Below are a couple of top WWE news stories of the day, involving Jacob Fatu and Chad Gable.
• Jacob Fatu has officially made his highly anticipated WWE debut, and he did so in grand fashion by joining the ranks of The Bloodline. Fatu’s debut came during Friday’s episode of SmackDown, where he dramatically intervened to save Solo Sikoa. In a stunning display, Fatu took down WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton and Kevin Owens, capping his debut with a high-flying splash from the top rope that sent Rhodes crashing through the announce table.
Fightful Select revealed that Fatu had actually signed with WWE several months ago and was even present backstage at WrestleMania 40. Despite his early signing, the reasons behind the delay in his on-screen debut remain unclear.
Sources from Major League Wrestling (MLW) previously noted that Fatu’s wrestling career had been confined to the United States due to a criminal record from his youth, which had hindered his ability to perform internationally. However, this did not prevent him from securing dates within the US. With WWE’s increasing number of international events, it remains to be seen how this will affect Fatu’s future bookings.
Fatu’s criminal past was a significant obstacle to his hiring, but WWE’s newer regime had long been interested in bringing him on board. Reports indicate that Fatu has made a positive impression within WWE, showing a respectful demeanor towards everyone backstage.
With his explosive debut and immediate impact, Jacob Fatu’s future in WWE looks promising, especially as the newest powerhouse of The Bloodline faction.
• After Chad Gable was attacked by The Wyatt Sick6, he got pulled from next week’s Money In The Bank qualifying match on RAW and was replaced by Ilja Dragunov.
On Friday night, RAW General Manager Adam Pearce announced that Gable has been medically cleared and added back to the MITB qualifier.
You can watch Pearce’s announcement below, which featured glitches from Uncle Howdy:
🚨 BREAKING NEWS 🚨#WWERaw General Manager @ScrapDaddyAP just announced @WWEGable is cleared for action Monday. pic.twitter.com/VcgmIKWDF1
— WWE (@WWE) June 22, 2024
Pearce later tweeted the following:
“Chad Gable being medically cleared after last Monday is a testament to his tenacity and fortitude, despite the many, MANY dopes illogically saying he was ‘shot in the head’. #dumb”
Below is the card for Monday’s RAW:
– Braun Strowman vs. Chad Gable vs. Bronson Reed in a Men’s Money In The Bank Qualifying Match
– Lyra Valkyria vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Kairi Sane in a Women’s Money In The Bank Qualifying Match
– Karrion Kross vs. Kofi Kingston
