Jacob Fatu controversy reaches healthy conclusion; statement released
The controversy surrounding WWE Superstar Jacob Fatu has been resolved, and a statement has been released. The SmackDown star competed in a six-man tag team match at WWE Crown Jewel this past Saturday night in Saudi Arabia.
Fatu was accused of not showing up for a charity wrestling event in April 2023 for Jake's Network of Hope. The former MLW star was paid $2,633 to appear at the event and allegedly did not pay the organization back after missing the show.
However, Jake's Network of Hope issued a statement to Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp today and disclosed that the money was paid back on June 22, but they somehow missed seeing it. You can check out the full statement from Jake's Network of Hope in the post below.
"In May, Jacob Fatu reached out with a heartfelt apology, initiating a meaningful dialogue that allowed us to work together with all parties involved to find solutions and fully resolve the matter. This event aimed to confront the challenging realities of poverty and the immense obstacles to overcoming it. While not everything unfolded perfectly, we are grateful for the awareness raised around diaper need and the substantial costs of providing essential products to families."
The Bloodline's Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu, and Tama Tonga defeated Roman Reigns and The Usos over the weekend at Crown Jewel. Solo Sikoa hit The Original Tribal Chief with two Samoan Spikes during the match and pinned Reigns to secure the victory for the faction.
Vince Russo claims WWE missed a major opportunity for Jacob Fatu on RAW
Former WWE writer Vince Russo recently claimed that the promotion should have followed up on the confrontation between Jacob Fatu and Bron Breakker last month on RAW.
Bron Breakker defeated Jey Uso in the main event of the October 21 edition of RAW to capture the Intercontinental Championship. The Bloodline interfered in the match to cost Jey Uso the title, and there was a confrontation between Fatu and Breakker.
Speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling's Legion of RAW show, Russo noted that wrestling fans loved seeing Breakker and Fatu face-to-face. The legend stated that the company should have followed up on their confrontation and had the Intercontinental Champion target the 32-year-old Bloodline star.
"This is where they missed the boat." Russo detailed, "What did we see last week that everybody popped for? We saw Bron Breakker and the Wolfman (Jacob Fatu) come face-to-face. How about in this, the babies are up, the babies are taking care of the Bobsie twins. Then Fatu gets involved, now they let him take over. What about running Bron Breakker in there to go after Fatu? That's a monkey wrench. That is interesting. That wasn't supposed to happen." [5:22 onwards]
You can check out the video below:
WWE officials were reportedly "stunned" at the reaction from the crowd during the confrontation between Jacob Fatu and Bron Breakker last month on RAW.