Fatu is part of the
Anoaʻi family of Samoan professional wrestlers. He is the son of
Sam Fatu and the nephew of both
Rikishi and
Umaga.
Professional wrestling career
Early career (2012–2019)
Jacob Fatu was trained by his uncle,
Rikishi, and debuted in 2012 in a winning effort teaming with his relative, Black Pearl.[3] He spent most of 2013 through 2015 competing in California for independent promotions, often teaming with fellow
Anoaʻi family members. In 2018, he made his first trip to Mexico for
The Crash in a trios match, losing to
Octagón and
Blue Demon Jr.[6]
In 2019, Fatu signed with
Major League Wrestling, joining his relatives
Samu and Samu's son,
Lance Anoaʻi in the company.[7] Fatu debuted for MLW at their February
eventSuperFight, alongside his frequent tag team partner
Josef Samael in a
non-televised match. The duo of Fatu and Josef would then make their televised debut in MLW at Intimidation Games on March 2 by attacking the
World Heavyweight ChampionTom Lawlor following his cage match against
Low Ki, thus forming the heel stable Contra Unit with
Simon Gotch.[8] The following week, Contra Unit attacked
Ace Romero during his match with Gotch.[9] After months of feuding with Lawlor, Fatu defeated Lawlor at
Kings of Colosseum on July 6 to capture the World Heavyweight Championship.[10] He would also retain the title against Lawlor in a rematch.[11] He then headlined MLW's first-ever pay-per-view event
Saturday Night SuperFight, where Fatu successfully defended the title against
LA Park.
After the feud, he was challenged by
Alex Hammerstone for the belt, also putting the
MLW National Openweight Championship on a winner takes all match. He lost the belt to Hammerstone. He then feuded with him, culminating in
War Chamber, where
Contra Unit lost the match, both ending the feud, and starting the feud with fellow Contra Unit member Madds Krügger and Ikuro Kwon. The feud stretched on, him repackaging with his vignette which cemented his face turn due to fan reaction, abandoning the Contra Unit character. The Samoan Werewolf traded victories against Krügger in several matches, including him winning against Krügger in a no disqualification match and the latter winning on a weapons match, culminating and settling the feud in
Kings of Colosseum in a Weapons of Mass Destruction match. He also simultaneously feuded with
Bestia 666.
On February 1, 2024,
Rikishi announced that Fatu was now a free agent, ending his five-year tenure with the company with reports linking him to WWE,
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). On February 3, 2024, Fatu defeated
Yuji Nagata. After the match, Fatu would be attacked by
Mads Krule Krügger. On February 17, 2024, Fatu was defeated by Krügger in a
Baleki Brawl match. This marked Fatu's final appearance for the company.
Fatu was arrested for robbery as an 18-year-old. He credits seeing his cousins
The Usos on a jail TV as his inspiration for becoming a wrestler.[17]
Fatu is a member of the
Anoaʻi family wrestling dynasty, being the son of
Sam Fatu and brother of Journey Fatu.[18] As of 2024, Fatu has seven children.[19]