• WWE Expects 2026 to Be a Breakout Year for SmackDown Star
Momentum appears to be building toward Jacob Fatu making his way back to WWE television after months on the sidelines.
A new report from BodySlam states that WWE has mapped out significant plans for Fatu heading into 2026. The report indicates that the company views next year as a potential breakout period for him, with that trajectory delayed only by medical issues that forced him out of action late in 2025.
Fatu has been off television since October, following an attack by Drew McIntyre on SmackDown. Around the same time, he underwent dental surgery that required additional recovery time. According to the report, WWE had already begun laying the groundwork for his push before those complications arose.
BodySlam notes that Fatu is now expected to return to WWE programming during the early part of 2026, assuming no further setbacks.
• Mick Foley Calls Out 2 Pages For Spreading Fake Stories About His WWE Relationship
Mick Foley recently announced that he’s ending his relationship with WWE due to U.S. President Donald Trump. Some pages made false stories about Foley after this, which led to the Hardcore Legend issuing the following statement:
“STOPPING A LIE.
An Instagram page called @itswrestlinglover and a Facebook page called ‘Wrestling Corner’ have posted a completely false story about me being furious that WWE is continuing to use my wrestling footage. That’s simply a lie. It’s WWE’s footage and I’m very proud of it. End of story.”
Foley later wrote:
“@itswrestlinglover has removed the post and apologized. It turns out he was duped by a post he saw on Facebook from a page called Wrestling Corner. They have apparently shared a number of false stories about me recently, and I would appreciate if they followed his lead.
Now more than ever it’s important to look a little deeper into stories we read online before sharing them as if they’re true.”
Also Read: “I was the only WWE wrestler in history to be asked not to participate in Make-A-Wish” – Mick Foley
• Top WWE Official Reacts To Rumors That He Hates Triple H
On his Something To Wrestle With podcast, top WWE official Bruce Prichard addressed rumors that he doesn’t like WWE’s Chief Content Officer Triple H:
“I have nothing to hate him for. And in all the times we worked together prior to coming back, and look, I can’t speak for him, I don’t know, but I do know how he treated me. He always treated me well.
He was a top talent, and obviously married in, but if he had married Betty down the street, he’d still be in the same position he is in today because he still has those qualifications.
He still has that love and that desire for the business. That’s what I appreciate as well. We do share the same love and appreciation for the business. We always did.
Any perceived hard feelings, I don’t know where they would have ever come from, because there weren’t any. Working with him as a talent, for me, I loved it. He was fun to work with.
People want to create animosity, want to create all these things that simply aren’t there, because they’ve never been in that kind of role. They’ve never done it, so they don’t understand what comes with it.”
• Locker Room Was Speechless After Recent Title Change
During an interview with Going Ringside, WWE EVOLVE Women’s Champion Kendal Grey revealed the NXT locker room’s reaction to Blake Monroe losing the Women’s North American Championship to Thea Hail in a botched finish:
“We were all shook. Speechless, all of us. But yeah, big upset for Thea. So happy for Thea, and we’ll just have to see what happens next. Yeah, we were shocked.
Thea’s a good wrestler so, we knew she had it in her but, Blake’s also a good wrestler and she was doing really good and so no one expected it and it happened and now we’ll have to see.
They’re having a rematch soon so we’ll have to see what happens next in that match.”
RELATED: Shawn Michaels’ Reaction To Title Change Botch, Blake Monroe Unhappy
