Reigning WWE United States Champion Jacob Fatu has been nothing short of electric since his arrival last year, and his babyface turn at Money in the Bank, where he betrayed Solo Sikoa mid-match, seemed a natural course to take, given his insane popularity and charisma and how Solo often acted around him. However, even with the WWE Universe firmly behind him, there lies a problem: The Triple H-led creative team might now be dealing with a Jacob Fatu conundrum.
The former MLW World Heavyweight Champion was never meant to be a traditional babyface. His aura, presence, and brutal athleticism, the traits that made him ''The Samoan Werewolf,” are deeply rooted in intensity and unpredictability. Those don’t align well with the smiling, crowd-pandering mold of a babyface WWE has traditionally favored.
While fans love him, any attempt to tone down his raw, chaotic essence to fit a conventional good-guy template risks diluting everything that makes Jacob Fatu special. He isn’t popular despite his edge—he’s popular because of it. This means that Triple H may need to consider flipping him back to the dark side sooner rather than later.
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What complicates this further is WWE’s clear direction toward a Solo Sikoa vs. Jacob Fatu collision course, possibly set for SummerSlam. That feud doesn’t just write itself—it screams civil war. But with The Street Champion having a formidable backup unit in JC Mateo (formerly Jeff Cobb) and the Tongans, and the rumored debut of Hikuleo potentially adding another heavy hitter to the mix, this could be less of a one-on-one and more of a gang war within the new Bloodline, or whatever this new collection of island boys one may call it.
However, it’s worth noting that many of these names—Mateo, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, and even Hikuleo—are not blood relatives of the Anoa’i-Fatu clan. But the creative team has shown its willingness to blur these lines for narrative coherence, and a makeshift inner-family rivalry involving hard-hitting Polynesian men with questionable allegiances does seem a possibility.
Finally, as the WWE United States Champion, Fatu cannot storm into the main event right away, especially given those he is surrounded with and the star power in the upper echelon of the SmackDown roster. Much like LA Knight, his run as US Champion might get him too popular for The Game to know what to do with him, and that could result in underwhelming booking and long-term damage.
Jacob Fatu-Solo Sikoa feud to end in a double turn?
Interestingly, this feud might even end in a rare double turn: Jacob Fatu going full heel again, while Solo Sikoa, whose comic timing and subtle charisma have been catching fan attention online, gradually turns babyface. While the former self-proclaimed Tribal Chief continues to get booed across arenas, he’s also becoming “fun to watch” in a meme-forward, internet-loved kind of way—a pathway modern babyfaces often travel.
For now, though, the spotlight remains on Fatu. If WWE insists on making him a traditional face, the creative team might break what never needed fixing. The key could lie in letting Jacob Fatu remain who he is: a feral, unpredictable storm with no allegiance to anyone—babyface or heel.
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