A long-awaited debut occurred during tonight’s WWE Backlash event, where Jacob Fatu received help from Jeff Cobb to retain the U.S. Championship. Cobb was a tenured New Japan Pro Wrestling star, part of the United Empire stable. In mid-April, his contractual obligations expired and he became a free agent.

According to reports, he has been a member of the internal roster for quite some time; his debut, however, remained uncertain. Cobb used the uncertainty surrounding his NJPW status to joke about his future whereabouts. WWE has been eyeing Cobb for some time. That’s not to say All Elite Wrestling wasn’t also a viable option for him. NJPW and AEW have an ongoing relationship, and he has a connection to Will Ospreay because of United Empire. He’s made several appearances in the company, the last being Wrestle Dynasty in January.

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Cobb appeared after the fatal four-way U.S. Title match which opened Backlash. Fatu defended against Knight, Damian Priest and Drew McIntyre, all prominent figures at the top of WWE. With McIntyre and Priest taken out on the announce table, that left Knight and Fatu brawling on the outside.

The opportunity was there for Knight to steal the win and take back the championship, but, of course, Solo Sikoa was waiting. He managed to pull Fatu to safety when Cobb emerged and took down Knight. As expected, Fatu picked up the win but he looked apprehensive of Cobb and his intentions.

Fatu won the U.S. Championship at WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas, defeating L.A. Knight. WWE has been high on the dominant star and the fans love him, too. With the Bloodline seemingly fizzling out in some capacity, this could be the shot in the arm the story needs. For a long time, Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso and Roman Reigns were stuck in the Bloodline-verse, so it’s taken a back seat with them moving onto new stories.

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