Jacob Fatu has revealed that his WWE journey began earlier than fans realized, sharing that he was already signed and backstage at WrestleMania 40 — even though no one knew at the time.
Speaking on Raw Recap, Fatu reflected on that experience and how meaningful it was, especially given his history in Philadelphia during his independent career.
“Yeah, I was there. WrestleMania 40. WrestleMania 40 pulled up. A lot of people don’t know, a lot of my independent career took off in Philadelphia so to be there, that WrestleMania during that time, it was something special. I got there at WrestleMania, still didn’t know, I was signed already. I just got signed, but I didn’t know when I was coming. Day after WrestleMania 40, met everybody, said what’s up. We were at the Hall of Fame, I was sitting in Gorilla Position. Nobody could see me. I was hooded up. Everybody (was) walking by, and I was tripping out. I seen my brother Solo, I seen my brother Big Jim, see Mr. Yeet Man… I was in there with Roman, the Tribal Chief and O.G. Paul Heyman so, to go out there and be a part of that, it was off the rip,” Fatu said.
Fatu also shared a memorable moment from that weekend involving Roman Reigns, who offered him advice that stuck as he prepared for his eventual debut.
“I just remember when Roman seen me, when I left that WrestleMania 40 weekend, he said, ‘Jacob, do whatever you gotta do. But when you come back, look different.’ I was already looking different at that time. But, two more months, came in and got it rolling,” Fatu said.
The timing of Fatu’s debut didn’t go exactly as planned. He revealed he was originally scheduled to debut at Money in the Bank 2024 but ended up arriving later than expected. The surprise debuts of Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa also added to his uncertainty at the time.
“The day after WrestleMania 40, seen Tama Tonga come over. Tama Tonga’s a beast, a workhorse, a dog. Seen him, man, okay. Didn’t know they was coming. Backlash, France, seen Tanga Loa pop up. I’m like, ‘Okay.’ I gotta call brother up and them, ‘Hey man, I still got a job over there!?’ I ain’t know what was going on. But man, it all fell together. It all came together. I was supposed to debut at Money in the Bank. Next thing you know, they called. Man, a couple days and was like, ‘We doing it on SmackDown.’ Nobody seen it coming,” Fatu said.
Fatu is now set for one of the biggest matches of his WWE career, as he prepares to face Drew McIntyre in an Unsanctioned Match at WrestleMania 42 Night One on April 18.
