Jacob Fatu Made His WWE Debut On SmackDown As The Newest Bloodline Member

Jacob Fatu is now in the WWE. That’s right, perhaps the most notable Samoan to never work with WWE has officially been signed. The 32-year-old has been destroying everyone in his path on the independent scene for years now. He’d debut on SmackDown by essentially saving Solo Sikoa from Randy Orton, Kevin Owens, and Cody Rhodes. Fatu kicked Orton and Rhodes’ head off before attacking Owens. He’d end KO’s attempt at stopping him by slamming Owens onto steel steps via a Samoan Drop.

Fatu would eventually set his sights on Cody. He proceeded to hit Rhodes with a uranage onto the side of the ring. That took him down, allowing Fatu to place Cody onto the announce table. He then climbed to the top rope inside the ring and jumped onto Rhodes with a splash that put him through the table. This all culminated in quite an impressive debut.

Based on their reaction, neither Tama Tonga nor Tanga Loa were aware that Fatu was coming. Nor were they aware that he would be joining The Bloodline.

With Fatu being considered an animalistic psychopath, a lot like his uncle Umaga, one cannot blame the pair for being a bit worried or taken aback. It’s also worth noting that before Fatu joined, the makeup of The Bloodline changed from being always or mostly Samoan. Solo was the only Samoan, as the two brothers were the sons of Haku, officially of Tongan descent. With Fatu in the group, things are even.

It also helps that he is first cousins with Solo Sikoa, the Bloodline’s new Tribal Chief.

JACOB FATU’S BACKSTORY

While Jacob Fatu began training to wrestle and eventually made his debut between 2012 and 2013, he most wrestled on the California indie scene. Funny enough, if not for a setback in his life, Fatu might have never become a professional wrestler at all. That is despite the connection his family has to it.

He was arrested for robbery when he was just 18 years old. While incarcerated, he saw his cousins Jimmy & Jey Uso on television. That inspired Fatu to be just like them, and he would be dedicated to that decision the moment he was released from jail. That led to Jacob training and eventually getting his start. Of course, even though there was a family connection, he did not get an automatic trip to the big time. He worked his way up for a long time.

By 2018, he had wrestled throughout the United States. This led to an opportunity with The Crash, down in Mexico. Fatu would get several opportunities before Major League Wrestling came calling. MLW was on the rise, and adding someone like Fatu to the mix made a lot of sense. This led to Jacob being used quite well for several years. That is likely why he stayed from 2019 until this year, 2024.

Of course, throughout this time, Jacob wrestled in other places too. Such as House of Glory, All Pro Wrestling, and many more.

He’d then start winning championships in MLW.

MLW RUN:

Roman Reigns is not the only Samoan who knew how to hold onto gold for a long time. Jacob Fatu was known for this even before Reigns did it. When he signed with MLW in 2019, he’d win the MLW World Championship that July. Fatu held the title for 819 days before finally dropping it in October 2021 to Alexander Hammerstone. It was officially the longest World Title run in MLW history. After dropping the title though, MLW seemed to struggle to book Fatu effectively.

He won the 2022 Battle Riot but did not hold gold again until 2023. That’s when he won the MLW National Championship, having a relatively solid run with it. By early 2024, Fatu was now a free agent. This led to a small appearance in NJPW before now signing with the WWE.

Overall, his MLW run was what put him on the map for most people. It also would get him notable attention from several outlets, especially Pro Wrestling Illustrated. In fact, the very kayfabe magazine listed Fatu at #20 on the PWI 500 in 2020. That is the highest he’s been in his career, and it certainly put a lot more attention on both him as well as Major League Wrestling.

THE BLOODLINE

Many are surprised, potentially, by Jacob Fatu joining The Bloodline. Most felt that he would be part of the solution to take down Solo’s Bloodline. It made sense to assume because the group already had three people. We know Roman Reigns will be back sometime this year, potentially by WWE’s SummerSlam PLE. We also know Jimmy Uso will make his way back as well, likely around the same time. Of course, one would assume that “The Wiseman” himself, Paul Heyman, will want to be back at Reigns’ side.

Heyman clearly does not want to be part of this version of The Bloodline. He never wanted to recognize Solo as his Tribal Chief, but he had no alternative option. As Solo took over, effectively removing everyone but Heyman, this Tribe is completely different from the one Reigns left. The issue is, even if Jimmy Uso & Roman Reigns come back, they are outnumbered.

Perhaps they can talk Jey Uso into helping them, which unifies the original Bloodline as well as the twin brothers. While Jey might not move to SmackDown, being there for his family to remove a threat makes sense.

Yet again though, they are outnumbered.

This is why The Rock’s return would be so critical, as he would become the last man to complete the team. However, we cannot have The Rock return to be a babyface, certainly not after how he was before leaving. He also seemed to tell us he has plans to take out Cody Rhodes.

That could mean Jey will bring Sami Zayn out to help them with evening the odds. Time will tell. However, Jacob Fatu being here throws a monkey wrench into literally everything.