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Jacob Fatu outlasted three of SmackDown’s biggest stars at WWE Backlash 2025 to retain the United States Championship thanks to a little help from the debuting Jeff Cobb.
Arguably WWE’s fastest-rising star, Fatu pinned Knight after a top rope moonsault to cap off a fantastic Fatal 4-Way match that also featured Damian Priest and Drew McIntyre, who took each other out of the equation when Priest hit a massive South of Heaven finisher through a table in the crowd. With the victory, Fatu was able to keep the title that he just won last month at WrestleMania 41, and Cobb appears to be the newest member of Solo Sikoa’s faction.
Not only did Sikoa’s group add another major star in Cobb, whose WWE signing and debut had been spoiled earlier this week. But Fatu’s successful title defense against SmackDown’s finest continued his meteoric ascension to the top of WWE.
Among Fatu’s highlights at WWE Backlash 2025: McIntyre flipping Fatu off the top rope and into a senton bomb on top of Knight, leading to Fatu hitting a dive to the outside followed by a Swanton Bomb in the middle of the ring, all in quick succession. That was just the latest example of Fatu indeed turning into a human highlight reel.
Remember that report upon Fatu’s debut that he’d quickly “overshadow” The Bloodline’s Solo Sikoa? Well, needless to see, Fatu has cast a shadow so big that it’s hard to even find Sikoa anymore.
Once Sikoa’s enforcer, Fatu has forced a complete role reversal, establishing himself as the breakout star of The Bloodline. At WWE Backlash, Fatu once again proved why he’s the future of WWE with a show-stealing performance that had the St. Louis crowd cheering him louder than any other star in the match.
As a midcard champion on the verge of becoming a bona fide main eventer, Fatu is essentially the 2025 version of Gunther. It’s not if he will be a world champion, it’s when.
But for now, WWE, as it’s also doing with Bron Breakker on Raw, is playing the long game with Fatu. The best use of a midcard championship is to utilize it as a stepping stone to the world title scene, and with John Cena holding SmackDown’s WWE Championship, Fatu is the perfect choice as the blue brand’s secondary titleholder as he continues a gradual turn to the good side.
Fatu could and should carry that belt for the foreseeable future, only losing it when the time is perfectly right. That could happen with an inevitable split between Fatu and Sikoa, who are clearly going to go their separate ways at some point, likely with Fatu going full-blown babyface.
Even at WWE Backlash, a match that featured two wildly popular stars in Knight and Priest, it was Fatu who received the strongest fan favorite reaction. That was just the latest sign that WWE will have no choice but to turn him face or, at the very least, a “tweener” who destroys anyone and everyone, regardless of whether they’re face or heel.
But the feud with Sikoa is right there just waiting for WWE, especially with Cobb’s shocking debut at WWE Backlash.
Maybe Sikoa inadvertently costs Fatu the United States Championship, or perhaps he even does it on purpose. Now with Cobb in the mix, he could be the reason that WWE finally moves full speed ahead with a Fatu face turn. However, the split between Sikoa and Fatu should be right around the corner, and given how hated Sikoa is, it will only serve to elevate Fatu even higher up the card.
After all, WWE Backlash exemplified just how big of a star Fatu, who didn’t appeared pleased by Cobb’s debut, has become. Now, WWE must strike the right balance of capitalizing on that popularity without rushing it.
That’s easier said than done, but with Cobb backing up Sikoa, WWE has laid the framework for Sikoa to toss Fatu aside in favor of Cobb, potentially making Fatu an even bigger star in the process.
