Fatu speaks about his journey to WWE.
It is coming up on a full year since Jacob Fatu arrived at WWE. Fast-forward to present day and Fatu is the reigning WWE United States Champion.
He reflected on this stretch of this career while speaking with Toronto Sun.
“You know what? Happy you asked that. I couldn’t have done it if it weren’t for our coworkers. Everybody who I work with in the ring. I don’t wanna sound like I just been over here running through things because it always takes two to dance and it takes two to get this thing going so, overall, thank you for bringing up the debut. I’m very excited about that actually. Like you said, it hasn’t even been a full year yet. But, it’s been crazy though. It really has. Just mind-blowing. But to be out there with my family. Especially to do it with my family, it’s a whole ‘nother look. Very happy about it but… I think we’re just now getting started though.”
As the conversation moved along, Fatu was asked if there is pressure representing his family on WWE television. He went on to state that it took a lot of people to get him to the company. Fatu mentioned people behind the scenes, WWE's legal team, and Talent Relations.
“Yeah (there’s pressure representing my family name on WWE TV). Like what Solo (Sikoa) says, Solo says it, you know, 'You gotta pull your own weight. We’re not little no more' so, it took a lot. It took a whole lot of people to get me here. I’m not gonna act like Jacob just got here by myself. No. It took a lot of people. We talking about behind the scenes, we talking about the legal team, we talking about T.R., man, everybody. So, for me to sit there and be a part of it now, it’s mind-blowing. I know I keep saying mind-blowing because sometimes, I mean just the WWE logo by itself. To show up to work, man, to see myself on the truck. To hear the world chanting our last name. Not my last name. Me, Solo, and The Usos, we’re all Fatu's. It’s real cool. It really, really is."
He remembers conversing with Chief Content Officer Paul 'Triple H' Levesque and Levesque telling him that WWE is not trying to change how he wrestles.
Levesque told Fatu they'd rather tell him to turn it down than turn it up. Fatu feels he would not have been ready for WWE five years ago and stated that he could have been fired if he had been there.
"Like what Hunter said, ‘Hey man, just do what you been doing to get you here, and I love the way how Hunter just, you know, he reaches out. Like, ‘Hey, we ain’t here to change how you wrestle. We ain’t here to say none of that. You do what you been doing, okay? We’d rather tell you bring it down than rather us tell you to turn it up.’ So, it’s a whole ‘nother vibe over there, and I think right now, and I always say this, people say, ‘Jacob, you should have been here five years ago.’ No, no, no, no, no. Jacob wasn’t ready five years ago, okay? And I’m just gonna keep it 100. Jacob could have been fired right now, you know, if I would’ve came in. I think the timing was perfect. When The Bloodline thing stopped, it was like, ‘Damn, where we going?’ As a fan, I’m excited for it. But man, just the way how everything worked. Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, you know, then I -- man, come on. Now JC’s there so, all the way around. It just works in full circle. I’m just glad to be here. I’m real happy to be a part of WWE right now."
Fatu will have the opportunity to qualify for the men's Money in the Bank Ladder match when he faces Carmelo Hayes and Andrade in a Triple Threat match on SmackDown.
If the quotes in this article are used, please credit Toronto Sun with an H/T to Fightful for the transcriptions.
