Roman Reigns Faces Unrelenting Opposition from Jacob Fatu After Backlash Victory
Roman Reigns may have thought that successfully defending the World Heavyweight Championship against his cousin, Jacob Fatu, at WWE Backlash would be enough to resolve their ongoing family conflict. However, the situation has only escalated following a fiery confrontation on Raw.
After Backlash, Reigns attempted to settle his family business by giving Fatu an ultimatum: acknowledge him as the head of the family or face being fired. But rather than bowing to Reigns’ demands, Fatu took matters into his own hands, attacking Reigns and The Usos in a brutal show of defiance.
The Tension Builds
Raw opened with General Manager Adam Pearce telling Reigns that he didn’t want Fatu in the arena due to previous attacks on referees and WWE staff. Reigns, not backing down, replied that it was his decision—since he was the one who brought Fatu to WWE—and that only he would be the one to take him out. Later, Jimmy Uso spoke to Reigns, suggesting it might be time to cut ties with Fatu, but Reigns remained firm in his belief that respect within the family was non-negotiable.
Fatu’s Vicious Response
The stage was set for an explosive end to Raw when Fatu appeared backstage while Reigns was in the ring. Jey Uso tried to reason with Fatu, urging him to understand the consequences of his actions on the family. However, Fatu responded by knocking Jey out with a series of headbutts, declaring that Reigns would have to beat an acknowledgment out of him.
Fatu’s path of destruction continued as he took out Jimmy Uso and made his way to the ring. The two cousins exchanged brutal shots, with Reigns eventually grabbing a steel chair and relentlessly attacking Fatu. But Fatu was far from finished—he countered a Spear and locked Reigns in the devastating Tongan Death Grip, sending the champion crashing out of the ring.
Fatu’s fury only intensified as he continued to attack Reigns, accusing him of abandoning the family and leaving them “broke.” A brief comeback from Reigns was cut short when Fatu locked the Tongan Death Grip once again and powerbombed him through the commentary desk. Fatu, screaming in rage, refused to back down despite WWE officials’ attempts to intervene.
Fatu’s Dominance Continues
In a final act of defiance, Fatu sprinted back to ringside and crashed into Reigns and The Usos, sending them all flying through the ringside barricade, leaving a lasting impact on the show.
The unresolved tension between Reigns and Fatu is far from over, and it seems clear that Fatu is driven by an unrelenting desire to claim the World Heavyweight Championship. Reigns, for his part, will need to find a way to assert his dominance within the family and prove once and for all that he is the top dog. As long as Fatu’s goal of taking down Reigns remains intact, this rivalry is bound to keep intensifying.
