6 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE SmackDown (10 April - Results & Review)

Ups...

6. Royce Keys Looks Good In-Ring

Eyes were rolling hard when Solo approached Royce behind the curtain, but the actual match Keys worked vs. Berto before that was rock solid. WWE had to be deceptively careful here, because Royce couldn’t just do the Oba Femi thing by running through someone in less than a minute. So, they extended it by a couple and used Angel around ringside to try and give Berto a puncher’s chance.

Then, once Keys seized control, it was curtains. Royce’s spinebuster and sneering look whilst pinning Berto ruled. That had an air of Bret Hart back at WrestleMania VI about it, which is one for the old timers or historians who remember/love that sort of stuff. Confidence is key. Overall, Keys showed good fire and energy from the moment he stepped foot through the curtain.

He looked like he belonged on WWE television and could be a major player, so this was all very encouraging. It was a solid segment, Royce made the humble spinebuster look deadlier than most finishers going, Los Garza knew their role and stuck to it, and the live crowd were right there for every bit of it. That's a good sign for Royce. Let's hope Hunter was paying close attention at Gorilla backstage.

Keys will have to move on from squashes pretty quickly, but he nailed his second chance to make a first impression. More vignettes developing his character, please, and then splice in more competitive matches. It's the only way he'll get over longer term, which is what WWE obviously wants for the dude.