Jacob Fatu's WWE rise not because of creative; wrestling veteran breaks down his popularity (Exclusive)

Former WWE head writer Vince Russo recently shared his thoughts on Jacob Fatu's current run. The star is the reigning United States Champion.

Fatu has become one of the most popular stars in WWE. The star's in-ring acumen and vicious style have pushed him to the top of the roster. He broke away from Solo Sikoa at Money in the Bank, cementing his face turn.

This week on The Wrestling Outlaws, Russo mentioned that Fatu was probably most over with the fans. The veteran writer detailed that the Samoan Werewolf looked like a credible champion, making it cool for the fans to get behind him. Russo clarified that Jacob Fatu was popular because of his charisma and not how the company was booking him.

"Arguably, the most over guy in WWE right this minute is Fatu. And why? The guy is freaking cool, bro. The stuff that comes out of his mouth, his delivery. That is what's missing. The cool factor. There are maybe a handful wrestlers today that you would label cool." He added, "That's why Fatu is really getting over the way he is. It's not the way they're writing for him. It's not the freaking creative. The guy is just cool." [From 1:06 onwards]

This past week on SmackDown, Jacob Fatu issued a serious warning to Solo Sikoa and JC Mateo. He detailed how Solo tried to take advantage of him and he didn't need the Street Champ anymore.

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About the author

Prityush is a WWE news writer for Sportskeeda Wrestling who started watching wrestling in the later part of The Attitude Era. Although he holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Prityush was a creative writer for his college, and his flair for creativity and love of pro wrestling eventually led him to the journalism field. After an initial stint in 2016-2017, he has been writing regularly for Sportskeeda since 2021.

As someone who loves and respects the business, he prides himself on factual, clean, and ethical reporting, free of plagiarism and AI usage. One of the ways he ensures this is by transcribing videos that he reports on.

Prityush had the privilege of interviewing superstar Matt Hardy in his career so far. Although, his favorite wrestler is CM Punk, as he relates to his Straight Edge philosophy.

When he is not reporting news, he loves reading and collecting WWE action figures. He currently owns over 500 wrestling figures and merchandise.

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Edited by Prityush Haldar