Royce Keys has made The 946’s mission clear: the group is coming for The Bloodline because it sees Roman Reigns’ family faction as the pinnacle of power in WWE.
Since The 946 formed on the WWE main roster, its conflict with The Bloodline has been the defining focus of the faction’s run. The two groups have gone to war in recent weeks, and the rivalry took another significant turn on the latest edition of WWE Monday Night Raw. During a brawl involving the rival factions, Cruz Montana aligned himself with Keys and The 946, giving the group a new member as its fight with The Bloodline escalates.
Speaking in a recent interview, Keys addressed the reasoning behind The 946’s decision to target Roman Reigns and his family. His explanation framed the conflict as a challenge directed squarely at WWE’s established power structure, with The Bloodline representing the biggest target available.
“My group, 946, there’s a bunch of us just feel like we’ve been held down. You know, so I now go after the top of the food chain, which is The Bloodline.”
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Keys did not diminish The Bloodline’s accomplishments while explaining the rivalry. Instead, he acknowledged the stature of the group and used that standing to reinforce why The 946 believes the faction must be confronted. For Keys, going after The Bloodline is not simply about starting a feud with another collection of WWE stars. It is about trying to prove that The 946 belongs at the same level as the most accomplished factions in the company.
“The Bloodline probably is one of the greatest factions to do this all,” Keys said. “Ain’t nobody spilled the blood of the Bloodline but us. We put them down.”
The wording is especially notable given the identity and legacy attached to The Bloodline. The faction has long been built around family, dominance, championship success, and the authority associated with its name. By saying that The 946 has “spilled the blood” of The Bloodline, Keys is presenting his group as a force that has already accomplished something other opponents have not: putting the family faction down.
That claim also illustrates the confrontational position The 946 has embraced from the beginning of this program. The group is not positioning itself as an underdog looking for acceptance from WWE’s biggest names. Keys’ comments instead suggest that its members believe they have been overlooked and restrained, and that the appropriate response is to attack the faction sitting at the top of the hierarchy.
The Bloodline Remains WWE’s Biggest Target
The Bloodline’s place in WWE makes it a natural measuring stick for any group looking to establish itself. Keys specifically called the faction “the top of the food chain,” a description that speaks to both its history and its continued importance on WWE television. Roman Reigns and his family have become synonymous with power in WWE, and any act of defiance against them immediately carries major stakes.
For The 946, that is precisely the point. A rivalry with The Bloodline gives the group an opportunity to define itself through opposition to an established dynasty. Keys’ remarks indicate that The 946 does not view a confrontation with Roman Reigns’ family as something to avoid or survive. It views that confrontation as the path to proving its own standing.
There is a major difference between saying a faction wants attention and declaring that it has put down one of WWE’s most dominant groups. Keys chose the latter approach. His comments are intended to make the case that The 946 is already more than a new collection of wrestlers trying to find its place. In his view, the group has already drawn blood in its battle with The Bloodline and has earned the right to speak with confidence.
That confidence was on display in his description of his own background as well. Keys referenced growing up in California’s Bay Area and said he had “did my dirt” and spent “a little time,” though he declined to offer further details. He connected that personal outlook to The 946’s collective mentality, explaining that the group consists of people who feel they have been held down.
Keys did not identify individual grievances or specify exactly who has held The 946 back. What he did make clear is that the faction’s frustration has been turned outward toward the most powerful opposition available. Rather than pursuing a lower-profile conflict, The 946 has picked a direct fight with The Bloodline.
Cruz Montana’s Arrival Raises The Stakes
The faction’s strength in numbers changed on Raw when Cruz Montana joined Keys and the rest of The 946 during the brawl with The Bloodline. Montana’s alignment was a consequential development in a rivalry that has already produced repeated confrontations between the groups.
His arrival gives The 946 another presence in its continuing battle and underlines that the faction is still growing while it targets one of WWE’s most prominent family units. The timing matters as well. Montana did not merely appear in a separate segment or make a vague statement of support; he aligned with Keys’ group in the middle of an active confrontation with The Bloodline.
That decision places Montana directly inside the conflict and leaves The Bloodline with another adversary to account for. It also provides further evidence that Keys’ message is resonating within WWE. If The 946 is built around the belief that its members have been held down, Montana’s decision to stand beside Keys suggests that the group’s broader challenge to WWE’s established order is gaining another voice.
At this stage, the full impact of Montana’s involvement remains to be seen. The immediate fact is that The 946 has added to its ranks while the war with The Bloodline continues. With Keys publicly insisting that his faction has already succeeded in putting The Bloodline down, the new alignment gives the group more momentum behind an increasingly aggressive message.
Keys Wants The 946 To Define Its Own Legacy
Keys’ comments about The Bloodline also fit with his wider interest in the legacy he hopes to leave in wrestling. While he has separately discussed what he wants that legacy to be, his current remarks show that The 946’s conflict with Roman Reigns’ family is central to how he wants the group to be remembered.
Great factions are often judged by the scale of their rivals, the significance of their victories, and whether they changed the balance of power around them. Keys is plainly trying to place The 946 in that conversation. By recognizing The Bloodline as one of the greatest factions in WWE history while simultaneously claiming his group has been the one to spill its blood, he is setting an ambitious standard for what The 946 must accomplish.
It is also a statement of intent. The 946 is not treating its issues with The Bloodline as a temporary disagreement or a detour on the way to another goal. The Bloodline is the goal. Keys’ language makes that unmistakable: if the group feels it has been held down, then defeating the faction at the top is the clearest possible way to announce that it will no longer accept that position.
The Bloodline, however, is not a group whose reputation was built on backing away from challenges. Its history, family identity, and position in WWE ensure that any threat to its standing will be met with a response. Keys’ declaration that The 946 has put the family down is therefore likely to add further intensity to a rivalry that has already become one of the central faction battles on Raw.
For now, The 946 has momentum, a newly aligned Cruz Montana, and a leader willing to state openly that his group is challenging WWE’s most established family faction. Keys has drawn a sharp line: The Bloodline may be among the greatest factions to ever do it, but he believes The 946 has done what no one else could by making it bleed.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.