Jacob Fatu | |
---|---|
Birth name | Jacob Parmar Fatu |
Born | Sacramento, California, U.S. | April 18, 1992
Children | 7 |
Parent(s) | Sam Fatu (father) |
Family | Anoaʻi |
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Fatu Jacob Fatu [1] |
Billed height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) [1] |
Billed weight | 270 lb (122 kg) |
Billed from | "The Mist of Samoa" |
Trained by | Rikishi Black Pearl Sinn Bodhi |
Debut | September 22, 2012 [2] |
Jacob Parmar Fatu (born April 18, 1992) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand as a member of The Bloodline stable. He is also known for his time in Major League Wrestling (MLW), where he was a one-time MLW National Openweight Champion and a one-time MLW World Heavyweight Champion, holding the record for the longest reign in the latter title's history at 819 days.
Fatu is part of the Anoaʻi family of professional wrestlers. He is the son of Sam Fatu and the nephew of both Rikishi and Umaga. Fatu was trained by his uncle Rikishi and wrestled for various promotions on the independent circuit between 2012 and 2019 before signing with MLW. He left MLW in early 2024 and signed with WWE that April, making his official debut in June as part of The Bloodline, a faction of wrestlers from the Anoaʻi family.
Jacob Fatu was trained by his uncle, Solofa Jr., and debuted in 2012 in a winning effort teaming with his relative, Black Pearl. [2] He spent most of 2013 through 2015 competing in California for independent promotions, often teaming with fellow Anoaʻi family members. In 2018, he made his first trip to Mexico for The Crash in a trios match, losing to Octagón and Blue Demon Jr. [2]
On January 17, 2019, Fatu signed with Major League Wrestling, joining his relatives Samu and Lance Anoaʻi in the company. [3] On February 2, Fatu debuted for MLW at their SuperFight event in a non-televised match. [4] Fatu and frequent tag team partner Josef Samael made their televised debut at Intimidation Games on March 2, attacking MLW World Heavyweight Champion Tom Lawlor following his cage match against Low Ki, forming the heel stable Contra Unit with Simon Gotch. [5]
At Kings of Colosseum on July 6, Fatu defeated Lawlor to win the World Heavyweight Championship. [6] He retained the title in a rematch against Lawlor on the August 31 episode of Fusion . [7] On November 2, Fatu headlined MLW's inaugural pay-per-view, Saturday Night SuperFight, defeating LA Park to retain the title. [8] Throughout his reign, Fatu successfully defended the title against Brian Pillman Jr., Davey Boy Smith Jr., ACH, Calvin Tankman and Matt Cross. [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] Fatu was eventually challenged for the title by Alex Hammerstone, who put his MLW National Openweight Championship on the line in a winner takes all match. [14] At Fightland on October 7, 2021, Fatu lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Hammerstone, ending his reign at 819 days. [15] On November 17, at War Chamber, Contra Unit lost to Hammerstone's team in a War Chamber match, ending the feud with Hammerstone. [16]
Fatu subsequently started a feud with fellow Contra Unit members Mads Krule Krügger and Ikuro Kwon and repackaged himself through a series of vignettes, turning face in the process. [17] [18] [19] Throughout early 2022, Fatu and Krügger traded victories against each other on Fusion. [20] [21] At Intimidation Games on April 28, Fatu failed to regain the World Heavyweight Championship in a triple threat match also involving Krügger. [22] Their feud culminated in a Weapons of Mass Destruction match at Kings of Colosseum on July 14, which was won by Fatu. [23] At Battle Riot IV on November 3, Fatu won the 40-man Battle Riot match, earning the Golden Ticket which required him to cash-in for a World Heavyweight Championship match anytime and anywhere. [24] He received his title match against Hammerstone on the March 21, 2023 episode of Fusion, but failed to win the title. [25]
At War Chamber on April 6, Fatu defeated John Hennigan to win the National Openweight Championship. [26] He lost the title to Rickey Shane Page at Fury Road on September 3. [27] On February 1, 2024, Rikishi announced that Fatu was now a free agent, ending his five-year tenure with the company. [28] [29] He made his final appearance for MLW on February 17, where he was defeated by Krügger in a Baleki Brawl match. [30]
On January 13, 2024, at Battle in the Valley, Fatu made his New Japan Pro-Wrestling debut, teaming with Shota Umino and Fred Rosser to defeat Team Filthy (Tom Lawlor and West Coast Wrecking Crew (Jorel Nelson and Royce Isaacs). [31]
Prior to signing with the WWE, Fatu was planned to appear on Raw is XXX for Roman Reigns' Acknowledgement Ceremony segment, but legal problems with MLW and WWE prevented his appearance. [32]
On April 7, 2024, it was reported that Fatu had signed with WWE. [33] Fatu made his debut on the June 21 episode of SmackDown , attacking Randy Orton, Kevin Owens, and Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes, thus establishing himself as a heel and becoming the newest member of The Bloodline, led by his real life cousin Solo Sikoa. [34] At Money in the Bank on July 6, Fatu made his in-ring debut in a six-man tag team match alongside Sikoa and Tama Tonga, defeating Rhodes, Orton and Owens. [35] On the August 2 episode of SmackDown, Fatu and Tonga defeated DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa) to win the WWE Tag Team Championship. [36] On the August 23 episode of SmackDown, Fatu relinquished one half of the titles to Tonga Loa so that he could be Sikoa's personal enforcer. [37] At Bad Blood on October 5, Fatu and Sikoa lost to Reigns and Rhodes after interference from a returning Jimmy Uso, marking his first loss in WWE. [38] At Crown Jewel on November 2, Fatu, Tonga and Sikoa defeated the original incarnation of The Bloodline (Reigns and The Usos) in a six-man tag team match. [39] At Survivor Series: WarGames on November 30, Fatu, along with The Bloodline and Bronson Reed, lost to Reigns, The Usos, Sami Zayn and CM Punk in a WarGames match. [40]
Fatu was arrested for robbery at eighteen years old. He credits seeing his cousins Jonathan and Joshua (The Usos) on a jail TV as his inspiration for becoming a wrestler. [41]
Fatu has seven children. [42]
Joseph Cabibbo is an American professional wrestler currently wrestling under the ring names Josef and Josef Samael on the independent circuit and in Major League Wrestling (MLW) as a member of Contra Unit with Jacob Fatu, Simon Gotch, and Ikuro Kwon. He is a one-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion and (Zero1) World Heavyweight Champion.
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