Jacob Fatu has opened up about a difficult period before his WWE arrival, revealing he spent 19 days unsure whether the opportunity of a lifetime had disappeared.

Speaking on What’s Your Story? with Stephanie McMahon, Fatu shared details of the situation, admitting it was a story he had not originally planned to discuss.

According to Fatu, WWE offered him a contract in February 2024. The news quickly spread through his family, with plans already being made for a move to Florida. However, just two weeks later, everything suddenly appeared to be in jeopardy.

Fatu recalled getting off a flight while intoxicated before receiving a concerning phone call the following morning.

“They gave me a call like two weeks later. I was just getting off a plane. I was drunk, like on one. When they gave me the contract, I went home. I told the kids, they’re excited. We’re ready to move. My in-laws, everybody knew.”

Fatu said he contacted Bruce Prichard the next morning and was given news that left him fearing his WWE career could be over before it had even started.

“I woke up the next morning. Called Bruce. He said, well, I’m gonna tell you right now, the way I felt last week, it’s not looking too good. I wish the best for you. Hung up. That was the hardest s***.”

The conversation took place while Fatu was sitting in his bathroom wearing only a towel, with his wife nearby doing her makeup. What followed was an emotional realization about the consequences his actions could have for his family.

“My kids asking me, dad, when we move? I couldn’t even tell them. Couldn’t even tell them why. Because your dad wants to go get drunk. Because your dad wants to go have beers. For what? What are you doing, Jay? That’s when everything switched.”

Fatu's wife attempted to reassure him as he struggled with the possibility that the WWE deal had fallen apart.

“I hang up, and she’s like, what happened? I was like, you heard what happened. I’m about to lose my job. I was so stressed, but my wife said, Jacob, you’ll be all right. You’ve made it this far. If it comes, it comes. If it don’t, we gotta figure it out.”

For the next 19 days, Fatu was left waiting without confirmation about whether WWE would move forward with his contract.

“Nineteen days, I didn’t know if I had a job. My kids were asking me, dad, when we moving to Florida, when we moving to Florida? I couldn’t even answer them for 19 days because I thought it was done. It was done.”

During that period, Jimmy Uso became an important source of support. Fatu revealed Jimmy contacted him every day, discussing faith, scripture and the changes he needed to make in his life.

“Jimmy Uso says this divine movement. Jacob, you gotta move. Me and Jimmy became closer because of this. My brother guided me the whole way. Called me every day, talking about Bible scriptures, just talking about what my name even meant in the Bible.”

Eventually, it was Jimmy who delivered the news Fatu had been desperately hoping to hear.

“That day Jim called and he told me, hey, bro, they gonna give you a second chance.”

Fatu said the final decision came from Paul “Triple H” Levesque, who was willing to give him another opportunity on the condition that things changed.

“He said, we’ll give him a second chance. Everybody deserves a second chance, but when he gets here, all that’s gotta stop.”

Fatu says he immediately committed himself to making changes. By the time he appeared backstage at WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia, he had lost so much weight that people within WWE were concerned.

“I stopped everything so much to where I showed up at WrestleMania in Philly. When they see me, they was like, dude, are you okay? You got too skinny. What’s going on? And I remember Roman told me, hey man, let’s get a little bit more weight. Let me be the lean one.”

Fatu eventually made his WWE television debut in May 2024, attacking Kevin Owens, Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes while aligning himself with Solo Sikoa's Bloodline. His arrival began a rapid rise that would eventually take him into WWE's upper-card and main event picture.

The story came full circle at WrestleMania 42 in April 2026. Fatu explained that, long before WWE ever offered him a contract, he had repeatedly told members of his family that one day he would hug Levesque at WrestleMania.

After his WrestleMania 42 appearance, that moment finally happened.

“Your husband came and found me after. I jumped in the crowd and then I came the other way. Hunter wants to see you. As soon as I’m walking up, your husband’s coming down, and just gave me a hug. I just remember telling him, crying, just telling him thank you, thank you, man. You’re the one that gave me that second chance.”

Levesque's response made the moment even more meaningful for Fatu.

“He grabbed my face, like, man, you did it. Don’t thank me. You did it. The only person that could mess this up is you, Jacob.”

WrestleMania 42 also carried another personal significance. Fatu explained that the number 42 translates to “five two” within his family's culture, and he had posted “WM 42” on social media during WrestleMania 40 despite having no idea at the time how he would reach that stage.

For Fatu, the turbulent journey from nearly losing his WWE opportunity to standing at WrestleMania ultimately came down to one lesson.

“It ain’t how you start, it’s how you finish.”