Rikishi Criticizes Nephew Jacob Fatu’s Booking in WWE: “He’s Being Pushed Too Fast”

In a recent episode of his Off the Top podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi shared his candid thoughts on the booking of his nephew, Jacob Fatu, who recently joined WWE. Rikishi, known for his outspokenness, raised concerns about the direction of Jacob’s current trajectory within the company.

“I think Jacob’s being pushed too fast,” Rikishi began. “When you go to Cody, where do you go from there? Cody is the guy right now. I’ve said this before—let Jacob rampage through the whole roster. Give him a couple of those enhancement matches to build. He don’t need but 3 minutes to... again, we’ve seen Jacob however long he’s been out—a couple months or whatever—but is there anything different? You can only do so much on a run-in.”

Rikishi’s criticism isn’t solely about Jacob’s booking. It seems to stem from a deeper frustration with how WWE handles his family’s storylines. Over the summer, Rikishi repeatedly voiced his dissatisfaction with how his son, Jey Uso, was being portrayed in a romantic angle with Rhea Ripley. In one particularly pointed remark, Rikishi questioned the writers' intentions, saying, “Mami? That’s the best that those writers got?” He even speculated whether the creative team was trying to “break his marriage up” by pushing Jey into the controversial storyline.

However, despite his frustrations, Rikishi has always made it clear that WWE remains a pivotal part of his family’s legacy. “WWE is my family’s home—past, present, and future,” he said in the past, reinforcing the bond his family shares with the company.

Online, fans have responded with a mixture of humor and understanding to Rikishi’s critiques. Some find irony in the fact that Rikishi feels his family members are simultaneously being pushed too hard and underutilized. Yet, his concerns are rooted in legitimate fears. Jacob Fatu has indeed been fast-tracked into WWE’s top storyline, aligning with major stars like Cody Rhodes. From Rikishi’s perspective, the fear is that once Jacob’s time in the main event spotlight ends, there may not be a clear path forward for him—a concern Rikishi also harbors for his son, Jey, despite Jey's over a decade of experience in WWE.

For a family with such a rich history in professional wrestling, Rikishi’s concerns come from a place of wanting longevity and the proper development of the next generation of Samoan wrestlers, something that has always been central to his mission in and outside of the ring.