Royce Keys

[8.0] "Despite Hobbs/Keys getting a weighted average rating of 6.2/10 on his last 39 ratable matches, I find him oddly compelling. Unfortunately, every time I check on him in WWE, he seems to have gotten another push to the side. I hope he's on a trajectory for the US or IC title at least. His ceiling in AEW was certainly close to being reached, but it was above whatever's going on with his booking now. Good job skirting the NXT treatment almost all of the former AEW / TNA signees keep getting stuck with. Savvy move."

[6.0] "Hobbs WAS on his way up. I said in a review of his recent match that Cody must've sold him an amazing bill of goods to get him to sign. Royce said his dream was to be a WWE SOOOPERSTAR so I guess mission accomplished there."

[5.0] "When it comes to Royce, I just don't see it. I get it he's a big guy and looks like a menace but he has not impressed me at all. I don't see any reason why he should be this pushed."

[6.0] "He had great matches in AEW, but he was never really given meaningful belt accolades or pushed as he ought to have been. Now, he's vocal online about how grateful for his position he is, despite being in quite possibly the worst imaginable position for a person like him to be in, which is unbecoming of what a badass pro wrestler should be."

[7.0] "Hobbs is a good powerhouse wrestler with a crazy physique but beyond that he doesn't really stand out. He's a bit generic, and he's not particularly strong on the mic. He does a good spinebuster and powerslam, but there's not much to really say other than that. He had some good performances in the opps. I don't know how far he will go in WWE, but I don't expect him to exceed expectations much."

[7.0] "I have a personal rule not to rate a wrestler until I feel we've gotten a good idea of them at their peak. For some that means their first world title run, for others the realization that they will never be above a midcard level. For Hobbs/Keyes, it's the fact that he is over 40 years old and being treated as a rookie in WWE. The Powerhouse is a pretty fun big guy who has had some good matches and segments. What he's never had is a match that truly stands out as better than "pretty good". His promos are fine but not memorable. Compared to the truly big guys, he isn't especially big, so he will need something else to stand out. For his sake, I hope he finds it."

[7.0] "Royce is a good big man. I've enjoyed him in just about every faction he's been in, and I enjoy his matches. Unfortunately, I can't give him higher than an 7 because I've never seen him in a main event spot, but I'm hoping that changes in WWE. He also has one of the best spine busters in wrestling right now so that's cool."

[8.0] "I really enjoyed Powerhouse Hobbs when he was in AEW. I seriously did. I wished him well when he came to WWE, and clearly that wish fell on deaf ears. He's only appeared once at Royal Rumble, and he's on Main Event now, and supposed to be in a tag match with Jelly Roll at Wrestlemania? He doesn't need reps on Main Event, why put him there? There should be enough room on a 3 hour program like Smackdown, if there isn't, put him on NXT! Anyways, that's my rating."

[8.0] "I've always enjoyed Hobbs. Or Royce Keys as we shall now call him. Thought he was good in AEW, and clearly well-liked by everyone else who worked there. Looking forward to him in WWE. Really hope he does well. Still can't work out if he's 35 or 41, and this will obviously have an impact on how far he can go in the fed."

[8.0] "A huge fan of Powerhouse Hobbs always felt like he was someone who deserved a bigger shine in AEW, now with him in WWE I hope they treat him like the man he is."

[7.0] "It seems clears that this guy has a bright future in wrestling. I enjoyed his first run on AEW, he learnt to work, and was getting better every week, he was a solid midcarder / uppermicader, and could become a major thing in wrestling if WWE treats him correctly."

[7.0] "One of the most saddest ratings I will ever do in my entire life. AEW never pushed him as far as he could go in the business, Tony Khan always had problem to book OG's and powerhouse, and unfortunatelly, Hobbs is both. Wish the best for him at WWE, he is world champion caliber, a hell of a worker, hated heel, loved face, they can build him for whatever they freaking want. Hunter, book that guy on Smackdown and let him COOK that roster."

[7.0] "Sad to be seeing him leave AEW after five years, but I'm happy for him after watching him grow as a performer, working alongside guys like Starks & Samoa Joe. I hope the rumours of WWE being interested are true, 'cause I need him back on TV as fast as possible to continue watching his rise to stardom."

[8.0] "I wasn't a massive fan of Hobbs when he first came to AEW but he's consistently grown on me each year and I think he's worked fantastic with Joe and Shibata. He brings some very fun personality to the table too."

