WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi has addressed the emotional and passionate promo he delivered last week on his “Rikishi Fatu Off The Top” podcast, where he sharply criticized WWE’s booking of his son, Jey Uso, and his short-lived World Heavyweight Championship reign.
At the top of this week’s episode, Rikishi reflected on the reaction to his fiery words and took a moment to offer an apology—not for the message, but for the tone that surprised some fans.
“I said what I said, you know, and that’s that. So I’d like for us to move on,” he began. “I’m going to apologize to the fans, because, you know, you never see me like that. But you know what the apology is? That you were listening and looking at a man, not the professional wrestler. You were looking and listening to a father, not the professional wrestler.”
Rikishi’s viral comments came after he stated WWE’s creative team should be “fired” for cutting Jey’s title reign to just 51 days, sparking heated online discussion. Now, the Samoan legend is clarifying that his reaction stemmed from a place of deep familial pride and emotion.
“You know I have feelings too. You know my family has feelings too. Just like your family, just like everybody else out there, everybody has feelings,” he said. “But the difference is I’m not scared to talk about it.”
“So if you took my words in any other way, okay, I’m man enough to apologize. But I’m not gonna apologize for me being a father and being able to love and stand on business for my family. And that’s that.”
While his words have sparked debate in the wrestling community, Rikishi’s heartfelt follow-up reminded fans of the real-life emotions behind the entertainment. For now, he’s standing firm in his support for Jey—and he’s made it clear he’s always going to speak his truth.
Stay tuned to PWMania.com for more updates, exclusive interviews, and reactions from wrestling’s biggest names.
(h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription)
