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

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Before Royce Keys was picking isolated opponents successful WWE, helium was wrestling and moving with aboriginal stars connected the autarkic country successful the Bay Area.

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

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Royce Keys looking connected successful the ringing during WWE Royal Rumble successful Riyadh

Royce Keys looks connected successful the 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 antheral said West Coast Pro was a antithetic acquisition than a batch of different places helium worked on.

"A lot. Scott is 1 of my partners from mode back. He knows everything that I’ve been through. Me and him person been done immoderate things together," Keys told Fox News Digital. "Definitely the West Coast has a antithetic 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 with it, we instrumentality what we want. For me, I similar to accidental it’s successful the h2o retired present successful the Bay. You portion the h2o retired here, it’s thing different."

Fatu, who is acceptable to situation Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship astatine Backlash adjacent weekend, was a apical feline astatine West Coast Pro arsenic well. Keys said helium had "no doubt" that Fatu would look arsenic large of a prima arsenic helium is present successful WWE.

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Jacob Fatu entering the wrestling ringing astatine Allegiant Stadium successful Las Vegas

Jacob Fatu enters the 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," helium said. "That’s my feline man. Me and him, driving successful the car 10 hours to a amusement 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 precise arrogant of him. I enactment each 10 toes down, I tally with that dude 7 days a week."

The "grind" that Keys referred to helps signifier pro wrestlers from each walks of life.

Long, and sometimes dangerous, car rides from venue to venue conscionable to execute astatine a bingo hallway oregon a precocious schoolhouse gymnasium is simply a staple connected the autarkic country for galore wrestlers.

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Keys wasn’t spared from it.

"I did a amusement successful Reno 1 clip and it was astir six of america successful the car," helium said. "No chains connected the car. We drove done a blizzard. Normally it takes, from the Bay to get to Reno, astir 3 1/2-4 hours depending connected however you’re pushing the whip. But man, I was the 1 successful the 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 astir felt similar you were successful a spaceship, similar successful ‘Star Wars, you know, similar each the 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 got enactment the adjacent day. Get backmost successful the car, thrust backmost 10 hours to the Bay from Vegas conscionable to get the experience. I took thing called a Mega Bus… permission connected a Thursday, spell bid down astatine KnokX Pro with Rikishi, Gangrel, Black Pearl. Get connected a bus, thrust 7-8 hours to spell bid and person to travel close backmost and bash the aforesaid happening each week, each week, each week. This is simply a grind."

But for Keys, determination was nary different option.