When will Jacob Fatu return from his leg injury? Exploring potential recovery timeline
Jacob Fatu has been away from WWE television since SummerSlam 2024 as he seemingly sustained a leg injury. It occurred when he attempted a high-flying splash on Cody Rhodes on the announce table during the Undisputed WWE Championship match. While Fatu was initially asked to sell that angle as part of the storyline, he suffered an actual injury in the process.
The Samoan Werewolf was nowhere to be seen on last week's edition of SmackDown. Moreover, Solo Sikoa also acknowledged the reports of his injury, which caused a lot of buzz among fans. However, his recovery timeline is expected to be a short one. A recent report from PW Insider stated that Jacob Fatu will be back on WWE programming by the end of August.
The latest developments indicate that The Enforcer suffered a minor injury that may not require any surgery at this point. The fact that WWE has not provided any specific return timeline regarding his situation implies that his hiatus would be a short one. However, the company appears to be playing it safe with the precarious situation surrounding The Bloodline member.
With three more episodes of SmackDown left before Bash in Berlin, it will be interesting to see when the Samoan Werewolf returns to SmackDown. His absence has notably left a vacuum within The Bloodline, who have been suffering the wrath of Roman Reigns lately.
WWE might have another motive behind Jacob Fatu's absence
Although injury appears to be the primary reason behind Jacob Fatu's absence from television, WWE seemingly has another ulterior motive as well. According to Dave Meltzer, the Stamford-based promotion has been avoiding a confrontation between the Samoan Werewolf and Roman Reigns.
The veteran journalist stated that WWE is trying to protect Fatu from Reigns, as the company does not want to sacrifice him to Roman's wrath. Meltzer believes that the Triple H-led regime feels that it is not the right time for the two powerhouses to come face-to-face with each other
He stated that this is another major reason why Jacob Fatu would not return to SmackDown as long as the Original Tribal Chief is around. However, Dave Meltzer said that the two would eventually cross paths at some point, paving the way for a blockbuster clash in WWE.
It will be interesting to see when the Samoan Werewolf returns to WWE from his hiatus and what the company has in store for Roman Reigns' next appearance on SmackDown.