Family ties bring rising WWE superstar to Knoxville for Smackdown
KNOXVILLE (WATE) – WWE Smackdown rolls into Knoxville Friday night.
WWE Superstar Jacob Fatu says he's never been to Knoxville and he's excited for it. Fatu also said professional wrestling was a lifeline for him.
'Man, it's keeping me out of jail,' said Fatu. 'I was 18 and sitting in county and who did I see on the screen, Jimmy and Jey (Uso). I couldn't believe my cousins were on their though.'
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After Fatu was release from jail, he moved to Los Angeles and began training with his family. Fatu's family includes Roman Reigns, Jimmy and Jey Uso and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson.
'Man, we grew up around it without knowing we grew up around it. In our culture, we are very family oriented. Wrestling has always been around but it was always normal to us,' Fatu said.
Fatu debuted last year – and just like his catchphrase – he been 'all gas, no brakes' ever since. Since his debut he has become Tag Team Champions and more recently he beat L.A. Knight at Wrestlemania for the United States Championship.
'My love and support from my family was in the building that day. Shout out to L.A., man. When you hear that L.A. Knight music and the roar of the crowd, there's no other person that I'd want to do it with. Very thankful for the opportunity, very thankful for WWE,' he said.
Fatu had this message for Knoxville as WWE Smackdown is live at Food City Center Friday night.
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'Man, if you know Jacob Fatu, Jacob Fatu is gonna tell you the truth. There ain't no other way, It's Friday night. We movin' and groovin',' Fatu said promoting the upcoming show. 'Of course, I'm gonna be there. Solo is gonna be there. We are gonna have the triple threat Money In The Bank triple threat qualifying match. If you're a wrestling fan, it don't matter what you watch, it's time for you to pull up.'
WWE Smackdown airs Friday night at 8 p.m. on USA.
If you're going to the show at Food City Center, doors open at 6:30 p.m. and will feature John Cena, Cody Rhodes and Knoxville's own Bianca Belair.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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