[7.0] "Yes, he only has three facial expressions but he does them very well. Joe Hendry only needs the one. Solid and likeable big man but is prone to breaking down, if he has knee issues then would suggest that the World's Strongest Slam and spinebuster aren't the best options as signatures. Good in tag matches, which may well suit him going forward."

[7.0] "Good big man wrestler. Hobbs has started to break out a bit more this year. He plays his role to near perfection"

[7.0] "Powerhouse collected many many many many false starts in his career so far. As a bodyguard to the good doctor or a heavy for Team Taz and that god awful group QTV. William Hobson is a hell of a big man, invented the term MEAT in wrestling. A promotion very unlike his powerhouse style allows him to match up the Indy style matchups but without a doubt fits the scenery. Influenced by Mark Henry, Arn Anderson and Theodore Arcidi, his big man frame can lift up anyone for the spinebuster!"

[8.0] "He is a big meaty man, wrestlers who are big meaty men are awesome. Why should I not love this guy ?"

[6.0] "Hobbs is a wrestler with a lot of potential, but I'm still waiting for that potential to break through. Possibly he should have been left in the tag division, as arguably his best work was as a member of team Taz. Alternatively he might need a change of scenery to really break through, but if AEW keeps him I'd like to see him work something like the C2 to get some more consistent ring time in."

[6.0] "I like Powerhouse Hobbs, he has an awesome look with decent fundamentals and great size but his AEW run has largely been suspect due to bad booking. Which I don't get because he works well with the talent and style that AEW has but for whatever reason, the booking hasn't come together for him. He's a guy I think would be lightyears better in WWE and working in the performance center."

[7.0] "I like Hobbs a lot. Still waiting for him to have a real standout match/promo/moment/whatever but that's not necessarily his fault. His booking is pretty bad. As time goes on it may never happen but there's clearly something there that should be capitalized on. He's got a great story and look."

[8.0] "Give Will Hobbs better booking! He has all the physical tools and a fine manager behind him, but he can't keep consistent booking behind him. Let him cook up the card - maybe a Copeland feud after he finishes with HOB."

[7.0] "A big hoss of a man who works well on your midcard. So long as you give him enough decent wins to remain credible, his best use is as a road block for babyface working up the card."

[6.0] "Big meaty man, excellent powerhouse that is also able to have some great matches with the right opponents and also great as a tag team guy. I do wish his booking was better though."

[6.0] "Hobbs is a good powerhouse, that can produce some interesting stuff and also have a nice physique. He's very strong and charismatic, solid big man."

"He has some good stiff shots and is a very believable big man, he appears every collosion to do a squash and I belive it. His spine buster is amazing and maybe the best one I've ever seen, only 32 years old, he has a bright future and I hope he does good in the future."

[6.0] "Hobbs is someone with a lot of potential Literally endless amounts of potential, He has size he has strength and even a small bit of charisma, but apparently TK must not care about him as he tries to put him on TV seemingly to satisfy viewers but puts him with QT marshall so that nobody could ever care about him, Gives him a TNT title reign but it lasts about 3 weeks and completely blows off the Starks and Hobbs feud, While he may not be that amazing in the ring yet I feel he could still become a mega star anywhere he goes."

[7.0] "Hobbs is already good with potential to be so much better. In the ring he has a good heavyweight style. On the mic he is still developing. He has the charisma and connection with the crowd already. Still younger and newer to the fans so room for him to improve."

[7.0] "A decent wrestler, who is pretty much exactly what his name suggests, given enough time he can certainly get better and not feel so generic."

[6.0] "He's a pretty solid big man, but it feels like he's been on the cusp of taking the next step for a year now. He's another example of one thing that AEW can be bad with, which is keeping guys in holding patterns for long periods of time. Hobbs has all the skills and doesn't lack charisma, I just haven't seen enough from him to show that he's clearly better than a number of different other guys right now."

[4.0] "Adequate wrestler, has good offensive, but in the matches, he's underwhelming, not the worst, but certainly an ok big man."

[6.0] "Hobbs could be great. He certainly has the look and his in-ring work is solid enough for a big man. There's a lot of future upside here but it all depends on him being used correctly."

[8.0] "Hobbs has so much potential. Solid and always improving in ring, along with great facials and intensity. He feels like a man with all the tools to be a future World Champion."

[5.0] "Can't help but feel like the guy is really being held back a lot. I think the guy has talent but I just don't think he has proven himself yet. I want to like him but somehow I feel the urge to change channel whenever his matches are on. If he can improve his in ring work and get booked well than I am sure I will raise this rating because I feel the guy has potential."

