Former MLW World Heavyweight Champion Jacob Fatu has been offered contracts by both AEW and WWE, he reveals, as he awaits the end of his MLW contract.
The Samoan star is part of the legendary Fatu family and was trained by WWE legend Rikishi so has the pedigree to become a top star in wrestling.
He make his MLW debut in 2019 as part of the team Warbeast, alongside Almighty Sheik at Superfight.
He impressed the crowd with an astonishing level of power and speed, mixed with athleticism which is unheard of from wrestlers of his side.
He later formed his own faction, Contra Unit, with Josef Samael, Simon Gotch, Ikuro Kwon and Mads Krueger.
The team helped him become the MLW World Heavyweight Champion, which he held for a record 819 days, making him the longest reigning champion in the promotions history.
However, he looks to be leaving MLW once his current contract ends.
He revealed that he had a try out with WWE and almost signed for the promotion, meeting a number of stars like Eddie Kingston and Will Hobbs. However, he didn’t sign with WWE and even turned down an AEW deal too, instead choosing to remain with MLW in the meantime.
Speaking to Armbar Interviews, Jacob Fatu said about his WWE try out;
“I had a tryout with WWE. That’s how I met Eddie Kingston. Eddie Kingston, Ruby Riott, Shayna Baszler, Su Yung, Will Hobbs, Royce Isaacs. That was a hell of a class. AEW had tapped in.
They came out of nowhere. They came out of nowhere.
Jungle Boy actually gave me a call and said, ‘[AEW] is trying to get in touch with you.’ They ended up taking care of him and he was one of the first people that signed, which was doped. William Regal had called the next day and it was too late.”
Jacob Fatu On Almost Signing For AEW and WWE
Despite his try-out with WWE and his contract off by AEW, Jacob Fatu instead chose to extent his deal with Major League Wrestling. He has slowly built up his stature as one of the biggest stars in the company and has a contract with the company until 2025. It is assumed, along with Alexander Hammerstone, that he will leave the company for either WWE or AEW once his contract expires.
It is likely that he will make the move to WWE after his MLW career ends. He is cousins to Roman Reigns, the Usos and Solo Sikoa, so would be a natural fit for The Bloodline if he signs for Triple H in 2025. However, he is friends with many AEW talents as well so we can’t rule out him signing a deal with Tony Khan at the end of his current deal. The bidding war for his signature will be one of the biggest ones for an indie talent that we have seen for a long, long time.
His uncle Rikishi also seems to think that Jacob Fatu should be signing for WWE in the near future. The WWE Hall of Famer helped train the young Samoan and sees him with a future with Triple H, possibly as part of Roman Reing’s The Bloodline stable.
During a virtual signing for K & S WrestleFest, Rikishi questioned why WWE hasn’t reached out to his nephew, Jacob Fatu, hinting that the young Samoan could be joining the promotion once his MLW deal expires. He also questioned why Tony Khan of AEW hadn’t put an offer in (although as we noted earlier, both WWE and AEW had), and revealed he did still have a contract with MLW to contend with
“WWE, why don’t you guys sign him (Jacob Fatu)? AEW? I believe he does (still have a contract with MLW). Otherwise, he wouldn’t be there.”
Rikishi on Jacob Fatu signing for AEW or WWE
He would be another in a long list of signings AEW has done recently, leaving some people to lament the sheer amount of AEW roster changes recently. However, with the company potentially losing CM Punk and The Elite (Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks) after their All Out 2022 scuffle, he could fit right into a main event slot as soon as he debuts in the company in 2024 and become a top star in wrestling.
Jacob Fatu would be one of the few members of the famous family of wrestlers, that include The Rock, Roman Reigns and The Usos, to reject WWE to sign elsewhere. However, the odds are that he will sign for WWE at the end of his contract and has all the talent to become a huge star, alongside Reigns, in the WWE if given the chance.
Would you like to see Jacob Fatu sign a WWE contract or instead make the move to AEW? Let us know in the comments or click below to read about AJ Styles joining AEW