Ha
I initially chose this song because Jacob Fatu constantly using “huh” during his promo made me think of Juvenile’s 1998 classic. The more I thought about this entire feud, including everything that transpired this week, the song feels appropriate because its construction, placement in Hip Hop history, and what it said in ‘98 have a lot more in common with Jacob than meets the eye.
“Ha” dropped during a period
of excess. Hip Hop exploded into the mainstream a few years prior but ‘98 felt like the culmination of that infiltration. It was no longer a fad; it took permeant residence on magazine covers, TV screens, and every facet of pop culture. Rappers reveled in that success with big jewelry, big cars, and bigger music videos to show off all that big money.
To paraphrase Frank White—Christopher Walken, not the Notorious B.I.G.—they all got fat. “Ha” was the complete opposite of what was “hot” at the time. Juvenile was raw, hungry, and no nonsense. This is before “Bling Bling” the following year, so the song and video demonstrated what it felt like to live in his New Orleans neighborhood where some were too broke to even pay attention.
Jacob Fatu in 2026 represents what Juvenile was almost 30 years ago.
To hear him tell it, Roman Reigns wasn’t listening. Jacob didn’t stutter or let any cats get his tongue when he demanded a title shot. The Samoan Werewolf believes that lack of oxygen Roman referenced last week is actually doing harm to the Tribal Chief’s vision.
He’s been on top for so long that he’s forgotten what it’s like to have nothing. He doesn’t remember how it feels to grind for one’s family. Roman’s reigned so long that he certainly can’t fathom what it feels like to want something so badly that one is willing to do anything to get it because tomorrow isn’t promised.
Roman can request a title shot whenever he wants. As he said, he runs this place. After burying Solo Sikoa, Roman told his cousin that regardless of who called him to come to WWE, Roman singed off on it. Once again, Roman’s power and privilege conflict with Jacob’s lack thereof. But that’s what he needs. Like Jey Uso pointed out at the beginning of this week’s program, Jacob is dangerous because he’s fighting for family. Jimmy Uso, the angel on Roman’s shoulder, wants big uce to show little cousin mercy because who doesn’t sympathize fighting for one’s kids?
That’s just it though; Roman and Jey are way past that. They’ve had that power—shoutout to He-Man—that Jimmy knows nothing about. They understand the weight that comes with the championship in ways Jimmy never will. They know what it feels like to give in to that allure of all the might that comes with the gold. They have no sympathy for anyone who wants to take it from them, including Jacob.
At a certain point during this week’s main event segment, Jacob got tired of talking. I loved that because it showed the point better than any words could. Roman, at this point, loves to talk and play mind games. He loves the sound of his voice and is infatuated with berating his foes. That’s the privilege that comes with all that power. Jacob has no time for all that; he just wants to fight.
Put up or shut up. Get down or lay down. Barbecue or boogaloo! When one has nothing, that’s what it’s about. They can talk about getting this money or they can actually get this money; Jacob is firmly in the latter category, which is something Roman which Roman isn’t accustomed.
CM Punk, Seth Rollins, Cody Rhodes, Brock Lesnar are four of Roman’s most notable opponents. And they’re all richer than God. Well, if not God, at least richer than the next deity down the list. Becoming champion is more about ego for them than the trappings of success. They’re Jay-Z after selling 5 million copes of Vol. 2…Hard Knock Life.
Jacob is Juvenile trying to make a name for himself. He’s got nothing to lose because he’s already lost everything. He’s a dangerous man because he’s fighting for everything everyone else already has and he knows this might be his only chance to get it.
It’s on at Backlash. Jacob said he’s not waiting that long, which is another sign of a man practically starving.
Roman forgot what it’s like to make something out of nothing. I have a feeling Jacob will painfully remind him.
B-Sides
- You know what I loved about Penta vs. Rusev? No, it wasn’t Ethan Page showing up scheming. Nor was it Penta and Rusev wearing matching colors despite being opponents. It was the ending that showed smarts on Penta’s behalf. Earlier in the match, Penta went for one of his usual springboard attacks but Rusev countered with a kick. Penta never saw it coming. Fast forward through the rest of the match—which worked really well due to the styles clash—Penta went for the springboard again but remembered Rusev’s counter. So when Rusev went for the kick, he only caught air. That allowed Penta to catch the big man by surprise and stack him up for the 1-2-3. That was a very fun sequence that showed character, growth, and told a neat story.
- But wait, there’s more. I mentioned All Ego sitting all ringside, so of course he wandered into the ring post match. He and Rusev reluctantly teamed up to beatdown the Intercontinental Champion, only for Je’Von Evans to make the save and hit Rusev with a massive OG Cutter. Even after watching Je’Von for a few years now, he still amazes me. Bring on the tag team match!
