6 Ups & 6 Downs From WWE Raw (27 April - Results & Review)
1. Fatu Throttles Reigns
The contrast between Roman Reigns and his cousin Jacob Fatu was on display Monday night when the World Heavyweight Champion attempted to sidestep a challenge for his title but was physically goaded into accepting the match.
Reigns processed down first, talking about how the World Heavyweight Championship was made in spite of him, to take away his shine when he held both world titles, and that the title doesn’t make the man, the man makes the title (where’s the lie?).
After hyping himself and how he made the WHC relevant in just two weeks, Fatu stalked down to ringside to inform Roman that he had his mind made up the moment he challenged the champ last week. He suggested that Reigns has been “stuck in [his] main event bubble” and didn’t understand what it was like to grind for 12 years, to be broke, and to struggle to make ends meet. He even threw a kind word to Solo Sikoa (which can’t be an accident) for calling him.
That’s when Roman turned up the arrogance, insulting the Usos’ younger brother and saying that Jacob only came to WWE because he okayed it. He started to tell Fatu that he hadn’t earned a title match, that it would be nepotism to grant it… when Jacob throttled him with a Tongan Death Grip. Reigns would accept the challenge once he regained his voice.
Fatu might be the first title challenger for Roman, but he’s far from conventional. He could be the catalyst for revealing the true nature of this new Bloodline. He could be forced into joining the group against his will. He could also be part of a resistance against it.
There’s a lot of intrigue surrounding this feud and whether it leads to more than just Jacob acknowledging Roman and moving on. There’s plenty of contrast on display between the two cousins, and that makes for an interesting story moving forward.