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Before Royce Keys was picking his opponents in WWE, he was wrestling and working with future stars of the Bay Area independent scene.
Keys played for West Coast Pro alongside fellow WWE star Jacob Fatu before each of them made gigantic strides to become the superstars fans cheer for today. West Coast Pro owner Scott Bregante detailed the company’s rise and impact on the industry in an interview with PK Press Club Digital before its shows took place during WrestleMania week last month.
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Royce Keys looks on in the ring during the WWE Royal Rumble at Riyadh Season Stadium at KAFD in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on January 31, 2026. (Andrew Timms/WWE)
WWE SmackDown’s new big man said West Coast Pro was a different experience than many other places he’s worked.
“A lot. Scott’s been a partner of mine for a long time. He knows everything I’ve been through. He and I have been through some things together,” Keys told PK Press Club Digital. “The West Coast definitely has a different atmosphere than any other place I’ve been. I don’t knock any other place.
“The West Coast man, I think we work harder, we get there, we take what we want. For me, I like to say it’s in the water here in the bay. You drink the water here, it’s something different.”
Fatu, who is set to challenge Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship at Backlash next weekend, was also one of the top guys at West Coast Pro. Keys said he had “no doubt” that Fatu would become as big a star as he currently is in WWE.
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Jacob Fatu enters the ring before his unsanctioned match against Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on April 18, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
“That’s my mate. We’re coming back a nickel and dime,” he said. “That’s my man, me and him, driving 10 hours to a show and 10 hours back in a beat up Honda Civic and eating quality ramen after training at KnokX Pro, grinding at APW and West Coast Pro. That’s my man, man. We worked hard.
“A lot of times he’s eaten at my table, I’ve eaten at his table. I’ve slept on his couch, he’s slept on my couch. He’s my man. I’m very proud of him. I put all 10 toes on the ground, I run with this guy seven days a week.”
The “grind” that Keys refers to helps shape professional wrestlers of all backgrounds.
The long and sometimes dangerous car rides from venue to venue just to perform at a bingo hall or high school gymnasium are a staple of the independent scene for many wrestlers.
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Keys was not spared.
“I once did a show in Reno and there were about six of us in the car,” he said. “No chains on the car. We drove through a snowstorm. Normally it takes, from the bay to Reno, about 3 1/2 to 4 hours depending on how you push the whip. But man, I was the one in the front seat driving maybe 3, 4, 5 mph through a snowstorm. It was like you couldn’t see ahead of you and when you could see, it was almost like you were in a spaceship, like in Star Wars, you know, like all the stars and stuff are coming at you, but it was snow.
“I remember driving from Oakland to Las Vegas – me and Jacob. Go wrestle, okay, well, we have to go back. We worked the next day. Get back in the car, drive 10 hours back to the bay from Vegas just to experience it. I took something called a Mega Bus…leave on a Thursday, go train at KnokX Pro with Rikishi, Gangrel, Black Pearl. Get on a bus, drive 7 to 8 hours to go to practice and I have to come right back and do the same thing every week, every week, every week.
But for Keys, there was no other option.
Royce Keys faces Berto on SmackDown at SAP Center in San Jose, California on April 10, 2026. (Mélina Pizano/WWE)
“Me, personally, I know what I want. There is no plan B. You have to stick to plan A.”
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Now, Keys and Fatu are featured weekly on WWE programming.
