WWE fans may soon see the return of one of the company’s most physically imposing stars as the road to the Royal Rumble heats up. Jacob Fatu has been absent from television for several months, but that hiatus may be coming to an end.
According to a new report from Fightful Select, the “Samoan Werewolf” is backstage at today’s episode of WWE SmackDown, which is taking place at the Uber Arena in Berlin, Germany.
Sources close to the situation indicate that Fatu is in excellent physical condition and appears ready to make his presence felt again.
Fatu was last seen on WWE programming in October 2025, when he was written off television following a shocking backstage angle. On the October 17 episode of SmackDown, Fatu was discovered covered in blood, with several of his teeth shown lying on the floor after an apparent assault by an unknown attacker.
While the segment was presented as a violent storyline injury, it was later reported that the angle was designed to allow Fatu time away from television for a legitimate dental procedure. Since then, the identity of his attacker has remained unresolved, leaving an open storyline thread that could play into his eventual return.
There is reportedly significant optimism behind the scenes regarding Fatu’s future. Internal discussions suggest that WWE officials want 2026 to be a “breakthrough year” for him, with plans to further establish him as a franchise-level star on SmackDown.
Tonight’s Berlin edition of SmackDown is already a major event, headlined by a Three Stages of Hell match for the Undisputed WWE Championship between Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre. The card also includes an eight-man tag team match featuring The Wyatt Sicks against the MFTs (Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, Talla Tonga, and JC Mateo).
Given Fatu’s history with The Bloodline and his past interactions with McIntyre, his reported presence backstage in Germany has fueled heavy speculation among fans about whether his long-awaited return could be imminent and how it might impact the current SmackDown landscape.
