Starks). Hobbs instead turned heel and helped with the attack on Rhodes and Allin, joining Team Taz.

At Double or Nothing, Hobbs once again entered the Casino Battle Royale for a shot at the AEW World Championship in the future but the match was won by Jungle Boy. At Grand Slam, Hobbs wrestled CM Punk in his first televised match in 7 years. Hobbs ended up losing to Punk in the match.

At Revolution, Hobbs participated in the Face of the Revolution Ladder match for a shot at the AEW TNT Championship in the future but the match was won by Wardlow. At Double or Nothing, Hobbs teamed with Starks and challenged for the AEW World Tag Team Championships in a three-way tag team match but Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus) retained. At Fyter Fest, Hobbs and Starks once again challenged for the AEW World Tag Team Championship in a three-way tag team match but the match and championships were won by Swerve In Our Glory (Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland). Team Taz broke up a week after Hobbs turned on and attacked Starks after Starks lost the FTW Championship at Fight for the Fallen. At Full Gear, Hobbs challenged for the AEW TNT Championship in a three-way match but the match and championship was won by Samoa Joe.

On the March 1, 2023 episode of Dynamite, Hobbs earned a shot at Wardlow's AEW TNT Championship after entering and winning the Face Of The Revolution Ladder Match. On the next week's episode of Dynamite, Hobbs defeated Wardlow to win the AEW TNT championship. It was Hobbs's first championship in AEW. He also briefly joined Q. T. Marshall's QTV stable. Hobbs lost the championship back to Wardlow on the April 19 episode of Dynamite. Hobbs entered the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament. He defeated Dustin Rhodes before losing to Ricky Starks in the semi-finals. On the October 4 episode of Dynamite, Hobbs attacked both Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho, becoming the newest member of the Don Callis Family.

On the April 24, 2024 episode of Dynamite, Hobbs challenged Jon Moxley for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship but was unsuccessful. After the match, Hobbs had to have surgery after he injury himself during an attempted suicide dive in the match. On the November 6 episode of Dynamite, Hobbs returned to AEw and was revealed as the mystery partner for Ricochet. He also left the Don Callis Family. At Worlds End, Hobbs challenged Konosuke Takeshita for the AEW International Championship but lost.

On the January 8, 2025 episode of Dynamite, Hobbs earned a shot at Jon Moxley's AEW World Championship after entering and winning the Casino Gauntlet Match. Hobbs lost to Moxley on the next week's Dynamite. In April at Dynamite: Spring BreakThru, Hobbs (substituting for the injured Hook) teamed with The Opps (Katsuyori Shibata and Samoa Joe) to defeat the Death Riders for the AEW World Trios Championship. The next night at Collision: Spring BreakThru, Hobbs became a member of The Opps. On May 25 at Double or Nothing, The Opps teamed with Kenny Omega, Swerve Strickland, and Willow Nightingale to defeat the Death Riders and The Young Bucks in an Anarchy in the Arena match. On July 12 at All In: Texas, The Opps successfully defended their titles against the Death Riders and Gabe Kidd. On October 18 at WrestleDream, Hobbs and The Opps turned heel when they attacked "Hangman" Adam Page after Joe failed to defeat Page for the AEW World Championship. On the January 17, 2026 episode of Collision: Maximum Carnage (filmed on January 14), the Opps lost the AEW World Trios Championship to Page and JetSpeed (Kevin Knight and "Speedball" Mike Bailey). This was Hobbs' last AEW appearance as his contract expired on January 15 and he chose not to re-sign.

WWE (2026–present)

Hobson made his WWE debut on January 31 in the 2026 men's Royal Rumble match under the ring name Royce Keys. He entered at number 14 but was eliminated by Bronson Reed. Keys was then drafted to the SmackDown brand. On the April 17 episode of SmackDown, he won the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal by last eliminating Talla Tonga. At Night 1 of SummerSlam on August 1, Keys teamed with Solo Sikoa and LA Knight to defeat Jacob Fatu and The Usos (Jey and Jimmy Uso). On August 24, Keys was drafted to Raw, where he became a heel and formed the stable The 946 with OTM (Bronco Nima and Lucien Price). They were later joined by Jaida Parker and Carmelo Hayes.

