3 Replacements for Jacob Fatu on WWE SmackDown

Former WWE United States Champion Jacob Fatu is reportedly set to be out of action for a long period of time going forward, due to a major non-wrestling-related medical issue. This development comes at the worst of times.

After not being featured prominently over the past few months, Fatu was on the cusp of a renewed push; set to feud with Drew McIntyre while also potentially challenging Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship imminently.

In this article, therefore, we shall discuss three replacements for Jacob Fatu on SmackDown.

#3 14-time WWE World Champion: Randy Orton

Given that Randy Orton has been feuding with Drew McIntyre and is perennially involved with Cody Rhodes to a varying extent ahead of their inevitable feud down the line, one could consider him a replacement for Fatu of sorts if Triple H decides to thrust him back into that position.

It is unclear what The Viper's direction would have been like anyway; he is no longer a full-time wrestler, taking frequent short absences and wrestling infrequently, although the latter is true for most major stars in WWE.

Surprisingly, though, Randy Orton hasn't had a PLE match since SummerSlam and hasn't had a singles PLE match since Night of Champions, where he had lost the KOTR final to Cody Rhodes.

Amid declining ratings and a show finally beginning to rise out of creative sludge, pushing The Apex Predator back into the limelight makes sense, and may even expedite his potential heel turn to spice things up on SmackDown.

#2 WWE's potentially next big thing: Oba Femi

Seth Rollins' recent injury has forced WWE to play a hand that isn't all too bad on RAW: having Bron Breakker betray the still-World Heavyweight Champion (whose legitimate injury remains unacknowledged) and setting the stage for Breakker and Reed to be pushed into the brightest spotlight.

Now, WWE will have to chart a creative path to salvage the void Rollins leaves, but fortunately, Jacob Fatu's absence won't impact SmackDown as significantly and fundamentally. However, the concept of pushing young stars remains one that Triple H should obviously follow through on universally.

Former NXT Champion Oba Femi seems like the perfect candidate to replace Jacob Fatu in this regard. He is young, athletic, exciting, and a monster who has an edge and a unique character.

He has been expected to be called up to the main roster for some time, and SmackDown seems like the right show anyway: it needs fresh talent and consequently is the place where they would actually have the opportunity to carve out a place for themselves. Fatu's absence only exacerbates that for Femi.

#1 WWE's Ring General: Gunther

Gunther has been absent from WWE since SummerSlam 2025, when he lost the World Heavyweight Championship to CM Punk. During the match, his legitimate nose injury was played into, and he has not been seen on WWE programming since, requiring and recovering from nose surgery.

While a timeline of his return remains unclear, he is not expected to be out for much longer. He is also rumored to be the frontrunner to stand across the ring from John Cena in his final match at Saturday Night's Main Event. Despite RAW seemingly having just lost Seth Rollins, SmackDown is still the show that needs more starpower, and Gunther right now can be featured on any brand.

With Rollins gone and Reigns in his own part-time universe, Gunther doesn't have a ton of fresh matches on RAW, although rekindling a rivalry with CM Punk seems enticing, and he is a great candidate to wrestle him for the World Heavyweight Championship if it is vacated by Seth Rollins.

Nonetheless, if Breakker and Reed are indeed to be positioned more prominently on RAW, Gunther can simply make his WWE return on SmackDown, where he will be in a fresh setting with the likes of Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, and Drew McIntyre, with whom he can rekindle rivalries.

He has a history with all these men, but the limited interactions mean these are actually stories to be followed up on. Gunther also fits the role of the monster on SmackDown perfectly. And with John Cena set for no appearances between Survivor Series and Saturday Night's Main Event on December 13, it's not like Gunther needs to be on a particular show anyway.