Jacob Fatu Attacks Roman Reigns After World Heavyweight Championship Loss at WWE Backlash

Jacob Fatu lost a World Heavyweight Championship match to Roman Reigns at WWE Backlash on Saturday night but then attacked the champion in the ring afterward. The match took place on May 9, 2026, at the Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida.

Fatu applied the Tongan death grip on Reigns toward the end of the bout. Reigns countered by exposing a turnbuckle, thrusting Fatu into it and delivering a spear for the pinfall victory. After Reigns' hand was raised, Fatu attacked the referee and several producers who entered the ring.

He also targeted Raw general manager Adam Pearce during the post-match assault. Fatu placed Reigns in the Tongan death grip again and super-kicked others who tried to intervene. Reigns later addressed the incident while walking up the entrance ramp.

"This is why we shoulda never let Jacob in this company," Reigns told Cathy Kelley. "You don’t belong here, Jacob. There is no order with you. " Fatu was last seen standing over Reigns, who was lying on the mat, while holding the World Heavyweight Championship belt.

com reported that the first match between the two wrestlers ended with the pinfall but that their conflict appeared far from over.

The two competitors battled for much of the match with many of Reigns' moves appearing to have limited effect. Fatu maintained control at points with the Tongan death grip. The decisive sequence began when Reigns used the ring structure against Fatu before hitting the spear that secured the retention of the title.