Roman Reigns' cousin could surpass The Tribal Chief if he joins WWE, Gangrel says
WWE legend Gangrel believes another Anoa'i family member could follow in Roman Reigns' footsteps one day.
Jacob Fatu, the son of Sam Fatu (aka The Tonga Kid), has wrestled for MLW since 2019. The 31-year-old was trained by several wrestling greats, including Gangrel and his uncle Rikishi. He also wrestles outside of MLW on the independent scene.
On his FANGIN n BANGIN show, Gangrel said Fatu presents himself in a traditional Samoan way, like The Headshrinkers (Rikishi and Samu). He also tipped the up-and-coming star to be on the same level as Reigns one day:
"MLW, it's sad to see him there because he has the potential to be bigger than Umaga was," Gangrel stated. "He should be right up there with Roman Reigns, if not better. Roman Reigns has a different look – he's taller, leaner – but Jacob has that, I don't want to say savage, but he has that traditional Samoan like [screams] tear-your-head-off look, Headshrinker look." [2:33 – 2:57]
Reigns currently holds the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. The 38-year-old has referred to himself as The Tribal Chief of the Anoa'i family since 2020. Other family members currently in WWE include Nia Jax, Solo Sikoa, Tamina, and The Usos.
Gangrel is proud of Roman Reigns' cousin
At the age of 18, Jacob Fatu spent time in prison for armed robbery. He watched his cousins, The Usos, on television while in jail and decided to pursue a career in wrestling.
Gangrel has nothing but good things to say about his experiences working with Fatu:
"I couldn't tell you how talented he is. He's just amazing and one of the best people that I've ever trained. Proud to know him, proud to call him a friend, proud to call him a student, proud to call him family. He's an amazing individual. His whole family's amazing." [2:59 – 3:15]
Another member of the legendary wrestling family, Zilla Fatu, recently departed Booker T's Reality of Wrestling promotion due to "irreconcilable differences."
Do you think Jacob Fatu could be as good as Roman Reigns one day? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit FANGIN n BANGIN and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.