WWE veteran on whether Jacob Fatu's injury is legitimate or a storyline
Jacob Fatu appeared to suffer a serious injury in the WWE SummerSlam 2024 main event. Legendary wrestling booker and manager Dutch Mantell is the latest person to give his view on whether the Bloodline member is legitimately injured.
Fatu put Cody Rhodes through the announce desk with a top-rope splash during the Undisputed WWE Champion's win over Solo Sikoa. Immediately after landing, the 32-year-old clutched his leg and struggled to get back to his feet. He was later pictured wearing a protective boot, prompting rumors about the severity of the injury.
On his Story Time with Dutch Mantell podcast, Mantell speculated that the moment with Fatu was not part of a storyline:
"I think he legitimately got hurt, I think, because even if you look at the move he did, he comes off the top turnbuckle and down to the table where Cody was and he got hurt. And he sold it right away. I mean, he grabbed it right away." [46:21 – 46:46]
Moments after Fatu's top-rope splash, Roman Reigns returned and attacked Sikoa to prevent his cousin from dethroning Rhodes.
Dutch Mantell on Jacob Fatu's in-ring work
Since Roman Reigns' WrestleMania XL defeat to Cody Rhodes, Solo Sikoa has taken over as The Bloodline's Tribal Chief. His new-look version of the group now includes Jacob Fatu, Tama Tonga, and Tonga Loa.
Dutch Mantell reiterated to his co-host James Romero that he thinks Fatu is genuinely injured. He also mentioned how impressed he has been with the new WWE signing's athleticism during his first few weeks with the company:
"He ended up sitting down behind what used to be the desk," Mantell continued. "It was collapsed at this point. He couldn't even stand up, so to me if you ask me, which you just did, whether it was a work or not, I'm gonna say no. I don't think it was. But what a great athlete he is." [47:05 – 47:24]
Fatu's potential injury came a day after winning his first title in WWE. On August 2, he teamed up with Tama Tonga to capture the WWE Tag Team Championship from Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa on SmackDown.
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Please credit Story Time with Dutch Mantell and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.