SmackDown star Jacob Fatu recently sat down with Bootleg Kev to talk about his time in WWE, and he revealed a key insight into how his character and promos have been handled.
Fatu shared that WWE’s creative team never actually wrote for him, leaving him free to develop his persona organically.
“They said, ‘Hey J, uce, we can’t write for you.’ Not saying they write for everybody, but just give me the direction. Let me say this, let me do this. Everything that I’m doing is organic and not forced. It’s just me being myself.”
He also admitted he was initially nervous to bring his own style into promos, but advice from former stablemates like Tama Tonga and Solo Sikoa helped him find his voice.
“Keep it 100 I was kind of spooked to talk like me. A little spooked to bring out the lingo. But I remember Tama Tonga and Solo, especially Tama Tonga, when Solo was gone it was just me and Tama, he was like, ‘Hey bro you need to talk like you.’”
The former United States Champion added that even WWE management, including Triple H, encouraged him to stay true to his personality:
“I remember when Hunter told me, he was like, ‘Hey man, don’t think we’re here to change you. Nah, we brought you in for you.’ So for me to be able to be myself and to talk, to do my thing. They ain’t telling me how to dress, they ain’t telling me this too much red, or too much blue. They’re letting me go full throttle.”
Jacob Fatu is currently involved in a heated feud with Drew McIntyre and is expected to face The Scottish Psychopath at WrestleMania 42 next month.
