00:00Jacob Fatu's apology for his charity controversy, a rumour about Becky Lynch's WWE dispute,
00:06my review of Monday Night Raw and more.
00:10I'm Oli Davis, and this is the WrestleTalk News.
00:26Before Jacob Fatu debuted on WWE TV, there was reported concern over how he would fit
00:31into the Bloodline storyline.
00:33Even though he is a real-life Anoa'e family member, there was fear he would actually be
00:38too good, where he'd overshadow WWE's new Tribal Chief push Solo Sokoa.
00:43I'd like to say Bullet Dodged there, but it's kind of exactly what happened.
00:47But there was another concern hanging over Fatu before he joined the company.
00:51An incident from 2023 where he allegedly took money from a charity.
00:56This was for a wrestling show that was raising money for the charity Jake's Network of
01:00Hope.
01:01The non-profit paid Fatu $2,633 for his appearance, plane tickets and hotel accommodation, but
01:07he cancelled on the day of the show, citing a family emergency.
01:11Jimmy had probably just turned on J or something.
01:13The charity was understanding, and asked that Fatu pay back his appearance fee.
01:17But he allegedly didn't.
01:19A Reddit user claiming to have worked for the charity then alleged they had found out
01:23the reason Fatu cancelled his appearance was a lie, and that he had done this to multiple
01:28other promotions, not charities.
01:30Also in their post, the charity worker reveals 90s WWF star Tatanka hit on his fiancée.
01:36Go get em, Tatanka.
01:37The story was even aired on an NBC station.
01:40The Fatu charity thing not Tatanka hitting on fiancées, but it got lost in the news
01:44cycle.
01:45Until now.
01:46A new Reddit post asking whether Fatu ever paid back the money gained traction over the
01:51last few days, where the original poster alleged, no, unfortunately, he did not pay back the
01:57charity.
01:58The charity themselves then responded to Sports Illustrated with an update.
02:02Jacob Fatu and our organisation are addressing this matter privately, beginning with a phone
02:06call and heartfelt apology back in May.
02:09While the full amount owed hasn't yet been repaid, we appreciated Jacob's acknowledgement.
02:17It can be tough to face up to your wrongdoings, and we commend him for taking steps toward
02:21confronting his.
02:22So Jacob Fatu still hasn't fully repaid the charity after first reaching out five
02:28months ago.
02:29Fatu making contact back in May would've also been a month before his main roster debut
02:33on June 21st, perhaps meaning he felt he needed to smooth things out before more mainstream
02:38attention was on him.
02:39Thankfully, any Becky Lynch controversy can be more easily resolved.
02:43Former WWE talent Jonathan Coachman has claimed on his backstage past show that Lynch asked
02:48for over $2 million per year for a new contract, which WWE didn't agree to.
02:54This is why Becky has been away from WWE reportedly without a contract since May.
02:59Fightful Select have multiple sources who have shot down this rumour, though, reporting
03:03that Becky and WWE are still on good terms, and they respect her decision to take time
03:07off.
03:08Also, apparently WWE would've jumped at the chance to pay Becky $2 million because
03:12she's likely on much more than that based on the rest of the roster's pay scale.
03:17Which I'm pretty sure is just a fancy backstage report way of saying.
03:20Becky Lynch to AEW confirmed!
03:22Over in AEW, the Wrestling Observer is reporting the Young Bucks aren't scheduled to be at
03:26full gear and could be gone up until January.
03:29The idea, apparently, is for Jon Moxley's faction to cause so much chaos, the Bucks
03:34will return to save AEW as babyfaces.
03:37And joining them could be Kenny Omega, who appeared at New Japan's Power Struggle
03:42show hoping to wrestle at January 5th's WrestleDynasty event, to then have a brawl
03:47with Gabe Kidd backstage.
03:49The Wrestling Observer have reported AEW's plan for Kenny is to face Kazuchika Okada,
03:53so some Elite shuffling might have to go on, have the Bucks split from Okada to join Omega,
03:58and forming a faction to take on Moxley's.
04:01Speaking of factions, the Moustache Men grow stronger every day.
