Predicting the Next Wrinkle in Roman Reigns vs. Jacob Fatu Blood Feud on WWE Raw

WWE has successfully reshuffled the deck in the immediate aftermath of WrestleMania 42, at least on the Raw side of things with the World Heavyweight Championship picture.

The ongoing blood feud between Roman Reigns and Jacob Fatu has been the best thing going on Monday nights for the last month. They also stole the show with their championship clash in the main event of Backlash earlier this month.

Despite narrowly falling short, Fatu has remained in hot pursuit of the prestigious prize, going so far as to attack officials at the end of Backlash and lay out The Usos and Reigns on the May 11 edition of Raw.

A rematch has yet to be made official, but all signs point to it happening at Clash in Italy. The key will be keeping matters interesting until then and sticking the landing when it comes time to pay off the program.

WWE can go in any number of directions with Reigns vs. Fatu, but the next wrinkle in their rivalry can only be one thing based on what we've seen so far.

The Perfect Post-WrestleMania Feud

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Roman Reigns vs. Jacob Fatu was far from the first feud many expected coming out of WrestleMania 42, especially with the two being on opposite shows, but it's been a pleasant surprise of a storyline since it started.

Reigns could have easily disappeared as soon as he won the World Heavyweight Championship from CM Punk. He's been a part-time performer for some time now and hadn't even competed at Backlash in four years prior to the 2026 installment.

It was wise to not only have him around post-WrestleMania but also have him wage war with Fatu, who he crossed paths with during the Bloodline civil war in 2024 but never battled one-on-one.

Fatu has been booked as a main event-level attraction for all of 2026 and was always bound to wind up in the world title picture eventually. He felt more like a logical challenger for either Cody Rhodes or Randy Orton after defeating Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania, but Reigns vs. Fatu has felt fresh and has seen The Samoan Werewolf portrayed as a legitimate threat to Reigns.

We've reached the stage of the storyline where it's worth asking what the endgame is going to be and how both men can emerge from it unscathed.

The Issue with the Endgame

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From the moment Reigns won the World Heavyweight Championship, it was clear that he'd be holding it for the foreseeable future, at least until SummerSlam where he could be dethroned by the white-hot Oba Femi.

Even if that was the original idea, there's nothing stopping WWE from pivoting now that Fatu has proved himself as a world champion-caliber competitor.

Reigns retaining his title at Backlash was perfectly fine. Fatu was more than protected in defeat by having a strong showing, losing in fluky fashion and standing tall afterward.

The finish to their next outing must be more decisive. Reigns winning for a second straight time would destroy much of the momentum he's generated up to this point.

It's understandable that WWE would want to keep building up Reigns so it means more when he's inevitably conquered, but Fatu will have nowhere to go but down if he loses. Although he won at WrestleMania against McIntyre, he still needs to reign supreme in other situations where it matters most.

Why a Fatu-Usos Alliance Isn't Necessary

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Fans heavily speculated early on in the Reigns vs. Fatu feud that The Usos could end up alongside Fatu.

Reigns and The Usos have been back on good terms since late 2024, but subtle hints of dissension in recent months have indicated that another split could be imminent, this time with The Usos betraying Reigns as heels instead of breaking away as babyfaces as they did in 2023.

Doing so would effectively align them with Fatu and create a new Bloodline, but the problem is that another iteration of the group is hardly necessary at the moment.

Furthermore, Fatu is better on his own. Putting anyone else with him would simply water down his act and take away from his intensity and unpredictability, nor does he need to be a full-fledged heel once this rivalry runs its course.

The Usos can sever ties with The Tribal Chief regardless, but they shouldn't factor into whatever happens in the Fatu vs. Reigns rematch.

The Royce Keys Factor

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It's no coincidence that Fatu has recently been spotted on SmackDown in backstage segments with Royce Keys, acknowledging their history from the West Coast independent scene and warning him against joining forces with The MFTs.

Keys has played a pivotal role on SmackDown since winning the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and will continue to be a featured player on Friday nights going forward. His interactions with Fatu have to be leading somewhere sooner rather than later.

It could be as simple as Fatu agreeing to team with Keys to take on The MFTs in tag team action, but it could also be a case of Keys wanting to prove his loyalty to Fatu by helping him counteract Reigns and The Usos.

Of course, Fatu has already handled business on his own and doesn't need to enlist the services of Keys, but it would be a pretty prominent position for Keys to be in this early into his run.

This won't be where WWE takes the storyline, but it can't be counted out completely as a possibility.

Pulling the Trigger on a Title Change

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The sole solution to WWE's growing Jacob Fatu problem is to put the World Heavyweight Championship on him.

Having Reigns run through him on consecutive premium live events would establish Fatu as a stepping stone. The Tribal Chief can absorb the loss and do no damage to his credibility.

Oba Femi walking out of SummerSlam with the title should still be the ultimate goal, but it isn't imperative that Reigns hold the gold consistently until then.

Much like last year when Gunther briefly lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Jey Uso, there'd be nothing wrong with WWE doing something similar with Reigns and Fatu.

Regins vs. Femi is a bigger bout on paper than Femi vs. Fatu, but Femi's rapid rise shouldn't come at the expense of what can be a career-making moment for Fatu. Even a brief reign with the world title would be better than him failing on back-to-back occasions.

If Femi doesn't become champ at Clash in Italy, their rivalry will have ended with a whimper—and a wasted opportunity.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.