Jacob Fatu shares how AJ Styles inspired WWE gear change
Encouragement from AJ Styles helped Jacob Fatu make a recent change to his WWE ring gear.
Since the last few months of 2025, Fatu has made it a point to prioritize his physique and getting in shape. That has paid dividends with Fatu losing a noticeable amount of weight and improving his conditioning. Before making this lifestyle change, he was ashamed to wrestle without a shirt on. But Fatu has now ditched the shirt after Styles told him he should show off his new physique.
“I want to shout out AJ Styles,” Fatu told Busted Open Radio. “He seen me at Saturday Night’s Main [Event] 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?’
“So shout out to AJ, baby. Y’all know what I mean? Congratulations on the retirement. But it was cause of him, man, why I took it. I was ashamed to take it off… And, man, when the Phenomenal One says, ‘Hey man, I would do this,’ then okay, I’m gonna listen.”
Fatu has been involved in the WWE Championship picture heading into WrestleMania 42, though it’s unknown if he’ll be getting a title shot at the PLE. One possibility appears to be Drew McIntyre defending against Fatu and Cody Rhodes in a triple threat match.
Dedicating himself to fitness was a decision Fatu made after feeling like he needed to regroup both mentally and physically. He was out of action with a dental injury late last year, and spending time at home with his kids helped inspire Fatu to address his weight. He now can’t wait to go to the gym and feels stressed out when he doesn’t.
“Let’s keep it real, somebody like me coming in, seven kids, man, getting this type of dough, I’m not saying I’m rich, but you know, man, it’s a little different, you know?,” Fatu said. “I’m at Waffle House every day, like, I’m going crazy. But I feel like I believe, and I know it was God’s timing on what happened. I missed out on a lot of opportunities, but then again, I had to double back when I came back.”
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.