- Becky Lynch wanted a new, fresh, best of the best challenger for her Intercontinental Championship. What she didn’t want was IYO SKY, someone she called the opposite of all those things. I giggled like I was 13 when Becky heard the boos from the crowd and said those boos were for IYO and a sign the audience agreed with the champ. I’m sure there’s a “boo-urns” joke in there somewhere but I can’t find it. IYO was the right call though. I said there’s some truth to Asuka’s recent words about IYO’s friendship with Rhea Ripley. While Rhea’s now a champion, what is IYO? She’s spent more time having Rhea’s back than worrying about her own. Becky pointed that out when said she wanted to fight Shawn Michaels, not Marty Jannetty. After all these years, Marty’s name is still a diss. No matter the audience, they all know what it means to be Marty and what it means to be Shawn. That’s the ether that makes one’s soul burn slow. Becky’s protest obviously fell on deaf ears and these two put on a very entertaining match. That didn’t surprise me at all, and neither did the finish. Just when it looked like IYO had Becky where she wanted, Asuka interfered behind the ref’s back. The Empress of Tomorrow swiped IYO’s legs out from under her, causing the sky’s genius to faceplant on the ring edge. That made it easy for Becky to get the win and “put down” her first challenge post-Mania.
- Seems simple for IYO: There’s no singles glory for her until she vanishes her senpai. That’s poetic in a way. She’ll get her chance at Backlash in Tampa. The student must become the master.
- El Grande Americano, using a Spanish accent but speaking English, challenged Rey Mysterio to a match. He wanted a battle with a legendary lucha before putting his mask on the line against Original Recipe El Grande Americano at the end of May. There was a moment in the match where I thought maybe all that talk about honor actually meant something to El Grande. The usual handoff for the metal plate didn’t go smoothly. Rey interrupted it with a 619 that killed the exchange and placed that metal plate right in the ring. That’s when I thought El Grande’s hesitation to place the plate under his mask meant something bigger. Turns out, it was just stalling to give Original Recipe time to hit the ring apron and stop his nemesis from cheating. That gave Rey the leg up for the W, then seamlessly segued a brawl between the Americanos. Another fun match that put the spotlight on the Americanos feud while involving a true luchador.
- Is Grayson Waller officially out of The New Day yet? Is it an Old Night for him? He’s on his own and demanding opportunities, so of course he got Oba Femi. The “how” isn’t as important as the “what” because what happened was another Oba domination. That’s not news. The news is Oba opening the “Oba Open Challenge.” Seriously, how does this work? No, I know how open challenges work. I mean how does this one work with The Ruler? He can’t lose to anyone but they have to make it interesting. And story wise, who steps to this dude after seeing what he did to Brock Lesnar? I won’t say I dislike the open challenge but I’m not fully onboard either. Oba’s done nothing but eviscerate talent since stepping foot on the main roster. And then the aforementioned Brock beatdown. He can’t get an Intercontinental Championship shot because that’s a very busy space. He can’t go against Roman just yet, either. The only logical ending here is Brock makes a quick comeback to avenge his loss. Or at least tries. But Brock tying them 1-1 would necessitate a rubber match. After running through Brock twice, Oba has to get a championship shot, right?
- Roxanne Perez wrestled in front of her hometown and got the response one might assume. All that love, along with pinning Bayley, resulted in a huge moment for Ms. Perez and Judgment Day. Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez want to rise in the women’s tag division, so this is a big win for them. There’s something lurking beneath the surface though that may derail it. Rather, someone: Liv Morgan.
- Oh, you’re still here! Good. So about the Women’s World Heavyweight Champion. She and Roxanne got into that conversation they started before Stephanie Vaquer put them both in the concussion protocol. I don’t know about anyone else, but Liv’s “support” for Roxanne seemed ominous. Liv understood Roxanne being torn between Judgment Day and Finn Balor since he brought her into the group, but that was then. In the now, this is all about the family and Roxanne is family. She said all of this in a sinister tone which lets me know Roxanne is getting voted off the island soon. If Liv’s tone wasn’t a tell, Finn showing up to warn Roxxy about trusting Liv or anyone in that clique certainly sealed it for me. We might be seeing the final days of Judgment Day.
- Speaking La Primera, Judgment Day took her out early in the show. Very early. This might be a way to write her off for a bit with reports of her being banged up.
- I’m over the Joe Hendry concerts at this point but it was a nice way to formally introduce him to Raw and spark a beef with Logan Paul.
- Speaking of The Vision:
- Seth Rollins finally gets his match with Bron Breakker at Backlash. This is a long time coming and I’m excited to see what these two to together. They had a nice back and forth on the mic this week that ended with Seth saying Bron got help from Big Poppa Pump for his promo hook ups, and that he’s not even the best Steiner in the family. Mind games from The Architect.
- The Street Profits made it clear they want a shot at the Tag Team Championships. Please let them win because Logan & Austin Theory don’t need them.
This was a solid Raw. Not the quickest paced show as it dragged in certain points, but the beginning and ending served as dope bookends that propped up everything in the middle.
What say you, Cagesiders? If Jacob Fatu doesn’t defeat Roman Reigns, what happens to the Werewolf?
