At a time when it feels like there's a real changing of the guard in terms of the projected top names across WWE's next ten years, Jacob Fatu is making a strong case to be one of those leaders. The Samoan Werewolf has been on a tear ever since he arrived as part of The Bloodline, but it wasn't that long ago that he was just another wrestling fan. Fatu is well aware of his blessing, and told the crowd at San Diego Comic-Con about the full circle moment involving his past graveyard shifts at Walmart.
CinemaBlend was present for Mattel's toy panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2025, where Jacob Fatu was present along with Giulia, Jey Uso, and CM Punk to see the latest figures revealed for the rest of the year and 2026. Fatu has a few figures on the way coming to stores that show off his gear from PLE's available with a Peacock subscription, and talked about how that relates to his previous job in retail:
I used to work at Walmart overnight. I used to be a stocker. I used to go over to the toy section and look at [the wrestlers]. To look at this now and where I've come from? It's pretty cool, pretty cool.
Fatu remarked later that talking about the moment made him so emotional he had to slip on his sunglasses so the attendees wouldn't see him crying. It was an emotional moment for the crowd to see a usually tough wrestler show so much vulnerability, but they appreciated it all the same. The crowd gave plenty of applause to the response, and I'd argue it went over as well as Jey Uso running his song back twice for the audience to "Yeet" along with him.
Later in the panel, Fatu talked about how he and his Samoan cousins (many of whom are in WWE) were well-accustomed to wrestling action figures thanks to their family members. All this to say, he wasn't just interested in looking at wrestling toys because he believed he'd one day be in the WWE; there was a nostalgia element to it as well:
It takes me back to my childhood, man. We had action figures and wrestling rings. It was the only toys we had growing up.
I'm not really surprised that Jacob Fatu, Solo Sikoa, Roman Reigns, and Jey and Jimmy Uso were raised on wrestling toys, especially given they've all found their place in the WWE. Professional wrestling is literally in their blood not just because of their family ties, but because it was all they've been raised in since they were children!
Outside of the emotional moments, there was a lot of fun to be had during the Mattel panel. CM Punk, who was a surprise guest at the event, noted that we're approaching a point of where an upcoming WWE event might just have to be a Royal Rumble comprised of every Samoan in the company. We're not quite at the number 30, though I would be interested to see if it could happen if a couple of able-bodied Samoan legends came out of retirement.
Provided Rikishi still isn't up in arms about Jey Uso's booking, I'd be down to see him do the "Too Cool" dance in the ring just one more time? Hell, I even think "The Final Boss" Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson could be swayed to show up, though with how WrestleMania 41 went with him, I wouldn't be shocked if the WWE balked on giving him a call.
WWE's Mattel toy line is rolling out across many different waves across several different major retailers throughout 2025 and 2026. CinemaBlend saw some really cool things that are coming down the pipeline, and all I can say is keep an eye peeled on what's rolling out in the months to come!
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
