Tag: Zilla Fatu

Zilla Fatu rules out signing with AEW: ‘I think my heart with the E’

Posted on by Vincent Verhei

Rising indy wrestler Zilla Fatu has family in WWE and has challenged for the AEW World Championship. But there’s no question which of those two promotions he wants to work for. 

Fatu talked about his career aspirations in an appearance on the Bootleg Kev podcast. Kev first asked Fatu about his match against Maxwell Jacob Friedman for the AEW World Championship at a House of Glory show in February.

“You and MJF had a crazy match,” Kev said. “MJF is one of those guys who is a superstar wherever he’s at. How do you prepare for a match like that with a guy like MJF?” 

“That’s the beauty of these independent companies like House of Glory and Fourth Row, we’re able to do stuff like this, 100%,” Fatu replied. “I treat this like every other fight, right? Obviously, MJF is a superstar in his own little world, but I treat it like every other match.”

Kev then asked if it was difficult putting a match like that together. Fatu said the work was done “Everything on the fly.”

Finally Kev asked if Fatu would entertain any offers from AEW. Fatu said no and referenced his late father, Umaga.

No, I think I think my heart is with the ‘E’ right now,” he said.

Kev pointed out that WWE is also where many of Fatu’s cousins work, including Roman Reigns, the Usos, Solo Sikoa, and Jacob Fatu.

“Yeah, yeah, 100%,” Fatu replied. “So, I’m not going to break that cycle. I respect it. And then not only that, I got unfinished business as far as my dad’s legacy to fulfill.”

Paul Heyman says ‘WWE would be remiss’ if they fail to sign Zilla Fatu

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Paul Heyman believes it would be negligent of WWE to pass up the opportunity to sign second generation wrestler Zilla Fatu. 

In a quick Q&A with Muscle Man Malcolm (seen below), Heyman was questioned on his awareness about Fatu’s recent performances and the possibility of him signing with WWE.

“I think WWE would be remiss if WWE doesn’t sign Zilla Fatu at the very first opportunity to do so,” Heyman said.

Despite praising his cousins’ work in WWE on numerous occasions, Fatu has said in the past that he still feels there is room for his own growth as a performer and he isn’t ready to sign with the company just yet. He has WWE roots from his late father, Umaga, as part of his Bloodline heritage.

Fatu was trained by Booker T who took him under his wing after he got in trouble with the law at 15 years old, wrestling his first match in 2023 at a Reality of Wrestling event. Since then, Fatu has become a two-time ROW Heavyweight Champion and has worked a variety of indies like GCW.

He also appeared briefly for TNA Wrestling during a cross-promotional match with 4th Rope Wrestling in 2025.

A few days ago, the young star responded to Karrion Kross’ challenge for a Future Stars of Wrestling show Mecca XI during WrestleMania week at the Luxor in Las Vegas.

House of Glory announces Brody King vs. Zilla Fatu for Las Vegas event

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

AEW wrestler Brody King is now all set to face Zilla Fatu at the upcoming House of Glory Culture Clash event in Las Vegas, Nevada.

On April 16, 2026, days before WWE WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas, House of Glory will run its Culture Clash show at the Palms Casino Resort.

This will mark King’s return to HOG Wrestling. The upcoming match against Fatu will be his first for House of Glory since 2022. Both of his previous matches for HOG involved Jacob Fatu and ended in a disqualification.

Zilla Fatu, 26, is the reigning HOG Crown Jewel Champion and will collide against King in a singles match for the first-time-ever.

The event will also feature appearances from Ricky Sosa, The Hardys (Matt Hardy & Jeff Hardy), Shotzi Blackheart, Amazing Red, and more.

Fatu was also recently involved in an AEW World title match against MJF, which he lost at HOG No Turning Back.

Bloodline family feud angle plays out at House of Glory event

Posted on by Ian Carey

Lance Anoa’i shocked the live crowd at House of Glory Winter Warfare at the NYC Arena on Friday night.

Anoa’i teamed with his second cousin Zilla Fatu on the show, challenging Matt and Jeff Hardy for the promotion’s tag team titles. The finish of the match saw Zilla Fatu setting up to deliver a Samoan Spike to Matt Hardy when Anoa’i suddenly superkicked Zilla and followed up with a spear. Anoa’i then exited the ring area while declaring, “It’s my time!” as Matt Hardy hit a Twist of Fate on Zilla Fatu for the win.

Anoa’i signed with WWE in November 2024 but was released in October after never wrestling an official match while under contract. In an interview with Muscle Man Malcolm last month, Anoa’i said he plans to carry on the Bloodline legacy on the independent wrestling scene.

