He took ten years to make a name for himself in California independent circuits, rose up in AEW, and then came to WWE as a completely new personality whose name is made of the name of his son and his dead mother. Powerhouse Hobbs, whose real name is William Hobson, is considered as one of the most physically intimidating wrestlers in his generation, and in 2026, he launched the biggest phase of his career with the name Royce Keys. It’s the complete biography, with information that no other pages have about him.
Who Is Powerhouse Hobbs?
Professional wrestler Powerhouse Hobbs, who uses the name William Hobson, is a former WWE performer but is currently with AEW. He has served as one of the most physically imposing wrestlers for six years since 2020. His career highlights include winning the AEW TNT Championship once and the AEW World Trios Championship once. However, Powerhouse Hobbs has recently left AEW after signing with WWE in January 2026 under the ring name Royce Keys.
If you have tried finding Powerhouse Hobbs in All Elite Wrestling because of your love for this athlete, you should know that Powerhouse Hobbs has signed with WWE and is using the name Royce Keys there. This profile will discuss his career in WWE and AEW and everything he has done before this significant promotion change.
Powerhouse Hobbs Profile and Bio Data
| Bio detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Real name | William Hobson |
| Ring names | Powerhouse Hobbs, Royce Keys, Will Hobbs |
| Date of birth | 23 January (birth year disputed, see below) |
| Birthplace | East Palo Alto, California, United States |
| Billed height | 6 ft 1 in to 6 ft 3 in (185 to 191 cm) |
| Billed weight | 270 lb (122 kg) |
| Debut | 18 July 2009 |
| Current promotion | WWE, as Royce Keys |
| Current stable | 946 |
| Children | Three |
| Signature style | Power-based, the powerhouse |
What Is Powerhouse Hobbs’s Real Name?
Powerhouse Hobbs’s real name is William Hobson. He was born in East Palo Alto, California, and across his career he has wrestled under several names, including Will Hobbs, Will Rood and Will.I.IS on the independent scene, before Powerhouse Hobbs became his signature identity in AEW. In WWE he now competes as Royce Keys. The Hobbs ring name is a shortened, stylised version of his real surname, Hobson.
How Old Is Powerhouse Hobbs? The Disputed Birth Year
Here is one thing about Powerhouse Hobbs that is rarely right in many other profiles. For a long time, Powerhouse Hobbs had been widely known to have been born on 23 January 1991. Nevertheless, since 2026, it has been known through wrestling databases and records that the real birth year of this athlete is some years back, in 1985. Thus, he is much older than many people thought.
Many people were surprised by the fact, and the case is quite rare when it comes to wrestlers revealing their real ages much later in their careers. In any case, he has debuted in 2009 and has had more than 10 years in the independents before his major debut, so he came to AEW as a veteran wrestler.
Physical Stats and Wrestling Style
As his ring name promises, Hobbs is all about power. He is a legitimately imposing figure whose entire style is built around overwhelming strength and physical dominance.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Billed height | 6 ft 1 in to 6 ft 3 in (185 to 191 cm) |
| Billed weight | 270 lb (122 kg) |
| Build | Muscular, powerhouse frame |
| Athletic base | American football and independent wrestling |
| Style | Powerhouse, ground-and-pound, slams |
| Signature move | Town Business spinebuster and a dangerous slam |
His matches are built on the contrast between his brute force and his surprising agility for a big man. His finishing arsenal centres on a devastating spinebuster and a powerful slam, and he made his name flattening both fellow heavyweights and high-flyers alike. That combination of size, power and genuine athleticism is exactly the kind of profile major promotions covet, and it is why WWE moved to sign him.
Early Life and Independent Career
Hobson was born and brought up in East Palo Alto, California. He was enrolled at Sequoia High School in the neighboring city of Redwood City where he played American football and other forms of sport. A fan of wrestling since childhood, William visited wrestling matches at the Bay Area. These matches included a show of WCW SuperBrawl at the renowned Cow Palace in San Francisco long before he considered becoming an actual wrestler himself.
Hobson began his career on 18 July 2009 when he trained at the highly reputable APW Boot Camp in California. For the next ten years, he worked in the West Coast independent circuit, most prominently for All Pro Wrestling and Championship Wrestling From Hollywood, winning championships on more than one occasion and developing the powerful style that characterized him. This long process is crucial in William Hobson’s biography.
AEW Career: Team Taz to Champion
In July 2020, Hobbs started appearing for AEW under the ring name Will Hobbs in its YouTube-based television show AEW Dark. Hobbs’ performance in the Casino Battle Royale during the All Out pay-per-view event in September 2020 caught the eye of AEW President Tony Khan, and Hobbs was given a contract to become a full-fledged performer of AEW. Soon thereafter, Hobbs became the heel wrestler Powerhouse Hobbs after becoming the part of Team Taz along with Taz, Brian Cage, Ricky Starks and Hook, which was an evil faction.
After the disbanding of Team Taz, Hobbs went on to become a successful singles wrestler, mainly due to a rivalry with his old partner Ricky Starks between 2022 and 2023. Hobbs reached the peak of his career in March 2023 when he won the AEW TNT Championship. Hobbs also became a part of the formidable Don Callis Family.
| Achievement | Detail | When |
|---|---|---|
| AEW TNT Championship | One-time champion | March 2023 |
| AEW World Trios Championship | With Samoa Joe and Katsuyori Shibata | 2025 |
| Team Taz | Founding-era member | 2020 to 2022 |
| The Don Callis Family | Prominent member | 2023 to 2024 |
| The Opps | Member with Samoa Joe and Hook | 2025 |
The Trios Title and The Opps
One of the highlights of Hobbs’s later AEW run came as part of the group known as The Opps, alongside the legendary Samoa Joe, Hook and Katsuyori Shibata. With Joe and Shibata, Hobbs captured the AEW World Trios Championship, adding a second major AEW title to his resume and cementing his status as a reliable, respected member of the roster.