04:07Thank you so much to all of you who've donated so far, links in the video description below.
04:11Remember, if you send us proof of your donation and a photo of your own moustache to support
04:16at WrestleTalk.com, we will give you your own moustache break on the WrestleTalk News!
04:22But now it's time to break someone else.
04:26To finally give Luke Owen a moustache, which he most definitely haven't already seen
04:31when he had to do a breaking news video on Friday night because of all those WWE releases.
04:36No, this is absolutely the first time you've seen Luke have a moustache.
04:40Now get him.
05:06It's in the room!
05:07There is...
05:10Get away!
05:10Get away from me!
05:12No!
05:12Get away!
05:20Oh no!
05:23No!
05:24No!
05:25No, please!
05:27Possibly not.
05:29No!
05:37No!
05:54The WrestleTalk News just got 93% sexier.
05:57And the WrestleTalk Podcast.
05:58Watch Luke and I do our full review of Raw over there later today.
06:02But for now, here's my review of Monday Night Raw…
06:05in about 5 minutes.
06:06Coming from Riyadh, Canada, this episode of Raw was hosted by SmackDown's announced team
06:10of Michael Cole and Corey Graves.
06:12Thankfully not because being stuck in the country due to mechanical issues.
06:15It was just pre-planned logistics, being filmed the night after Crown Jewel.
06:19After Judgement Day, we're shown arriving backstage with Dominic Mysterio holding the
06:23cute little ginger cat that Liv Morgan adopted.
06:25How's that a heel move, by the way?
06:27Damian Priest should be entering with an armful of puppies.
06:30Calm down, Jerry Lawler!
06:32Morgan started the show proper with an in-ring promo.
06:34She's taken out Rhea Ripley for months, which is sadly a legitimate injury, but there
06:38is a silver lining.
06:40It's forced WWE to do something other than Ripley vs Morgan for the fifth month in a
06:44row.
06:44Speaking of things that have been going on way too long, maybe just break up a tag team
06:49once in a while, Lovec Segway.
06:50The women's tag team champions Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair interrupted to challenge
06:55Liv and Raquel to a fight.
06:56Morgan fired back, saying the tag belts are the only things keeping Cargill and Belair
07:00together, and that Bianca will stab Jade in the back.
07:04By this time, Adam Pearce had come out, not selling the RKO he took her all two nights
07:08before, announcing a Battle Royal right now, players, to decide the new women's title
07:12number one container.
07:13Cargill and Belair are long overdue, showing actual tension.
07:17They've occasionally miscommunicated or botched, but really, they've been totally
07:21on the same page all the time.
07:24So now was the time where the Battle Royal stipulation will eventually come down to one
07:28or the other to actually do something interesting.
07:31And Triple H saw that opportunity, and played it safe.
07:37The Battle Royal came down to the powerbuff gals Io Sky and Lyra Valkyria.
07:41It was only there so Sky didn't have to eliminate her own tag partner in the end to
07:44win.
07:44Cargill and Belair going face to face was teased, but only in a dumb, I guess we've
07:48got to do this kind of way.
07:50And Liv and Raquel pulled them over the top rope to eliminate them before anything could
07:54actually happen.
07:55Sky then won with a crazy high angle German onto Lyra onto the apron, and remained screaming
08:00in her bridge in celebration.
08:01At least we'll get some Io singles matches out of this.
08:04The New Day is a much better example of a slowly breaking up tag team storyline.
08:08Xavier Woods had gotten a rematch with the War Raiders after Chad Gable interfered last
08:12week, but Kofi Kingston disagreed that was the only reason the New Day lost.
08:16It was also because Woods didn't listen to Kofi.
08:19The actual match had more of the same.
08:20Kofi was on a fiery hot tag run, but just as Kingston was about to hit the Trouble in
08:25Paradise, Xavier tagged himself in.
08:27Yeah, that is a heel thing to do.
08:29But when a team is totally in sync, that spot can also be great tag wrestling.
08:34Your partner tags themselves in while you hit your finisher, lining them up to hit theirs
08:38right after, get the pin while you defend it.