“I’m just going to keep going and carry the Bloodline on the independent scene. We got Zilla, Journey Fatu, we’re all right there. Now I get to actually be in the same building and run with the boys,” Anoa’i said.

Footage of Anoa’i turning on Zilla Fatu is available below.

Zilla Fatu doesn’t think he’s ready for WWE yet

Posted on by Joseph Currier

It seems all but inevitable that Zilla Fatu will join The Bloodline one day, but he doesn’t feel like he’s ready for WWE yet.

Fatu — the son of late pro wrestling legend Umaga — started his wrestling career training at Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling school in 2022, overcoming a difficult past that included spending six years in prison for an aggravated robbery that happened when he was 15. He made his in-ring debut in 2023 and now regularly competes on the indies, along with recently having his first match for TNA Wrestling.

Appearing on a new episode of Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Fatu said his goal is to join his Samoan Dynasty family members in WWE, but he’s still growing as a performer and isn’t close to where he wants to be. Fatu noted that he has not had a WWE tryout yet.

“No, I thought I was. No,” Fatu responded when asked if he thinks he’s ready for WWE. “I’m going to keep it 100 [percent], no. I think I still have more time to grow. I’m still green, man. I still have a long way to go, man. So I think when the timing is right, and not only that, when I feel right, just like the same feeling I had in prison, that I was tired, that I needed to change my life, I’m just waiting for that feeling. And once that feeling pops up, that’s when I’m going to start pushing for it.

“But for right now, I’m just being patient and just waiting, just grinding, enjoying the process, enjoying the journey, and just learning as I go and always be the student in the game. And I think, time will tell, and I think the fans will play a big role in that. So I’m just working like WWE never had their eyes on me. I think having that mindset, I think I’m going to get there. I know I’m going to be there. I think it just takes repetition, and it takes time, and I think where I’m at today, my brand is only going to excel. It’s only going to excel because, like I said earlier, we’re still figuring it out every day and brainstorming every day.”

Fatu, 25, said becoming a wrestler has made him feel closer to his father, who passed away when Fatu was only nine years old. He named Shelton Benjamin as someone who he looked up to as a father figure in the time after Umaga’s death.

In his indie career, Fatu has held gold for Reality of Wrestling, House of Glory, and 4th Rope. He recently dropped the House of Glory Crown Jewel Championship to Bully Ray but will face off against him in a rematch at the promotion’s show in Philadelphia on September 4.

The full episode of Insight can be watched below:

Bully Ray to challenge for indie Crown Jewel title

Posted on by Ethan Renner

The Bubba Ray Dudley renaissance continues.

After angles on the Busted Open radio show and backstage at last weekend’s TNA Slammiversary event, House of Glory Wrestling has announced that Bubba Ray, wrestling under the Bully Ray moniker, will challenge Zilla Fatu for the HOG Crown Jewel Championship on Friday, August 1 at the company’s High Intensity event.

High Intensity will be available for purchase as a live stream on TrillerTV+ at 8 p.m. Eastern time from Jamaica, Queens, New York. HOG is a wrestling school and indie promotion co-owned by former TNA standout Amazing Red.

A WWE Hall of Famer, the 54-year-old Bully Ray has been in the news quite a bit this week, including issuing a challenge to The Hardys on behalf of The Dudleys for a final tag match between the two legendary teams for the TNA Tag Team titles at the promotion’s Bound for Glory event in October.

Bully Ray/Bubba Ray was also prominently featured on Tuesday’s WWE NXT TV episode where he attempted to broker an agreement for a match between Charlie Dempsey and Tavion Heights. He is also a cast member and coach on the WWE LFG show that airs Sunday nights on A&E.

Zilla Fatu to make TNA debut on Slammiversary pre-show

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Zilla Fatu — the son of departed wrestling legend Umaga — is officially set to make his TNA debut at Slammiversary.

TNA has confirmed that a six-man tag match with Fatu, Real 1 (Enzo Amore) & Josh Bishop facing Steve Maclin, Jake Something & Mance Warner will take place on the pre-show for Slammiversary this Sunday. The pay-per-view is being held at UBS Arena in Long Island, New York.

The trio of Fatu, Real 1 & Bishop are representing Fourth Rope, an indie promotion and wrestling brand that aims to promote the love of wrestling through art, fashion, and music. The brand is curated by rapper and wrestling fan Westside Gunn. Leading into Slammiversary, Fourth Rope videos featuring Real 1 have been airing on Impact.

Fatu started his wrestling career in 2022 training at Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling. His first match then happened for Reality of Wrestling in 2023.

