It doesn’t get any bigger than this for Jacob Fatu.
After defeating Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 42, Fatu is looking to elevate his family’s status. His plan? Beat Roman Reigns at Backlash for the World Heavyweight Championship, which led to him challenging the OTC last Monday on Raw.
But if he loses, he may be forced to acknowledge Reigns as his Tribal Chief. Reigns, who claims he wants Fatu to enjoy the same luxuries he does, questions whether “The Samoan Werewolf” is ready for the pressure he’ll
face at the top of WWE.
On SmackDown, Jimmy Uso tried to play peacemaker, urging Fatu to reconsider while outlining the benefits of joining the family.
“You’ll eat, you’ll learn, you’ll level up,” said Jimmy.
But before Jimmy, Jey Uso, or even Solo Sikoa, whom Fatu beat later in the show, could sway him, Fatu already seemed to have his mind made up as he threw down the gauntlet to Reigns.
“Roman, you say I’m not ready. Step into this ring and prove it,” Fatu said.
Reigns, whose appearance at Backlash is already confirmed, will respond to Fatu’s call-out this Monday on Raw. With so much already set in motion, both sides are unlikely to call the whole thing off, setting up a Samoan dream match that has Fatu poised to face the kind of pressure that produces a diamond.
Too Fast, Too Furious
With the main event likely to be made official on Monday night, WWE will have less than two weeks to finalize the rest of the card, producing a fast and furious build that will set the tone for May.
Two weeks after Backlash, Saturday Night’s Main Event returns May 23 on Peacock. A week later, Clash in Italy, WWE’s first-ever premium live event from Italy, takes place on May 31.
With so much happening in quick succession, viewers will need to keep their heads on a swivel and a scorecard handy to track what’s happening, when, and with whom.
Watch
Backlash takes place on May 9 at Tampa’s Benchmark International Arena, streaming at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT on the ESPN App (with an ESPN Unlimited plan) and on Netflix internationally. Fans can also catch all the action live at select movie theaters; tickets and information are available at Fandango.com.