[7.0] "Hobbs is a great talent but he's being held back by the boring Team FTW. Right now he just comes off as one of their stooges rather than a standalone strong explosive guy like he initially was booked to be. Not much to say about him, just that he has potential and is currently just in the wrong spot on the card."

[7.0] "This guy could go higher for sure. His look is great without even that sneer. Which, to be honest, is perfect. A sneer like that by itself has more personality 80% of wrestlers today. Have not heard him too much on the mic, so won't comment there. Moveset is classic big-guy. Nothing new there but at the same time, Hobbs could give a clinic on how to pull them off. When Hobbs does a big move, it usually camera-perfect. You could take any spinebuster he's given in AEW and slot it into a pro-wrestling commercial. Things of beauty."

[7.0] "Ever since debuting Hobbs continues to improve the more experience he gets, however, I cant rate him above a seven as I feel like he hasn? t had enough noteworthy single matches yet, but I believe he will get there eventually. Will update this rating later."

[10.0] "This man should be on the main show every week and not on Dark or Elevation. He is a menacing presence, a walking brick house of muscle that wants to hurt everyone. I don't know why AEW hasn't pulled the trigger on the guy"

[6.0] "Probably my favourite 'big man' in AEW. Hobbs was pretty lost as the "just happy to be here" babyface prior to turning heel and joining Team Taz, but he's been quite entertaining and even more vicious in the ring since he turned. He's got a great aura now as a heel, and he could probably get over properly as a babyface if he just kept some of that confident attitude. If AEW ever decides to actually push him and let him be a Lesnar-type destroyer then he could easily become a star. He clearly has the physicality to do so, and with some more experience it looks like he'll get those important basics down as well."

[7.0] "Hobbs is good. People portray him as a rookie but Google says he debuted in 2009. He is very good at the in between things in the ring like facial expressions and banter. I have hated his booking. Losing to Orange Cassidy is unacceptable. I'd like to see him booked stronger and not just a big lackey getting beat by scrawny guys."

[6.0] "Why the hell is this guy above at most a 5 or a 6, and even giving him 8 (which was his average rating last year)-9-and 10s. Is this what a great look, good spinebuster and constantly being hyped up as a future MEGASTAR does to people.' While he's still mostly in his prime at age 30 (despite being a 10 year indie veteran & somehow still green in areas), has a good backstory & physical charisma/intensity, plus can cut a decent-ish promo (whenever he gets the chance to, which he usually doesn't) I can't in good conscience ignore that he still has to figure out how to put all of his tools together in the ring to put on consistently great performances w/o someone more experienced or better than him."

[5.0] "Will "Powerhouse" Hobbs is big and strong and... he is getting better. He isn't setting the world on fire but he's slowly but constantly improving in almost all directions. He may not become the megastar some say but he will surely become a fixture in AEW future shows."

[9.0] "Massive star potential. Great look, name, and really fun to watch. If AEW keeps pushing him and using him, I truly think he'll be a huge deal in the future"

[8.0] "helluva wrestler. he has a very bright future with aew. i hope to see him thrive under the tutelage of taz."

[7.0] "A good powerhouse type of wrestler with good selling and a good arsenal of high impact moves. Really want to see how good he's become in a couple of years from there."

[5.0] "Still early in his career, he's certainly got a great look. However, not much else stands out. Joining Team Taz I think will help before possibly bigger things. He seems like someone that the company can possibly build around but he's got a long ways to go until then. This rating is really based on what I've seen so far but his potential is higher. Right now, he's just another solid looking dude that hasn't differentiated himself from others."

[6.0] "Powerhouse Hobbs looks like a million dollars. He just needs to do something so that I can actually give him a higher rating."

[6.0] "Hobbs has a great look, but they never seem to let him do anything. I'm not sure if he's too green to use in any meaningful manner or what it is; but at this point, he's just part of Taz's posse & every once & a while he'll do a run in or cause a DQ in someone else's match. Hopefully he's getting better behind the scenes, because he's someone I would love to see more of."

[7.0] "Hobbs looks like he's going to be the next big guy for AEW. He wasn't really working well as a face, he fits in much more being alongside Team TAZ."

[8.0] "He's a very solid young hoss in a company with a lot of good hosses for him to learn from, I could see him as a future TNT champion a couple years down the line. His charisma and mic skills are also well above what I was expecting, he may be a more green Keith Lee but he could easily develop into a big star."