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Towards the end of the match, Jey Uso had Solo Sikoa in position to send him through the ring post, but before the Yeet Master could execute his move, Royce Keys came running and took both Jey and Solo out with a spear, breaking the barricade.
Meanwhile, two mystery men hopped inside the ring and ambushed Jimmy Uso and LA Knight. The two men were identified as Bronco Nima and Lucien Price, popularly known as the OTM (Out The Mud). They made their name competing at NXT and AAA. Now they have officially made their WWE main roster debut alongside Keys.
With the chaos created in the main event of RAW, Royce Keys has officially turned heel for the first time since his arrival in WWE.
Here we will explore four potential reasons why Royce Keys turned heel upon his WWE RAW return:
#4. Babyface run wasn’t working
In January, Powerhouse Hobbs’s AEW contract ended. Immediately after his contract expired, Powerhouse signed with WWE. He made his World Wrestling Entertainment debut at the 2026 Royal Rumble as Royce Keys and was placed on SmackDown’s roster.
As a babyface, Keys won the 2026 André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. He made his SummerSlam debut in a six-man tag team match, teaming with Solo Sikoa and LA Knight to defeat Jacob Fatu and The Usos. His last RAW outing wasn’t pleasant, as the Samoan Werewolf demolished him.
Despite the intense segment with Fatu, Keys failed to attract any true babyface reactions. This may have forced the creative team to change plans for him and turn him into a red-hot heel with his own villainous crew.
#3. WWE RAW lacked major heels
Over the course of a few months, Triple H and his creative crew had rolled the dice a couple of times and had made some major changes, from pushing hard to building new stars to turning heels such as Solo Sikoa into fan-favorite babyfaces and much more.
Meanwhile, making those changes had also brought some disadvantages, especially for Monday Night RAW’s men’s division, as the red brand was seriously lacking major heel superstars.
The company was indeed in a hurry to get some male heel superstars for WWE Monday Night RAW. Therefore, turning Royce Keys into a heel and pairing him with the OTM was a great initiative.
The 2026 André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner has a monstrous build and is one of the strongest guys on the roster. All his attributes could position him as a top heel if things go well.
#2. Knight & Sikoa need a feud post-The Bloodline saga
LA Knight and Solo Sikoa are teaming up to wage a war against The Bloodline. While both the Street Champion and the Megastar are seen as potential challengers for Roman Reigns’s WWE World Heavyweight Championship, neither of them is considered a threat to The OTC’s reign.
After the conclusion of The Bloodline saga, WWE could pair Solo and LA as a team in the tag team division. To make a big difference, the company would need to put the babyface team against some significant names. Given their history with Royce Keys, he would be a perfect opponent for Sikoa and Knight.
With Keys turning heel and aligning forces with The OTM, their involvement would be a problem for everyone, and a rivalry has already begun to take shape.
#1. To teach Jacob Fatu a lesson
The Samoan Werewolf clashed with Royce Keys on the August 3 episode of RAW in a hard-hitting Street Fight where Fatu beat Keys with his Tongan Death Grip.
But he didn’t stop there, as he wedged a steel chair into the former AEW star’s neck and destroyed him with a running hip attack. The star was taken out on a stretcher.
On the latest episode of WWE RAW, Royce made his presence felt in the main event alongside his new allies, The OTM, but his real target could be Jacob Fatu, who brutally attacked him and sent him on hiatus.
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