{"id":122479,"date":"2024-02-04T10:00:53","date_gmt":"2024-02-04T15:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=122479"},"modified":"2024-02-04T00:17:57","modified_gmt":"2024-02-04T05:17:57","slug":"jacob-fatu-the-samoan-werewolf-unleashed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/02\/04\/jacob-fatu-the-samoan-werewolf-unleashed\/","title":{"rendered":"Jacob Fatu: The Samoan Werewolf Unleashed"},"content":{"rendered":"

On February 2nd<\/sup>, WWE <\/strong>Hall of Famer Rikishi<\/strong> posted on X<\/strong> image that sparked conversation and speculation. Even fans with the vaguest awareness of the indie scene have been talking. The image showed four versions of a man Last Word back in 2021 called the most promising wrestler in the indies<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Raging, and in one image bleeding, the face of Jacob Fatu<\/strong> shows hunger. This man made of 300 pounds of Samoan steel is presented as a killer. His moniker in the right corner reads Ultimate Uce. The hashtag below reads: #FreeAgent.<\/p>\n

The Samoan Werewolf is unleashed. MLW<\/strong> fans already know how dangerous the former and longest-reigning MLW World Heavyweight Champion is. Yet for those who haven\u2019t seen MLW, just knowing Jacob\u2019s lineage is enough to set minds into fantasy booking overdrive.<\/p>\n

The timing feels perfect. Wrestlemania<\/strong> is closing. The final chapter of The Bloodline<\/strong> storyline nears. Already, some fans are speculating if Jacob will play his part. However, those fans only just heard about Jacob Fatu, the man who calls himself \u201cThe Real Tribal Chief\u201d, and needs to do their homework.<\/p>\n

While the family got Jacob into the ring, the ultimate uce has been his own man, forged in MLW.<\/p>\n

The Black Sheep of the <\/strong>Anoa\u02bbi Family\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Jacob Fatu took to wrestling differently from his family. Both by choice and by circumstances. The son of The Tonga Kid, Sam Fatu<\/strong>, Jacob had no intentions of becoming a wrestler.<\/p>\n

At age eighteen, Fatu was arrested for robbery. In 2022, Jacob told MLW how while he was locked up in Sacramento County Jail, seeing the debut of The Usos<\/strong> on Raw<\/strong> changed his life.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was flipping through the channels, and I saw my brothers and them. I think that\u2019s kind of like where I made my mind up\u201d, Jacob Fatu, MLW All Access Part 1.<\/p>\n

Things afterward fell into place. Seeing all sides of the business: the good, the bad, and the ugly, Fatu was persuaded. Yet Jacob had to be humbled. By his admission, Jacob did not respect the business. For a while, Fatu was not fully committed to wrestling.<\/p>\n

When he signed with MLW, that was when Jacob put both feet into the business. Yet even then, a real-life brush with death helped steer Jacob fully into wrestling. Before the MLW event, Fatu witnessed and was present when a drive-by shooting occurred. Jacob watched a neighbor\u2019s brother bleed out.<\/p>\n

\u201cProfessional wrestling saved my life.\u201d Jacob Fatu, MLW All Access Part 3.<\/p>\n

Hail Contra, Hail Fatu<\/strong><\/h3>\n

From the start, Jacob Fatu was shown to be a headliner for MLW. Debuting in 2019, Fatu went straight for the jugular and attacked then MLW World Heavyweight Champion, \u201cFilthy\u201d Tom Lawlor<\/strong>. The statement was clear.<\/p>\n

Alongside his manager, Joseph Samael<\/strong>, Jacob was the lethal warhead for the terrorist-inspired faction, CONTRA Unit<\/strong>. MLW\u2019s use of factions is one of the company\u2019s biggest creative successes (which you can read about here<\/a>). Jacob rose to the challenge and became a literal and metaphorical flagbearer for the company.<\/p>\n

In the role of the unstoppable Samoan juggernaut, Jacob was no re-tread of stereotypes or familial gimmicks like Yokozuna<\/strong> or Umaga<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Bruising and physically dominating while also being deceptively agile, this is as far as comparisons can go. Jacob\u2019s ability to soar over the ropes, hit handspring flips and two bounce moonsault finishers are beautiful and yet devastating. Jacob in his world is himself. There is no gimmick, just dynamic brutality. \u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Recommended Viewing <\/strong><\/h3>\n

For fans looking to sample Fatu’s capabilities, there is a vast range available on MLW\u2019s YouTube channel.<\/p>\n

Jacob Fatu\u2019s trilogy with nemesis Alex Hammerstone<\/strong> (who is also a free agent and I have profiled previously<\/a>) at Fightland <\/strong>2021, MLW Underground,<\/strong> and concluding at Holiday Rush<\/strong> 2023 is arguably MLW\u2019s greatest feud. A breakdown of the trilogy is available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Other displays of violence include Jacob Fatu vs. LA Park<\/strong> in a No Disqualification match. A bells and whistle monster fight against Mads Kruger <\/strong>in a Weapons of Mass Destruction match shows babyface potential.<\/p>\n

If you want to watch Fatu in his full Samoan dominance, his matches against sympathetic babyfaces like Jordan Oliver<\/strong> and Ross Von Erich<\/strong> showcase Jacob\u2019s story-teller abilities.<\/p>\n

Who Could Land Fatu?<\/strong><\/h3>\n