Jacob Fatu recently shared that AJ Styles played a big part in helping him debut his new look after returning to WWE.
Fatu had been off TV for a few months with a dental injury. He made his return last month on WWE SmackDown, where he interfered in the Three Stages of Hell match between Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre. His involvement ended up costing Rhodes the Undisputed WWE Championship and put Fatu back in the title picture ahead of WrestleMania 42.
While fans were shocked by the interference, many also noticed that Fatu looked much leaner.
Jacob Fatu Thanks AJ Styles for Encouragement After Weight Loss
Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Fatu admitted that even after putting in the work, he wasn’t fully confident at first. He used to wrestle in a shirt because he felt uncomfortable with his body. That changed after a conversation with Styles.
“I want to shout out AJ Styles. He seen me at Saturday Night’s Main, and he seen the transformation and he was just like, ‘Dude, are you freaking finna wear a shirt out there?’ I was just like, ‘Yeah.’ He was like, ‘Dude, you freaking got abs. I’d go out there with no shirt. What are you doing?” Fatu said.
Fatu admitted he had been embarrassed to take the shirt off, but hearing advice from someone like Styles gave him the push he needed.
“So shout out to AJ, baby. Y’all know what I mean? Congratulations on the retirement. But it was because of him, man, why I took it. I was ashamed to take it off. And I was going to wrestle with those shirts. I just thought, I didn’t know, I wanted to get those complete… You know what I mean? But it was just the process of doing it. And, man, when the Phenomenal One says, ‘Hey man, I would do this,’ then okay, I’m gonna listen,” Fatu added.
Fatu said his time away helped him reset mentally and physically. While recovering, he thought about missed chances and his responsibilities at home. As a father of seven, he realized he had gotten too comfortable with his lifestyle and joked that he was eating at Waffle House every day.
He called the time off “God’s timing” and said it helped him refocus. Now, he actually looks forward to training and feels off if he misses a workout.
Read More: Latest Update On AJ Styles’ WWE RAW Celebration Revealed
