• WWE Star Was Very Frustrated & Angry In AEW
During his appearance on the Duke Loves Rasslin podcast, WWE Hall of Famer D-Von Dudley revealed that Powerhouse Hobbs (now known as Royce Keys in WWE) was very frustrated and angry in All Elite Wrestling:
“I believe that with the right structure, he’ll come along great. I had his matches when he used to come to WWE as an extra, and I worked with him and helped him. He’s always given me credit for that. And the great thing about it is now that he’s under WWE’s umbrella, he’ll be able to get that structure that he needs.
He was very frustrated and very angry at times, I remember talking with him because he didn’t feel like he got that with AEW. And now that he’s in WWE, it might be a different story.
There are certain people that come from AEW and go to WWE that feel more content, and they feel like they’re in a place where they should be to learn what they need to do to take their careers to the next level. And he’s done that, and he’s going to do that.”
As previously noted, Rikishi advised Hobbs to leave AEW for WWE.
• “WWE has to make that decision, not me” – Popular Ex-Champion On Returning To WWE
During an interview on Freddie Prinze Jr.’s Wrestling with Freddie podcast, Saraya aka Paige talked about not returning to WWE at Royal Rumble 2026 in Saudi Arabia:
“A lot of people were mad that I wasn’t in the Rumble. And a lot of people thought I was going to be number 30, too. And the amount… I’ve never had… well, I’ve had that much support before, but I thought I had lost all that support because of all my controversy, you know. But it was just absolutely bonkers.
There were thousands of videos. There’s, like, across all platforms, on just a couple of training videos, it was at 13 million a couple of days ago and now it’s at 18 million views now. Like, it is just absolutely insane. And I cried one day because of it, because I’m just like, I can’t believe people still love me. Like, this is crazy.
I wish I could be in the Rumble. And there was a viral video circulating of the first ever women’s Royal Rumble; and it was the same year I got told that I couldn’t wrestle again, and no one knew it at the time.
And then fast forward, I’d do my retirement speech the day after WrestleMania (34), but no one knew at the time, so I wasn’t part of it; and I was backstage in Gorilla and I’m really emotional; and they have images of me backstage just crying, just being like, ‘This is what I’ve always dreamed of. This is what I want to be a part of. I hope one day I can be a part of it again.’
And so that video was viral as well, and everyone’s just hoping that I was going to be in this Rumble, that I finally get to be a part of that that I’ve always dreamed of being a part of.
So yeah, it was incredible. I wish I was part of it, but there’s more to it. I mean, WWE has to make that decision, not me. Everyone obviously wants me to go back.”
