WWE star Royce Keys talks grinding on the indies with Jacob Fatu before reaching pro wrestling pinnacle

Before Royce Keys was picking isolated opponents successful WWE, he was wrestling and moving pinch early stars connected nan independent segment successful nan Bay Area.

Keys performed for West Coast Pro on pinch chap WWE prima Jacob Fatu earlier each of them took gigantic strides into becoming nan superstars fans cheer for today. West Coast Pro proprietor Scott Bregante elaborate nan company’s emergence and effect connected nan manufacture successful an question and reply pinch Fox News Digital earlier its shows took spot during WrestleMania week past month.

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Royce Keys looks connected successful nan ringing during WWE's Royal Rumble astatine Riyadh Season Stadium astatine KAFD successful Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, connected Jan. 31, 2026. (Andrew Timms/WWE)

WWE SmackDown’s newest large man said West Coast Pro was a different acquisition than a batch of different places he worked on.

"A lot. Scott is 1 of my partners from measurement back. He knows everything that I’ve been through. Me and him person been done immoderate things together," Keys told Fox News Digital. "Definitely nan West Coast has a different consciousness from immoderate different spot I’ve been. I’m not knocking immoderate different place.

"The West Coast man, I deliberation we grind harder, we get pinch it, we return what we want. For me, I for illustration to opportunity it’s successful nan h2o retired present successful nan Bay. You portion nan h2o retired here, it’s thing different."

Fatu, who is group to challenge Roman Reigns for nan World Heavyweight Championship astatine Backlash adjacent weekend, was a apical feline astatine West Coast Pro arsenic well. Keys said he had "no doubt" that Fatu would look arsenic large of a prima arsenic he is now successful WWE.

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Jacob Fatu enters nan ringing earlier his unsanctioned lucifer against Drew McIntyre astatine WrestleMania 42 astatine Allegiant Stadium successful Las Vegas connected April 18, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

"That’s my dawg. We spell backmost a dime and 4 pennies," he said. "That’s my feline man. Me and him, driving successful nan car 10 hours to a show and backmost 10 hours successful a beat-up Honda Civic and eating apical ramen aft practicing astatine KnokX Pro, grinding astatine APW and West Coast Pro. That’s my guy, man. We grinded retired hard.

"Plenty of times he’s ate astatine my table, I ate astatine his table. Slept connected his couch, he’s slept connected my couch. That’s my guy. I’m very proud of him. I put each 10 toes down, I tally pinch that dude 7 days a week."

The "grind" that Keys referred to helps shape pro wrestlers from all walks of life.

Long, and sometimes dangerous, car rides from venue to venue conscionable to execute astatine a bingo hallway aliases a precocious schoolhouse gymnasium is simply a staple connected nan independent segment for galore wrestlers.

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Keys wasn’t spared from it.

"I did a show successful Reno 1 clip and it was astir six of america successful nan car," he said. "No chains connected nan car. We drove done a blizzard. Normally it takes, from nan Bay to get to Reno, astir 3 1/2-4 hours depending connected really you’re pushing nan whip. But man, I was nan 1 successful nan beforehand spot driving possibly 3, 4, 5 mph done a snowstorm. It was like, you cannot spot successful beforehand of you and erstwhile you could see, it almost felt for illustration you were successful a spaceship, for illustration successful ‘Star Wars, you know, for illustration each nan stars and each that worldly is coming astatine you, but it was snow.

"I retrieve driving from Oakland to Las Vegas – maine and Jacob. Go wrestle, each right, well, we gotta get back. We sewage activity nan adjacent day. Get backmost successful nan car, thrust backmost 10 hours to nan Bay from Vegas conscionable to get nan experience. I took thing called a Mega Bus… time off connected a Thursday, spell train down astatine KnokX Pro pinch Rikishi, Gangrel, Black Pearl. Get connected a bus, thrust 7-8 hours to spell train and person to travel correct backmost and do nan aforesaid point each week, each week, each week. This is simply a grind."

But for Keys, location was nary different option.

Royce Keys competes against Berto during SmackDown astatine SAP Center successful San Jose, Calif., connected April 10, 2026. (Melina Pizano/WWE)

"Me, personally, I cognize what I want. There’s nary Plan B. You gotta instrumentality pinch Plan A."

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Now, some Keys and Fatu are featured play connected WWE programming.