Championships and accomplishments

References

  1. 1 2 Powell, Jason (January 31, 2026). "WWE Royal Rumble results". ProWrestling.net. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  2. ↑ "AEW Dark 7/7/20 Results: SCU, Dark Order, Big Swole, Shawn Spears & More In Action". Fightful. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  3. ↑ "AEW All Out results: Powell's live review of Jon Moxley vs. MJF for the AEW Championship, Kenny Omega and Hangman Page vs. FTR for the AEW Tag Titles, Hikaru Shida vs. Thunder Rosa for the AEW Women's Title, Chris Jericho vs. Orange Cassidy in a Mimosa Mayhem match". Pro Wrestling Dot Com. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  4. ↑ "AEW announces signing of Will Hobbs". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  5. ↑ "AEW Dynamite 10/7/20 Results: 30 Years Of Chris Jericho & 3 Title Matches". Fightful. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  6. ↑ "AEW Dynamite 11/18/20 Results: NWA Women's Title Match, Death Triangle Reunites & More!". Fightful. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  7. ↑ "AEW Double Or Nothing results: Powell's live review of Kenny Omega vs. Orange Cassidy vs. Pac for the AEW Championship, Hikaru Shida vs. Britt Baker for the AEW Women's Title, Miro vs. Lance Archer for the TNT Title, The Young Bucks vs. Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston for the AEW Tag Titles, The Pinnacle vs. The Inner Circle in a Stadium Stampede match". Pro Wrestling Dot Com. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  8. ↑ "9/24 AEW Rampage results: McGuire's live review of CM Punk vs. Powerhouse Hobbs, Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston vs. Minoru Suzuki and Lance Archer, Adam Cole and Young Bucks vs. Christian Cage, Jungle Boy, and Luchasaurus, Penta, Rey Fenix, Santana, and Ortiz vs. The Butcher, The Blade, and Private Party, Anna Jay vs. Penelope Ford". Pro Wrestling Dot Com. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  9. ↑ "AEW Revolution results: Powell's live review of Hangman Page vs. Adam Cole for the AEW Title, Britt Baker vs. Thunder Rosa for the AEW Women's Title, Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus vs. Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly vs. The Young Bucks for the AEW Tag Titles, CM Punk vs. MJF in a dog collar match, Jon Moxley vs. Bryan Danielson". Pro Wrestling Dot Com. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  10. ↑ "AEW Double Or Nothing results: Powell's live review of Hangman Page vs. CM Punk for the AEW Championship, MJF vs. Wardlow, Thunder Rosa vs. Serena Deeb for the AEW Women's Title, Owen Hart Cup tournament finals, The Hardys vs. The Young Bucks, Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus vs. Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland for the AEW Tag Titles". Pro Wrestling Dot Com. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  11. ↑ "7/13 AEW Dynamite results: Powell's live review of Jon Moxley vs. Kenosuke Takeshita in an eliminator match, Wardlow vs. Orange Cassidy for the TNT Title, The Young Bucks vs. Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland vs. Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs for the AEW Tag Titles, Claudi Castagnoli vs. Jake Hager, Serena Deeb vs. Anna Jay". Pro Wrestling Dot Com. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  12. ↑ "AEW Dynamite live results: Chris Jericho vs. Wheeler Yuta". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  13. ↑ "7/27 AEW Dynamite results: Barnett's live review of Jon Moxley vs. Rush for the Interim AEW World Championship, Thunder Rosa vs. Miyu Yamashita for the AEW Women's Championship, Ricky Starks vs. Danhausen for the FTW Title, Bryan Danielson vs. Daniel Garcia, Sammy Guevara vs. Dante Martin". Pro Wrestling Dot Com. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  14. ↑ "AEW Full Gear results: Powell's live review of Jon Moxley vs. MJF for the AEW World Championship, The Acclaimed vs. Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee for the AEW Tag Titles, Toni Storm vs. Jamie Hayter for the Interim AEW Women's Title, Death Triangle vs. The Elite for the AEW Trios Titles, Saraya vs. Britt Baker". Pro Wrestling Dot Com. