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The August 3, 2020 episode of WWE RAW was a unique one as it allowed the brand to head into a completely different direction.
While fans got to see the usual matches and intense promos during the night, what stood out the most was Shane McMahon introducing the WWE Universe to something completely different and new.
Shane revealed a whole new segment for WWE RAW dubbed "RAW Underground" where we saw several WWE Superstars and other talent competing in a dimly-lit area featuring a ring with no ropes. WWE talent and extras surrounded the ring.
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One man we were introduced to during one of these segments was Dabba-Kato. Standing at 6 feet 10 inches tall and weighing over 350 pounds, the giant manhandled his competition to make a statement right away and announced his arrival to RAW Underground.
While several members of the WWE Universe might have recognized Dabba-Kato as WWE NXT’s Babatunde, others might have seen the new WWE Superstar for the first time.
In this article, we will look at 5 interesting things you need to know about Dabba-Kato before he rips through the entire WWE RAW roster.
#5 Dabba-Kato has been with WWE since 2016
While many fans got their first look at Dabba-Kato this past Monday, he signed with WWE back in 2016. That’s right, Dabba-Kato has been competing in WWE under the ring name Babatunde Aiyegbusi for well over four years!
Throughout his WWE run so far, Dabba-Kato has largely competed on live shows for the WWE NXT brand. He has over a hundred matches under his belt for the Black and Yellow brand.
The notable WWE Superstars who were announced as new Performance Center recruits along with Dabba-Kato on April 12, 2016, include Otis, Nikki Cross, Lacey Evans, Bianca Blair, Vanessa Borne, and Shane Thorne.
This shows that the new Superstar has a lot of catching up to do to reach where other Superstars from his batch have.
#4 Dabba-Kato has already competed against several top WWE Superstars
As stated in the previous point, Dabba-Kato has been in WWE for over four years now and has just found his way into the main roster.
While Dabba-Kato might not be popular among fans at this point, it’s worth mentioning that the Superstar has already competed against some of the big names in WWE.
The WWE Superstar has managed to share the ring with some top-quality talent including Murphy, Matt Riddle, NXT Champion Keith Lee, and The Street Profits in non-televised bouts.
Early in his career, Dabba-Kato picked up some impressive wins and it seemed like WWE was high on him. However, he would soon start losing matches frequently and competing in a tag team with Lio Rush on WWE NXT.
Fans of NXT would also like to know that Dabba-Kato even teamed up with KUSHIDA and NXT Champion Keith Lee to take on The Undisputed ERA (Bobby Fish, Kyle O'Reilly, and Roderick Strong) in mid-2019, and the trio managed to defeat the heelish faction.
#3 Dabba-Kato has a football background and has appeared in the National Football League (NFL)
As Dabba-Kato is looking to make an impact in the world of wrestling, an interesting thing to note is that the WWE Superstar has something in common with men like Goldberg, Roman Reigns, and Baron Corbin.
Dabba-Kato loved football from a very young age and was a part of the Polish American Football League for The Crew Wrocław, Giants Wrocław and Warsaw Eagles. As an offensive lineman, he also played in the German Football League for Dresden Monarchs.
That’s not all, as just like Reigns, Dabba-Kato was also signed by Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL) in 2015. He participated in three preseason games before he was released by the team in 2015 as a part of roster cuts.
Speaking to Vikings.com following his release, Dabba-Kato had to say the following:
“I’ve always watched wrestling – I just decided, why not give it a shot? Everybody here just wants to put smiles on people’s faces, and that’s my main goal. I feel good about being here, and I’m grateful to the WWE for giving me this chance.”
Dabba-Kato is now a part of an elite club of wrestlers who have already taken part in the NFL before becoming full-time WWE Superstars.
#2 Dabba-Kato played a major role in WWE and Netflix’s "The Main Event"
Earlier this year, WWE and Netflix partnered to produce "The Main Event", a film based on a young boy named Leo who aspires to become a WWE Superstar one day. After idolizing Kofi Kingston for years, he comes across a magic mask that gives him the powers of a Luchador and much more!
The Main Event was released on April 10, 2020, by Netflix, and starred several top WWE Superstars. The big names that we saw during the movie included The Miz, Keith Lee, Mia Yim, Otis, and Corey Graves.
Dabba-Kato (then known as Babatunde) played a major role in the movie as the lead villain. Portraying the character of an unbeatable heel known as Samson, Dabba-Kato ran through his opponents until he faced Leo in the finals of the tournament in which the two wrestlers were competing.
You can check out our review of Netflix's The Main Event right here!
Dabba-Kato put on a good performance and came across as a convincing villain.
#1 Dabba-Kato made his first on-screen appearance for WWE during the Greatest Royal Rumble
While Dabba-Kato caught the attention of the entire WWE Universe with his impactful appearance on WWE RAW Underground, it wasn't the first time he tried to make a statement on a WWE-produced show.
While Dabba-Kato has been with WWE since 2016 and has competed in over 100 matches for the brand, those were largely dark matches and live-event bouts.
An exception to the rest of his matches so far was Dabba-Kato's first on-screen appearance for WWE during the company's Greatest Royal Rumble event in 2018.
During the colossal 50-man Royal Rumble match, the WWE RAW Underground fighter entered the match at No. 37 and was eventually eliminated by Braun Strowman.
While Dabba-Kato hasn’t made any major appearances on WWE Network, it is good to see him on WWE RAW and we hope this will allow him to establish a fanbase that can help him get a push on the Red brand.
It will be interesting to see what the giant does when he returns to WWE RAW Underground.
