When Jacob Fatu initially came to WWE, it was clear there was a big money match with Roman Reigns coming sometime down the line. Just under two years into his run with the company, the two headlined tonight’s (Sat., May 9, 2026) Backlash premium live event at the Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida, in a world heavyweight championship match.
The story going in was simple enough — Fatu said he wasn’t coming for Roman’s spot as Tribal Chief but rather trying to do the absolute best he could for his family, and that meant taking everything he possibly could from him but most importantly the title. It’s where the money is, after all. Reigns, meanwhile, regained the support of The Usos.
In the end, it was simply a one-on-one showdown. They were physical but they also played it straight up. Fatu got to kick out when others wouldn’t have and he had the Tongan Death Grip:
But ultimately Reigns retained the championship via pinfall. The bigger story was what came after — Fatu attacked again, laying into the champion and even attacking officials. It was sold as a heel turn of sorts, but also just that he’s straight up unhinged.
“What could have been with Jacob Fatu,” said Michael Cole.
Fatu certainly came off much more like a main event guy both in the match and in the aftermath. It also seems as though they are going to be running this back, perhaps in Italy?
Get complete Backlash results and coverage of every match on the card by clicking here.
