Rikishi isn’t thrilled with the way WWE has treated Jacob Fatu recently.
Jacob Fatu has been one of the surprise standouts in the past two years. The WWE star made his official debut in 2024 as one of Solo Sikoa’s members of the new Bloodline. But Jacob stood out from the rest of the pact due to his amazing athleticism and promo ability.
Suddenly, Jacob emerged as a fan favorite and WWE went with it in 2025. The 33-year-old got a huge WrestleMania moment by beating LA Knight to win his first singles championship in the promotion. But Jacob would lose that belt at Night of Champions to Sikoa. The former United States Champion ended up losing his feud to Solo Sikoa, and shortly after, Jacob disappeared from WWE television.
Rikishi is not particularly happy about WWE taking their foot off the gas when it comes to Fatu.
“Jacob came out — he’s steaming. You know, they got everything behind him. They’re just lighting this kid up on fire. Everything they threw at this kid, he came correct. He’s standing on business, and all of a sudden, poof, like a Houdini move.” He said on his Off The Top podcast.
However, he does point to Jacob’s return and pending feud with Drew McIntyre as a sign of the WWE star getting his career back on track.
“Well, hey, let’s just hope they do something with it [The Drew McIntyre feud]. You know what I mean? I mean, there’s no doubt Jacob can work with anybody — absolutely anybody. If it’s done right, again, this kid here has got talent. We all know what type of talent he has, especially his real ones…”
Though he has high hopes for Fatu, he feels that WWE has been holding back the Smackdown superstar.
“I’ve always said this from the beginning: if you book Jacob with the right people, you’re gonna get money out of this kid here. Because the things that he does in the ring, man — I still, to this day, I still don’t think they’ve booked him with the right people and lit gasoline up behind him to really push this thing and make it work. You know what I mean? It’s just been this little tease. We see Jacob’s skills. We see his talent. We see his popularity is catching on fire. Like, you can see the top of the hill, but you ain’t got over yet. You know what I mean? Like, I don’t even think he’s on the porch yet. He should be in the house having some sweet tea by now.”
Will WWE use Jacob Fatu to his fullest potential? The former United States Champion has been in the company for less than two years and it’s clear that WWE is high on him. It would be surprising if they suddenly dropped his push. His feud with McIntyre is clearly a step into the upper card and he’ll continue to move up as long as Jacob keeps delivering.