Jacob Fatu Injury Derails WWE Plans, Survivor Series Title Match Scrapped

WWE just yanked a big storyline lever, and it all hinges on Jacob Fatu getting wrecked backstage right before a match that was supposed to change the title picture. Timing rarely gets worse than this.

What went down on SmackDown

Fatu was booked to face Drew McIntyre in a number-one contenders match for the undisputed WWE Championship on the Oct. 17, 2025 episode of SmackDown. Then, minutes before he could hit the ring, he was jumped backstage. We saw the aftermath: blood, chaos, and no Fatu in the match. That no-show blew up the plan for the night and, apparently, a bunch of plans after it.

The immediate reshuffle

Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre was originally being lined up for Survivor Series: WarGames. That is no longer the case. WWE has moved that match up to Saturday Night's Main Event on Nov. 1 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Quick pivot, different stage.

How serious is Fatu's injury?

The early word is not great. The injury keeping him out is reportedly not from a wrestling spot or match, and the expectation is he will be off TV for a while.

"a non-wrestling related injury"

That phrasing comes from reporting that also labeled him a former United States Champion, which... is not a thing for Fatu in WWE. So, file the terminology under questionable, but the takeaway still stands: this is not a short-term absence.

This was supposed to be his year

• Fatu had been trending up for months, finally pushing toward the main-event scene.
• He missed more than a month of TV between mid-August and early September.
• He returned on the Sept. 26 SmackDown to confront McIntyre and kick off a feud that was clearly meant to escalate.
• He also got pulled into a heated altercation with Solo Sikoa and Sikoa's MFTs crew, which looked like another major thread for him.
• Looking ahead, Fatu was slated for Survivor Series: WarGames as part of CM Punk's team against a group billed as 'The Vision'. That match was already getting reworked because Seth Rollins is out with a rotator cuff injury, and now Fatu might be out of it entirely.
• The frustrating part: the same reporting suggests his situation could linger into 2026.

Where this leaves WWE

Creative under Triple H has to redraw the map around Drew and Cody in the short term, and probably longer if Fatu is sidelined well past Survivor Series. The big question: can Fatu make it back in time to salvage any of the WarGames plans? As of now, do not count on it.

Brutal timing for a guy who was finally getting real momentum. If he does come back healthy, there is still a top-of-the-card run waiting for him. He just has to get there.