Jacob Fatu Reflects on Regrouping During His Layoff, Getting Feedback From Michael Hayes About His Conditioning

WWE Superstar Jacob Fatu joined Busted Open Radio, where he discussed his recent injury layoff, how he had to have 11 teeth pulled, and Michael Hayes telling him to work on his in-ring conditioning before he took time off. Below are some highlights:

Jacob Fatu on His Issues With Cody Rhodes and Regrouping During His Time Off

“Man, it’s just emotion. I mean, I’m not going to sit here and be like, ‘New year, new me.’ No, no, none of that. You know, I remember seeing a documentary on you, I believe it was, Bubba, and he was just like, ‘No, that’s that’s me turned all the way up, you know, and this ain’t no gimmick. This ain’t it. It’s just, man, just Jacob being Jacob. I was Jacob automatically when I was with Solo and him, you know, but it was just something different, just having that time off. We speaking about it right before we came back, you know, to get a whole lot personal and, you know, no work, no none of that. You know, that time I took off. I really needed to regroup in my personal life, mentally and physically. You know, let’s keep it real. You know, I mean, man, somebody like me coming in, seven kids, man, getting this type of dough. I’m not saying I’m rich, but you know, man, it’s a little different. You know, I’m at Waffle House every day, like I’m going crazy. But I feel like it, I believe, and I know it was God’s timing on what happened. I missed out on a lot of opportunities, but then again, I had to double back when I came back.”

On Having 11 Teeth Pulled During His Layoff and Needing To Regroup

“You know, when I was off, my kids were off around, it was around the holidays. Got out October, November, December, New Year’s. It was being home with them. Something that I lost touch with. And I’m getting goosebumps. And if y’all know me, y’all know I got kids. And man, it just it ain’t a work. Like, I keep saying that because y’all going to feel this. You’re going to feel Jacob Fatu fog all *** full motion with it. All right, but it was being home. It was the first two. It was being home on the couch. I mean 11 teeth. I was supposed to get 12 teeth. I got 11 teeth pulled out in the back. So got 11 teeth. It was being home. And man, honestly, I remember my uncle Rishi saying this. When you’re home and something, you know, you’ve been out of sight, out of mind, you know, that phone’s going to stop ringing. That phone stopped ringing, you know, and it was like, you know, not nothing with my family or anything, but once you I seen it with my family, you get calls, calls need this, need that. Okay. But man, just sitting there looking at my kids and my kids walking by, them going to school, then them coming back, still seeing me on the couch, and then I had to regroup.”

On Michael Hayes Telling Him He Needed To Work on His Conditioning

“Then I ****ing looked at my weight. I looked at my weight. I looked where I was at, you know, and I will never forget Michael Hayes saying this, and you know, and **** it. If it is what it is, it’s the truth. Yeah, this is the truth. Michael Hayes said, ‘Jacob, man, depending on your conditioning, man, depending on where you’re going.’ I remember I came back off a run-in. He looked [and Michael Hayes said], ‘It’s not looking too good!’ And just looked the other way, you know, and I– and that was like two weeks before I, you know, got injured, got the teeth, but then I had to remember, man, all the years I took to get here, what are you doing? I don’t. And God forbid this is nothing to talk down on my dad. No. And my dad knows this. People always say, ‘Jacob, your dad was one of the best wrestlers.’ Jacob, your dad was the best out of all of them.”

Jacob Fatu was featured in a confrontation with Cody Rhodes last night on WWE SmackDown, where they were both taunted by Drew McIntyre from a suite in the arena.

If using any of the above quotes, please credit Busted Open Radio, with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.