Jacob Fatu sat down with Denise Salcedo on the red carpet at the WWE 2K26 Creator Fest, and the interview was exactly what you'd expect from The Samoan Werewolf — raw, real, and straight from the heart.
Salcedo opened by bringing up the clip that made Fatu a viral sensation before he even signed with WWE — the moment he casually mentioned having seven kids. Fatu laughed it off and immediately redirected the credit:
Shout out to my wife, though. I ain't got the ring on this time, girl, but shout out to my wife and my kids, man.
From there, Salcedo asked about how much his life has changed since signing with WWE — and Fatu got genuine.
Man, since you see where we started from — we came in from that little gym. So, man, we over here at the headquarters right now, tapping in. It's been real good. My wife, my kids, my whole family, the whole Northern California — stand up, man.
'I Almost Got Fired Before I Got Hired'
The most candid moment came when Fatu was asked about his reaction to actually getting the call from WWE — and he didn't sugarcoat it.
I almost got fired before I got hired. They thought that was a line. No, that was no lying. This is real, uncut Jacob Fatu. And this ain't me to try to say like, 'Oh, I had the hardest life.' No, this got something to do with — man, you can make it out the way. Anything you going through, bro. Wake up! Go get it. Go push. Keep pushing. It was days I ain't want to get up, man. But nah, just keep pushing. Keep going to it, man. God is good. God is great.
Fatu has been open in recent interviews about the personal reset he went through during his WWE TV absence, and that same spirit came through here — a man fully aware of how close things came to going a different direction.
The Family Business
Salcedo also asked about getting to work alongside his family in WWE, and Fatu summed up the experience with a Roman Reigns quote that said it all.
Roman said this one day when I was at work — 'This is just all us in the back of Uncle June's backyard.' So it feels... I'm very blessed. I'm very happy to have them. Not a lot of people get to have them. So with me having Big Jim, having Jay, having Solo — having the boys there, man, it's just a blessing. I'm right underneath their learning tree.
Fatu's path to WWE was anything but straightforward, which makes moments like standing in front of WWE HQ at a major promotional event feel earned in a way that's hard to fake. He closed the interview with a grin and a shoutout to the Sacramento Kings — just in case anyone forgot where home is.
