Jacob Fatu is the man standing tall at the end of WWE ‘Backlash’ despite losing a World Heavyweight Championship match against his cousin, Roman Reigns.
“The Samoan Werewolf” launched a vicious assault on the champion after “The Tribal Chief” was successful in his first World Heavyweight Championship defence.
The match was a grisly show of physicality from bell to bell, as the cousins were both relentless.
Fatu showcased his unique offence right off the bat, hitting Reigns with a ‘Suicide Dive’ which he transitioned to a ‘Tongan Death Grip’ submission.
The challenger added the ‘Tongan Death Grip’ to his arsenal during this rivalry, which is a submission used to target an opponent’s throat.
Reigns previously described the move as “something that you save for desperate measures.”
“What do you think this is? We’re in the bar at 3:00am and you’re surrounded eight to one? That’s when you pull out the ‘Tongan Death Grip,'” Reigns said in last week’s episode of “Raw.”
To counter Fatu, Reigns targeted his opponent’s right hand to make it difficult for the challenger to pull off his new submission.
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Reigns puts down a sturdy Fatu
Fatu also showcased his durability during the match, at one point kicking out of a pin at one after Reigns hit him with a ‘Superman Punch.’
The champion continued with his offence but it was shrugged off by his younger opponent, who replied with a flurry of headbutts to a stunned Reigns.
However, Reigns caught Fatu with another ‘Superman Punch’, but he kicked out once again.
Fatu came close to finally putting an end to Reigns as he hit the champion with a ‘Powerbomb’ through the announcer’s desk.
But a ‘Spear’ from Reigns quickly turned the tables.
At the climax of the match, a desperate Reigns had to rake Fatu’s eyes, out of sight from the referee, to escape from the ‘Tongan Death Grip’.
The champion then hit three ‘Superman Punches’ and a ‘Spear’ to his cousin but it was not enough to put Fatu down.
Fatu caught Reigns in a ‘Tongan Death Grip’ once more, but Reigns exposed a turnbuckle and drove his opponent’s head to the exposed steel to win the match.
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Fatu is not done
Following the match, “The Samoan Werewolf” quickly recovered as he launched a vicious post-match assault on Reigns to make a statement.
He took out the referee and locked Reigns in a ‘Tongan Death Grip’ once again.
Officials from backstage tried to diffuse the situation, but were only met with the fury of an enraged Fatu.
The night ended with the challenger raising the World Heavyweight Championship he failed to capture, as Reigns nursed his throat, coughing violently in a grim visual.
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