Roman Reigns walked out of WrestleMania 42 with the World Heavyweight Championship earlier this month, but it wasn’t long before a new challenger emerged with his eyes set on gold.
Jacob Fatu made clear on the following “Monday Night Raw” last week that he was gunning for his first world title. Reigns told him that he had to think about it and that Fatu had to prove that he was worthy of a shot at the championship. Fatu followed up by not only beating Solo Sikoa on “Friday Night SmackDown,” but taking out the entire MFT faction along with him.
Entering Raw this week, Reigns was in a segment deliberating with Jey and Jimmy Uso about what he should do about the “Samoan Werewolf.” Jimmy Uso said that Fatu’s pursuit of greatness and what comes along with shouldn’t “come at the cost” of Reigns. Jey Uso warned that Fatu was “dangerous.”
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The power struggle came to a head later in the night as Reigns and Fatu met in the ring.
Reigns said he put the World Heavyweight Championship “in the main event” and that he made the title “relevant.” Then, Fatu came out to address Reigns, who said he was hoping that Fatu “made the right choice” to unite the Bloodline and “not divide it.”
“You said you gave me a week, I didn’t need a week. I didn’t need a day. Hell, I didn’t even need an hour to think about it. I know exactly what I wanted when I came out here last Monday,” Fatu said. “I didn’t stutter, I didn’t hesitate when I told you I didn’t want that title, but I need that title.”
Fatu said Reigns must have been “stuck” in his own main event mania and that Reigns didn’t “grind” like him to get to where he is.
“But it ain’t how you start, it’s how you finish,” he continued. “And it got me standing here right now in front of your a–. Before WWE, you didn’t call me, Jimmy didn’t call me, Jey didn’t call me, but you know who did call me? Solo called me. Solo gave me a chance. Solo is the one who put me on since I got here.”
Reigns suggested that Sikoa had nothing to do with Fatu’s arrival in WWE, saying “Solo couldn’t get a cup of coffee delivered here if he wanted to.”
“Who you think runs this place?” Reigns asked rhetorically. “The ‘OTC’ runs this place. And yeah, I’ve been a little distracted. Things get a little hectic around here. But I never forgot about you and I’m the one that signed off on your a–. But you’re over here a little confused, sounding like a fool to me.
“You don’t deserve it. You haven’t earned it. Me allowing you to compete against me, that’s nepotism. I can’t do that.”
Reigns didn’t finish his thought before Fatu attacked him with a Tongan death grip to the face.
“I’m going to take everything, everything from you,” Fatu vowed.
Reigns then accepted Fatu’s challenge.
Later, WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque announced the World Heavyweight Championship bout for Backlash – the next premium live event on the WWE calendar.
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Monday Night “Rollins”
Seth Rollins opened the show addressing Bron Breakker, who cost him a win over Gunther at WrestleMania. Rollins responded with attacks on Breakker and his Vision stablemates last week.
Rollins and Breakker bickered over who was responsible for Breakker’s success. Rollins wondered how it benefited Breakker in the end. Breakker responded that he didn’t need Rollins to climb to the top of the mountain, he wanted Paul Heyman.
“You needed us,” Breakker said emphatically.
Rollins said he saw the potential in Breakker, and Heyman asked him to take Breakker under his wing as Breakker made his way from NXT to the Raw roster.
“Look at you, Breakker, you’ve got it all. And I’ve been here for 14 years. I have seen athletes from every single discipline come in here,” Rollins said. “They are big, they are strong, they are fast, but you are unique. You are the biggest, the strongest, the fastest, the most versatile performer I have ever seen in the 14 years that I’ve been with this company. You have got everything, everything to be the next big star in this industry. Everything except the most important thing (points to his head).
“I know better than anybody what it means to be a 28-year-old young cat full of p— and vinegar coming into this company thinking the business owes you something, not wanting to wait for nobody. I know better than anybody what it means to bet on yourself, to take chances, to make decisions, hard decisions that people aren’t going to be happy with. I know. But the difference between you and me is that you try, I succeed. You try, I succeed, and you know why? Let me just paint a few pictures for you. Every time I bet on myself, it ended in a main event or a world championship. You bet on yourself, what did it get you? It got you Austin Theory and Logan Paul.”
Rollins plainly stated that Breakker was “not ready” for the big time just yet.
“I’m not ready? That’s the narrative you want to go with?” Breakker said. “I hate to break it to you, superstar, but before all this was a thing, I was well on my way to becoming a main-eventer with or without you. I didn’t need you or your help or anything. And you want to blame me for you losing the World Heavyweight Championship? That’s fine. The truth is: your body can’t handle it, your mind is too brittle, and your shoulder can’t handle the weight of a strap on it anymore.”
Breakker then singed Rollins with being the best at “being No. 2.” Rollins responded that Breakker “wasn’t even No. 2 in your own family.”
Rollins said he would give Breakker the opportunity for a match at Backlash. Levesque made it official later in the night.
Other notes
Levesque also booked Iyo Sky vs. Asuka for Backlash. Asuka interrupted Sky’s Women’s Intercontinental Championship match against Becky Lynch, keeping their monthslong feud hot. The two Japanese women’s wrestling icons will now do battle at the next major event.
Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez attacked Stephanie Vaquer in the back. Michael Cole later said on the broadcast that Vaquer was dealt with a “sprained AC joint” and could be out “for a bit.”
Paul and Theory interrupted Joe Hendry’s concert during the show and attacked him, seemingly starting a feud with Raw’s newest call-up.
Match results
Penta def. Rusev
Becky Lynch def. Iyo Sky to retain the Women’s Intercontinental Championship
Rey Mysterio def. El Grande Americano
Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez def. Bayley and Lyra Valkyria.