08:41But because Kofi and Woods just aren't on that same page, the blind tag caused a flash
08:46of resentment.
08:47And that brief lapse in focus let the War Raiders get the win.
08:50Another great chapter in one of the best WWE storylines of the year.
08:54Maybe the potential brother turning on brother could make them a future target for the Wyatt
08:58Six.
08:58But before that, Uncle Howdy is going to murder The Miz.
09:03Interrupting the New Day's backstage interview, a VHS tape played of Bo Dallas interrogating
09:08Miz tied to a chair, who they kidnapped at the end of last week's show.
09:11He revealed they never cared about the Final Testament.
09:14They only ever wanted The Miz, flashing up a clip from 2018 where The Miz told Bo and
09:19Curtis Axel he was going to make them stars.
09:22Son of a bitch long term booking.
09:23Howdy said he would return Miz to the dust, and in a genuinely scary ending, Dexter Lumis,
09:28I think, appeared running out of the darkness to seemingly break Miz's neck.
09:33Yep, he's dead.
09:35The Miz is dead.
09:36The best part of the whole show, though, was Sami Zayn being back in the Bloodline saga.
09:41It's crazy to think that a ginger guy from Canada is what can really elevate the Samoan
09:45Family soap opera to the best it can be.
09:47After speaking Arabic to the Saudi crowd, I'm Carlito.
09:50No Carlito, don't make a racist joke.
09:52Jey Uso came out to thank him for saving, but 100% no cap, was Sami's boot to Roman
09:58really an accident?
09:59An important question.
10:00But not as important as why were you secretly talking to Solo Sakura at the end of last
10:04week's Raw?
10:05I was left unresolved.
10:06Jimmy came out to accuse Sami of doing it on purpose, and that he can't be trusted.
10:10To which Sami fired back, asking what about Jimmy's track record?
10:14He's literally turned on everyone here, even Roman.
10:18But he admitted that when they were all together again, it felt like old times.
10:22It felt special.
10:23But he just can't put himself through that again.
10:25Jey begged him to talk this out as a family on SmackDown.
10:28Jimmy said Sami isn't family.
10:30But to awesomely close the segment, Jey said he is.
10:34He's Sami Uso.
10:36Dragon Lee beat Shaq Gable in a really good match, thanks to Rey Mysterio helping Zelina
10:40Vega after she was attacked by Ivy Nile on the outside.
10:43While this is likely building to a Rey vs Chad payoff, they'll struggle to have a
10:46spectacular match as these two.
10:48Gunther seemed annoyed with Ludwig Kaiser backstage for not handling Sheamus, saying
10:52they both have to do better after his loss to Cody too.
10:55And the main event was our Fatal 4-Way No. 1 Containership match between Damian Priest,
11:00Seth Rollins, Dominic Mysterio and Sheamus, presented by The Rock's new Christmas movie,
11:05Red One.
11:06Because while Dwayne can feature on the Red One poster, he's nowhere to be seen on the
11:11WrestleMania one.
11:12This was your typical four-way fun, with everyone working together well and getting
11:15their chances to shine.
11:17I kind of felt like Sheamus was the most over.
11:19But then Bronson Reed interfered.
11:21Brilliantly, not just attacking the guy he's feuding with, Seth, but fitting with his chaotic
11:25lack of focus from the last few months, he just destroyed everyone.
11:29Hitting Death Valley Drivers and Tsunamis on both Priest and Sheamus, and then putting
11:33Seth through a table outside too.
11:35Throughout all of this, Dom was hiding, letting him sneak into the ring to pin Sheamus.
11:40That was a chance to do something funny and crazy.
11:42To book Dominic against Gunther in a World Heavyweight Championship match.
11:47And Triple H considered that opportunity, and again went for the safe option.
11:52Priest broke up the pin and countered Dom's splash into a Self of Heaven for the win.
11:56This was one of the best two hour Raws so far at 71%.
11:59But Raw might not look this way for long.
12:02Because a draft could be shaking up the rosters ahead of the Netflix debut.
12:06Click the video onscreen now to find out more.
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