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  15. 1 2 "AEW Dynamite (3/1) Results: Face Of The Revolution Ladder Match, Two Title Matches, MJF, And More". Fightful. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  16. 1 2 "Powerhouse Hobbs Wins TNT Championship On 3/8 AEW Dynamite, Aligns With QT Marshall". Fightful. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  17. ↑ "AEW Dynamite (4/19/23) Results: The Elite Speaks, TNT Title Bout, Jay White's Debut, And More". Fightful. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  18. ↑ "AEW Collision (7/1/2023) Results: Samoa Joe vs. Roderick Strong". Fightful. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  19. ↑ "AEW Collision (7/8/2023) Results: CM Punk vs. Samoa Joe, FTR vs. Bullet Club Gold, Starks vs. Hobbs". Fightful. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  20. ↑ "Powerhouse Hobbs joins The Don Callis Family at AEW Dynamite Anniversary". Fightful. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  21. ↑ "AEW Dynamite (4/24/24) Results: Jon Moxley vs. Powerhouse Hobbs, Swerve Strickland Competes, More". Fightful. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  22. ↑ "Powerhouse Hobbs will reportedly need surgery for injury". 411Mania. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  23. ↑ "AEW Dynamite (11/6/24) Results: Orange Cassidy, Adam Cole, Bobby Lashley, Ricochet, And More Appear". Fightful. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  24. ↑ "AEW Worlds End results: Powell's live review of Jon Moxley vs. Orange Cassidy vs. Hangman Page vs. Jay White for the AEW World Championship, Continental Classic semifinals and finals". Pro Wrestling Dot Com. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  25. ↑ "AEW Dynamite (1/8/25) Results: Kenny Omega Returns, World Title Number One Contender Casino Gauntlet". Fightful. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  26. ↑ "AEW Dynamite: Maximum Carnage (1/15/25) Results: Jon Moxley Defends, Kenny Omega vs. Brian Cage, More". Fightful. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  27. 1 2 "AEW Dynamite: Spring BreakThru results". AllEliteWrestling.com. All Elite Wrestling. April 16, 2025. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
  28. ↑ "AEW Collision results". F4WOnline.com. April 17, 2025. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
  29. ↑ Powell, Jason (May 25, 2025). "AEW Double Or Nothing results". ProWrestling.net. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
  30. ↑ Powell, Jason (July 12, 2025). "AEW All In Texas results". ProWrestling.net. Retrieved July 12, 2025.
  31. ↑ Powell, Jason (2025-10-18). "AEW WrestleDream results". ProWrestling.net. Retrieved 2025-10-19.
  32. ↑ Currier, Joseph (January 16, 2026). "Update on Powerhouse Hobbs leaving AEW for WWE". F4WOnline.com. Retrieved January 16, 2026.
  33. ↑ Mueller, Chris. "WWE SmackDown results, winners, live grades, reaction, highlights from April 10". BleacherReport.com. Retrieved April 10, 2026.
  34. 1 2 Ruth, Daisy (April 18, 2026). "Royce Keys wins 2026 Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal on WWE SmackDown". WrestlingInc.om. Retrieved April 18, 2026.
  35. ↑ Powell, Jason (August 1, 2026). "WWE SummerSlam results: Powell's live review of night one with Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar in a HIAC match, CM Punk vs. Cody Rhodes for the WWE Championship, Gunther vs. Nick Aldis". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on August 2, 2026. Retrieved August 1, 2026.
  36. ↑ Russell, Skylar (August 24, 2026). "Royce Keys Returns, Aligns With OTM On WWE Raw". Fightful. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  37. ↑ Rose, Bryan (September 4, 2026). "Royce Keys reveals name of new stable with OTM". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved September 5, 2026.
  38. ↑ Collins, Joseph (28 September 2026). "WWE Raw live results: Oba Femi has a message for The Vision". F4W/WON. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  39. ↑ Russell, Skylar (October 12, 2026). "Carmelo Hayes Returns On WWE Raw, Joins The 946". Fightful. Retrieved October 13, 2026.

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