Maclin is the TNA International Champion and recently retained the belt against Something and Warner in a triple threat match.

The one-hour Slammiversary pre-show begins at 7 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday and will be hosted by Gia Miller, Tommy Dreamer, and Busted Open Radio’s Dave LaGreca. The pre-show is streaming for free on TNA+ and TNA’s digital platforms.

TNA Slammiversary 2025 (Sunday, July 20)–

  • AJ Styles appears
  • TNA World Champion Trick Williams defends against Joe Hendry and Mike Santana in a triple threat match
  • Winner-take-all match: Knockouts World Champion Masha Slamovich vs. NXT Women’s Champion Jacy Jayne
  • Ladder match: TNA Tag Team Champions Nic & Ryan Nemeth defend against Matt Hardy & Jeff Hardy, Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz, and AJ Francis & KC Navarro
  • X-Division Champion Moose defends against Leon Slater
  • Tessa Blanchard vs. Indi Hartwell
  • Mustafa Ali vs. Cedric Alexander
  • Matt Cardona, Brian Myers, Eddie Edwards & JDC vs. DarkState (Saquon Shugars, Cutler James, Dion Lennox & Osiris Griffin)
  • Pre-show: Knockouts Tag Team Champions Ash By Elegance & Heather By Elegance defend against Cassie Lee & Jessica McKay
  • Pre-show: Steve Maclin, Jake Something & Mance Warner vs. Real 1, Zilla Fatu & Josh Bishop

Booker T defeats Zilla Fatu at Reality of Wrestling event

Posted on by Ian Carey

Booker T picked up his first win in almost six years this weekend, but he used underhanded tactics to do so. 

Booker defeated Zilla Fatu at Saturday’s Reality of Wrestling Battle to the Bell event in Texas City, Texas. Several wrestlers, including TNA’s AJ Francis, interfered on Booker’s behalf before the 59-year-old hit Fatu with the Book End for the win. It was his first win since defeating Rex Andrews at an ROW event on January 12, 2019.

The event streamed live on the Title Match Network. 

Fatu, son of the late Umaga and a member of the Anoa’i family trained under Booker T and debuted for Reality of Wrestling in July 2023. However, that September, Booker announced that Fatu would no longer appear at Reality of Wrestling events due to “irreconcilable differences.”

“I can’t tell you when you’re going to see Zilla again because he is now no longer a part of Reality of Wrestling due to irreconcilable differences, let’s just put it that way,” Booker said on his podcast. Fatu returned that March. 

Fatu also wrestled in GCW for several months before the promotion announced he was no longer with them in September. Ahead of an event in Philadelphia, GCW wrote, “Zilla Fatu will not be appearing on tonite’s GCW event in Philadelphia or any GCW shows for the foreseeable future. We tried our best to avoid this situation, but we have reached an impasse.We wish him the best. Matt Tremont will now face SLADE tonight at #GCWAura in Philly.”

Fatu has also been wrestling with House of Glory in New York, where he is the current HOG Crown Jewel Champion. 
















Booker T to wrestle Zilla Fatu at upcoming Reality of Wrestling event

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Booker T is wrestling once again.

The NXT announcer agreed to a match against Zilla Fatu for an upcoming Reality of Wrestling event on January 11. Footage from Sunday’s Breakout show saw Fatu confront Booker T, challenging him to a match for next month. After asking fans if they wanted to see the match, Booker T agreed, setting up his first match since a Royal Rumble appearance in 2023.

Prior to the Royal Rumble cameo, Booker T wrestled in a ten-man tag team match that took place in July of 2022 for ROW.

Fatu, the son of former WWE star Umaga and part of the Anoa’i family, was trained by Booker T and made his debut for Reality of Wrestling last year. After a brief departure, he made his return to the company where he has since held the promotion’s top title. Fatu also made appearances for GCW, but the promotion announced in September that he would no longer be appearing on their shows.

ROW announced on social media Sunday that they had broken their previous Sunday night attendance record.

Zilla Fatu no longer with Game Changer Wrestling

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Zilla Fatu won’t be seen in GCW anytime soon.

The promotion announced shortly before their Aura event on Friday that Zilla Fatu would not be wrestling Matt Tremont on the show, and would no longer be used in the promotion moving forward.

Their statement reads:

Zilla Fatu will not be appearing on tonite’s GCW event in Philadelphia, or any GCW shows for the forseeable future. We tried our best to avoid this situation, but we have reached an impasse. We wish him the best. Matt Tremont will now face SLADE tonight at #GCWAura in Philly.

