WWE star Jacob Fatu appeared on an episode of What’s Your Story? with Stephanie McMahon, where he discussed adjusting to WWE and recalled an overwhelming experience while sharing a segment with Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins.
Fatu said the atmosphere surrounding Reigns was unlike anything he had previously experienced, to the point where he temporarily could not feel his body. “I felt that with Roman. It’s a whole nother vibe. When I was in that segment with Roman and Seth, I couldn’t even feel my body. I was like, dude, am I having a panic attack? What’s going on?”
Fatu said the feeling continued until he returned backstage, describing it as both exciting and frightening. “I walked in the back and, you know, a feeling like that. What Roman said, that’s the magic right there. It was a good feeling. I was also scared of the feeling because I couldn’t feel my body. I was like, man, I don’t want to fall out.” Fatu also spoke about how much he had to learn after arriving in WWE despite his extensive experience on the independent wrestling scene. “I didn’t know how to work a camera. I didn’t know about the red dot. I didn’t know nothing.”
He recalled rehearsing his WWE debut while wearing a ski mask at the direction of longtime WWE producer Michael Hayes. However, WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque eventually told him to remove it. “Michael Hayes had me in the ski mask during rehearsals, and your husband was like, Jacob, you can take that off. I got the ski mask on. I’m on the top rope. I’m like, sorry, H, Michael Hayes said keep it on.” According to Fatu, Triple H then addressed Hayes over the headset before giving him a more direct instruction. “Michael, why is Jacob wearing the ski mask? Jacob, take the g**damn ski mask off. I took the ski mask off, and I’m still standing on the rope like this. Yes, sir.”
Fatu also revealed the blunt advice Hayes gave him before his debut, reminding him that his accomplishments before WWE would not automatically translate to the company’s audience. “In the words of Michael Hayes, the most famous words ever, which humbled me. Jacob, you need to go out there and wrestle like nobody knows you, because what you did before you got here don’t mean s***. And before you walk out, let me let you know, if you think you’re over, you’re not over.”
Fatu said another lesson he has embraced came from hearing The Rock and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin discuss the importance of authenticity in professional wrestling. “I heard Rock and Stone Cold say this. For it to work, you gotta be yourself turned up to the max.”
Fatu made his WWE debut in May 2024 after establishing himself on the independent scene, most notably with MLW. Since arriving in WWE, he has worked with several of the company’s biggest stars, including Reigns, Rollins, Cody Rhodes and LA Knight.
