Jacob Fatu Opens Up About Almost Losing WWE Job Due To Addiction

"The Samoan Werewolf" Jacob Fatu had quite the journey to WWE, where he debuted in 2024 alongside the rest of the Bloodline, then led by Solo Sikoa, on "WWE SmackDown." His journey to the top, however, hasn't always been easy, something he described on "What's Your Story?" Fatu sat down with Stephanie McMahon to talk more about his struggles, and how he almost didn't make it to WWE due to his substance abuse issues. He described a period of 19 days where he wasn't sure if he was even going to make it to WWE after his initial offer.

"I almost got fired before I got hired because of my addiction and stuff," Fatu said. "Bruce [Prichard] called, it was all bad. Nineteen days, I didn't know if I had a job. My kids were asking me, 'Dad, when are we moving to Florida? When are we moving to Florida?' I couldn't even answer them for 19 days, because I thought I was done. It was done. [Paul 'Triple H' Levesque'] brought me up again, and [he] said, 'We'll give him a second chance, because everybody deserves a second chance, but we he gets here, all of that's gotta stop.'"

Fatu described a moment with Levesque at WrestleMania 42 after his unsanctioned match victory over Drew McIntyre. After celebrating with the crowd and coming backstage to gorilla position, he said Levesque was there waiting with a hug. He told McMahon he remembered crying, telling Levesque "thank you" for the second chance.

"When I gave him a hug, he just grabbed my face like, 'Man, you did it. Don't thank me. You did it,'" Fatu said. "It was a real good moment, and a special moment."

Fatu said he battled a drug habit, and cited cocaine as a "big problem." He said that where he lived, it was all around, though it was his choice to get into it, and even on the independent scene, he had "one foot in, and one foot out" of the business due to his struggles. He recalled his lowest time, which was no-showing an event at WWE Hall of Famer Booker T's Reality of Wrestling.

"I fell out with Book. I was supposed to do a show for him, [but at] 5:30 in the morning, I'm still in the alley," he said. "It was just bad. I knew where I had to be. When I missed his show, it went bad online. It just went bad. I was out for three days. My wife, I had to get it together. I had to get it together for her and the kids."

"The Samoan Werewolf" said it was a low point, because after that, he was working less, due to promoters being unable to trust him. He said that if he was no-showing a Hall of Famer's event, why would any other promotions rely on him? Fatu said that even after missing the show, he was still struggling, including at home.

"When that happened, after Book's, the money stopped coming in," Fatu said. "Now I'm drinking. Now I'm starting stuff with my family... My wife was like, 'You gotta chill out. This s*** is getting out of hand, Jacob. You're celebrating like you went to WWE. You're not even in WWE.' I'm on the independents and I was blowing the check. Every time I got a bag, I was blowing the check."

Fatu described the moment he realized he was done and needed to get better for himself, his family, and to save his opportunity with WWE. He said the moment was when Prichard called him, when he almost got fired.

"They offered me a contract in February. They gave me a call like two weeks later," he said. "I was just getting off a plane. I was drunk, on one. It was that day when I couldn't tell my kids, because when they gave me the contract, I went home and told the kids. Told my wife. Man, they're excited. We're ready to move. My in-laws, everybody knew."

Fatu explained that being unable to tell his kids what was happening, and because it was due to his issue with drugs and alcohol, was hard. When he realized that, everything switched. His wife listened to his conversation with Prichard and helped ground him.

"My wife, having to say, 'Jacob. You'll be alright,'" he said. "'You done made it this far, alright? If it comes, it comes. If it don't, you gotta figure it out.' That was the day I stopped everything."

Fatu told McMahon he thought it would be difficult to stay away from cocaine, but he doesn't put himself in situations where he could be around it. Fatu also credited Jimmy Uso for his help, and said he got closer to his cousin during those hard 19 days of the unknown.

"My brother guided me the whole way," Fatu said. "Called me every day... Everything [aligned...] That day Jim called me, 'Hey bro, they're going to give you a second chance...' You don't even know what that meant to me."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "What's Your Story?" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.