During the Mattel WWE SDCC 2025 Elite Squad panel, Jacob Fatu was honored with his first-ever Ultimate Edition action figure, a piece designed to capture the exact moment of his impactful WWE debut. The honor reflects WWE’s significant investment in Fatu, whom reports from outlets like Forbes and WrestleVotes indicate is being positioned as a top-tier babyface and one of the future faces of the company.
When asked to relive the tense seconds before emerging on SmackDown, Fatu offered a detailed and emotional look into his mindset while positioned underneath the ring.
“Man, I was just thinking about my wife and my kids. I really was. But overall, it was just like everything was happening so fast, so quick. You know, just being under there, man, it was a different feeling. It was a feeling I haven’t felt before.”
The debut took place in Chicago, a city that holds personal significance for him and is known for its deep wrestling history.
“Not only that—man, we was in CM Punk’s hometown of Chicago, baby. Shout out to Chicago. That whole city’s awesome. They’ve been great to me since my independent career and everything. So shout out to Chicago—not just saying that ‘cause Punk’s here.”
As his entrance approached, Fatu recalled a meaningful, brief interaction with a member of the WWE crew that helped ground him in the monumental moment.
“I just remember when it was time to go and being underneath the ring. There’s a gentleman named Nick, man—he helps us out with all our props under there. It was special to be under there.”
The final countdown was a blur of prayer and adrenaline before he was given the signal to go, creating a memory that is now immortalized in toy form.
“I just remember him saying, ‘Hey, man. 20 seconds.’ Man, I just sat down, closed my eyes, said a prayer right before it was time to go. Next thing you know, man—it’s ‘3, 2, 1, go, go,’ and I just went blank. I couldn’t really hear anything. Everything was a blur. But overall, man—we made history. Shout out to WWE for making everything happen, man. These are awesome, man. Thank you guys.”