Jacob Fatu made his long-awaited WWE debut on the June 21 episode of SmackDown. Teddy Long, a former WWE on-screen authority figure and referee, recently gave his take on the new Bloodline member's impactful first appearance.
Fatu rescued Solo Sikoa from a three-on-one beatdown at the hands of Cody Rhodes, Kevin Owens, and Randy Orton. The debuting star's most impressive moment came when he sent Rhodes through the announce desk with a top-rope splash.
Long appeared on Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Time Machine with host Mac Davis and legendary reporter Bill Apter. Discussing the current state of The Bloodline, he made it clear how much Fatu stood out to him:
"I thought it was one of the greatest entrances I've seen in a long, long time," Long said. "He came in and he did business. He did exactly what he was supposed to do. Not only do you show up, you show out, and that's exactly what he did." [1:53 – 2:09]
Watch the video above to hear the panel discuss Solo Sikoa's long-term status as The Tribal Chief.
One thing Bill Apter enjoyed about Jacob Fatu's debut
WWE Superstars' music usually plays when they make their way to the ring. In Jacob Fatu's case, he unexpectedly appeared behind Cody Rhodes, Kevin Owens, and Randy Orton without any music.
Bill Apter thinks WWE's higher-ups made the right call by allowing fans at home to hear the live audience's shocked reaction:
"You notice, by the way, like a lot of times when they have somebody doing a run-in, they play some sort of music and you know the guy is coming down. They did nothing. He just showed up, shot in there, and it was great." [2:10 – 2:25]
Fatu acknowledged Solo Sikoa as The Tribal Chief of The Bloodline on the June 28 episode of SmackDown. He also powerbombed Roman Reigns' special counsel Paul Heyman through the announce desk after he refused to acknowledge Sikoa.
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