A family disagreement within the Anoa’i dynasty has spilled into the public eye, as Zilla Fatu recently took aim at his uncle, Rikishi. In a now-deleted social media post, the son of the late Umaga criticized the WWE Hall of Famer for remarks made about his TNA debut at Slammiversary.
The issue began when Rikishi, on his Off the Top podcast, questioned his nephew’s decision to wear face paint that resembled the style of Jeff Hardy. He argued that the choice was not a smart marketing move for a rising star needing to establish his own identity, especially since Hardy himself wore a similar design that same night.
“I didn’t really understand why he painted his face. To me, that wasn’t good marketing. It looked like he was trying to market Jeff Hardy. And let’s be real—Jeff Hardy doesn’t need any marketing. Jeff’s an icon already. I get it, Zilla loves Jeff, and Jeff loved his pops. But Zilla’s pops isn’t here anymore. And I just feel like coming out as himself, as who we see him as, would’ve helped him more than trying to channel Jeff with that paint,” Rikishi stated.
Fatu felt the critique should have been handled privately. He responded directly to his uncle, expressing that he felt the public discussion was a disrespectful attempt to gain attention, or “clout,” at his expense. He also took exception to Rikishi’s reference to his father no longer being around.
“FOR YOU TO TALK DOWN ON ME AND CHASE FOR CLOUT IS OUTTA POCKET.. YOU GOT MY NUMBER SO WHY YOU AIN’T TEXT ME OR CALL ME PERSONALLY AND PUT ME ON GAME? @TheREALRIKISHI instead you went on your podcast & do the most. And FYI UNK, MY POPS IS HERE…. He ain’t never left,” Fatu wrote.
The public exchange highlights a clear point of contention between the two family members. It remains to be seen if Rikishi will address his nephew’s response.