Backstage Update On Jacob Fatu's WWE Status (WWE News)

New details on why WWE's Jacob Fatu was written off TV.

by Andrew Pollard
Jacob Fatu Blood
WWE.com

Having been written off TV on Friday night following reports that he was due to be out of action "well into 2026", there's now further word on Jacob Fatu's WWE status.

For those who may have missed it, last week saw BodySlam.net report that Fatu was dealing with an unspecified medical issue that would keep him on the sidelines for, as mentioned, "well into 2026". The most recent edition of SmackDown - where the Samoan Werewolf was scheduled to face Drew McIntyre, with the winner getting a shot at Cody Rhodes' WWE Championship - saw Jacob attacked backstage, off-screen, by an unknown assailant, setting the stage for Fatu's absence from TV.

However, Fightful Select has an update on this situation, noting that Jacob Fatu is dealing with a dental injury right now, which is the reason for him being written off WWE programming. In what sounds slightly more positive than the initial story, the outlet says Fatu has told people backstage that he wouldn't be back for "at least a month". Now, "at least a month" could be anywhere from one month to six months to six years, but it does sound a little more positive than "well into 2026", at least.

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Having seemingly put his issues with Solo Sikoa and the MFTs behind him, Fatu had been having quite the push in recent weeks, as seen by him feuding with Drew McIntyre and also sharing screentime with the face of the company, Cody Rhodes. For the American Nightmare, he's now set to defend the WWE Title against McIntyre at Saturday Night's Main Event on 1 November, and it remains to be seen where Jacob Fatu will fit in as and when he's cleared to return.

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Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.