Fatu last wrestled for GCW at their Tha G-Code event on September 15, where he defeated Gringo Loco. He had made his debut in January, teaming with Jacob Fatu (now in WWE) against Jay Lyon and Midas Black.

The son of WWE star Umaga, Fatu first began wrestling in 2023 for Reality of Wrestling. Although they said they would no longer use him back in September of last year, Zilla eventually returned to ROW in March, winning the ROW title last month.

Zilla Fatu to make GCW debut next month

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Zilla Fatu, the son of late pro wrestling legend Umaga, is set to debut for Game Changer Wrestling.

GCW has announced that Fatu will debut for the promotion at its Look At Me show in Tampa, Florida on Friday, January 26. His opponent for the show has not been revealed.

Fatu had his first pro wrestling match for Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling this July, but the two sides had a falling out shortly after that. Fatu is no longer part of Reality of Wrestling.

“I been getting a lot of calls, people been hitting us up asking us about Zilla Fatu and when they were going to see him again,” Booker T said in September. “Honestly, I can’t tell you when you’re gonna see Zilla Fatu again because he is now no longer a part of Reality of Wrestling due to irreconcilable differences, let’s just put it that way.”

Fatu said he and Booker T had different visions, but he appreciates everything Booker T and Reality of Wrestling did for him.

Fatu spent six years in prison for an aggravated robbery that happened when he was 15.

GCW Look At Me will air live on TrillerTV+ starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time on January 26. Joey Janela vs. AJ Francis (former WWE wrestler Top Dolla) and Mansoor vs. Tony Deppen have been announced for the show. Andrade El Idolo, Nick Gage, Blake Christian, Maki Itoh, Masha Slamovich, and Effy & Allie Katch will also be in action.

Umaga’s son Zilla Fatu no longer with Reality of Wrestling

Posted on by Ian Carey

Zilla Fatu is no longer with Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling. 

Booker cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason why the son of Umaga is gone from his promotion. He addressed Fatu’s departure on an episode of his Hall of Fame podcast recently. 

“I can’t tell you when you’re going to see Zilla again because he is now no longer a part of Reality of Wrestling due to irreconcilable differences, let’s just put it that way,” Booker said. 

“I’m sure he’s taking bookings out there on the internet and we wish Zilla well in his future,” Booker continued. 

Fatu began training with ROW in December. He had his first match in front of a live crowd for the promotion on July 15. Shortly after his ROW debut, Booker praised Fatu’s performance, saying he could feel Umaga’s spirit in the arena that night.  

In June, Fatu was asked to pick sides in WWE’s Bloodline angle. He declared that he was with “Team Jey.” 

Umaga’s son to make pro wrestling debut for Reality of Wrestling

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Zilla Fatu, the son of former WWE star Umaga, will soon be making his pro wrestling debut.

Reality of Wrestling announced Fatu’s debut for their upcoming Summer of Champions event at the Humble Civic Center on July 15. It had been reported back in December of last year that Fatu had started to train with ROW, a promotion and training facility run by Booker T that runs shows in the Texas area.

Also scheduled for ROW’s Summer of Champions event include appearances from NXT’s Trick Williams, former WWE star Alicia Fox, and Jacob Fatu.

Umaga, who was part of the Anoa’i family along with with cousins The Usos and Roman Reigns, spent most of the 2000s in WWE, first under the name Jamal as part of the Three Minute Warning tag team with cousin Rosey and later as a singles star, where he won the Intercontinental title twice. He passed away in 2009 following a heart attack.

Umaga’s son joins Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling training school

Posted on by Ian Carey

Another member of the Fatu family is beginning his pro wrestling career. 

Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling announced on Wednesday that Zilla Fatu, son of Umaga (Edward Fatu) has joined the school. Zilla is cousins with Jimmy & Jey Uso, Solo Sikoa, and Ava Raine. 

“Welcome the newest member of Reality Of Wrestling training school Zilla Fatu. His father Umaga was a part of Reality Of Wrestling and now he begins his own journey,” ROW wrote on Twitter. 

Umaga passed away at the age of 36 due to a heart attack on December 4, 2009. With the 13-year anniversary of his passing having been the day before, Umaga’s nephew Solo Sikoa paid tribute to his uncle on Raw by using the Samoan Spike and running hip attack. 

During his time in WWE, Umaga was a two-time Intercontinental Champion. He also represented Vince McMahon in the “Battle of the Billionaires” at WrestleMania 23. After Umaga was defeated by Bobby Lashley, McMahon was forced to shave his head. 

https://twitter.com/WWESoloSikoa/status/1600138288349618179