Throughout his six years in the company, Hobbs was a genuine homegrown talent, having been discovered and developed by AEW rather than arriving as an established name. That made his eventual departure all the more significant, since he was one of the wrestlers the promotion had built from the ground up.
The 2026 Move to WWE as Royce Keys
However, the most significant event in his career happened in 2026 right at its beginning. On 15 January 2026, Hobbs’ contract with AEW expired, which marked the end of six years of his collaboration with the organization, and he signed with WWE. His first appearance in the new organization took place on 31 January 2026, when he appeared on the Royal Rumble entering the men’s Royal Rumble match under his newly selected ring name – Royce Keys.
As reported by the Wrestling Observer, WWE decided to change his name because it wanted to own an entirely new identity for the wrestler, believing that the Powerhouse Hobbs identity was still not popular enough to license. However, it was also mentioned that Hobbs declined the offer from AEW because the proposed salary was unexpectedly high, but he believed that he had a chance to become even more popular working for WWE. In WWE, he is the leader of a stable called 946 (the area code of his hometown in Northern California) and he became the winner of 2026 Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
The Meaning Behind the Name Royce Keys
This is the detail that makes his WWE rebrand genuinely touching, and it is something the quick news reports often skip. The name Royce Keys was not randomly assigned. Hobbs personally chose it, combining the first name of his youngest son, Royce, with the maiden name of his late mother, Keys.
In an industry where new names are often corporate inventions, Hobbs turned a WWE rebrand into a personal tribute to his family, honouring both his child and his mother in his new identity. It is a small but revealing insight into the man behind the powerhouse, and it gives the Royce Keys name a meaning far deeper than most fans realise.
Powerhouse Hobbs Net Worth
The net worth of Powerhouse Hobbs is estimated at somewhere in the region of 500,000 to 1 million dollars, built over a long career spanning more than a decade on the independent scene, his six years in AEW, and now his WWE contract, along with merchandise and appearances. As with most wrestlers the figure is an unconfirmed estimate. His reported WWE deal, said to be a significant one, suggests his earning power is now at a career high.
Family and Personal Life
A father of three kids, Hobbs considers his family to be important to him; this can be seen from his selection of Royce Keys as his ring name. He takes pride in being a native of East Palo Alto, California. References to his Northern Californian origin have been present in his entire career as well, as seen in his 946 stable name based on his hometown’s area code.
A wrestler known for his intense presence in the ring, he talked about the difficult journey he undertook to achieve what he did now, from being a little kid who used to watch wrestling in the Bay Area, to becoming the champion of two of the biggest organizations of all time.
Trivia and Lesser-Known Facts
- His real name is William Hobson, and he is from East Palo Alto, California.
- He wrestled as Will Hobbs, Will Rood and Will.I.IS before becoming Powerhouse Hobbs.
- His WWE name, Royce Keys, combines his son’s name and his late mother’s maiden name.
- His birth year is disputed, long reported as 1991 but later listed as 1985.
- He debuted in 2009 and spent over a decade on the California independents.
- He was a founding-era member of AEW’s Team Taz faction.
- He won the AEW TNT Championship in March 2023.
- He won the AEW World Trios Championship with Samoa Joe and Katsuyori Shibata.
- He signed with WWE in January 2026 and won the Andre the Giant Battle Royal that year.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Powerhouse Hobbs’s real name?
His real name is William Hobson. He was born in East Palo Alto, California, and wrestles in WWE as Royce Keys.
Is Powerhouse Hobbs in WWE now?
Yes. His AEW contract expired in January 2026 and he signed with WWE, debuting at the Royal Rumble under the new ring name Royce Keys.
Why is Powerhouse Hobbs called Royce Keys?
He personally chose the name, combining the first name of his youngest son, Royce, with the maiden name of his late mother, Keys.
How tall is Powerhouse Hobbs?
He is billed at around 6 ft 1 in to 6 ft 3 in and weighs about 270 pounds, giving him a genuine powerhouse frame.
What titles did Powerhouse Hobbs win in AEW?
He was a one-time AEW TNT Champion, winning it in 2023, and a one-time AEW World Trios Champion with Samoa Joe and Katsuyori Shibata.
How old is Powerhouse Hobbs?
His birth date of 23 January is agreed, but the year is disputed, long reported as 1991 and later listed as 1985.
What stables was Powerhouse Hobbs in?
In AEW he was part of Team Taz, the Don Callis Family and The Opps. In WWE he leads the stable known as 946.
Final Take: The Powerhouse Enters a New Era
Powerhouse Hobbs is one of the best grinders in pro wrestling, a man who has been wrestling for a decade in independent promotion before being signed by AEW where he became a TNT and Trios champion. A well-built and physically capable man despite his size, he was one of AEW’s most reliable powerhouses in six years of wrestling in the promotion.
The 2026 signing of Hobbs by WWE and subsequent rebranding into Royce Keys will be the beginning of the most daring part of his career. A new name which reflects respect towards his son and his mother, a stable to run and already a victory in a battle royal under the new name, the wrestler known as Powerhouse is going to rely on himself in order to achieve success in the world’s largest wrestling company. Whatever name he uses now in his matches, the power and the story behind him belong only to him.
Also read: Shotzi Blackheart: Bio, Real Name, WWE Exit & 2026 Rise