Zilla Fatu doesn’t think he’s ready for WWE yet

It seems all but inevitable that Zilla Fatu will join The Bloodline one day, but he doesn’t feel like he’s ready for WWE yet.

Fatu — the son of late pro wrestling legend Umaga — started his wrestling career training at Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling school in 2022, overcoming a difficult past that included spending six years in prison for an aggravated robbery that happened when he was 15. He made his in-ring debut in 2023 and now regularly competes on the indies, along with recently having his first match for TNA Wrestling.

Appearing on a new episode of Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Fatu said his goal is to join his Samoan Dynasty family members in WWE, but he’s still growing as a performer and isn’t close to where he wants to be. Fatu noted that he has not had a WWE tryout yet.

“No, I thought I was. No,” Fatu responded when asked if he thinks he’s ready for WWE. “I’m going to keep it 100 [percent], no. I think I still have more time to grow. I’m still green, man. I still have a long way to go, man. So I think when the timing is right, and not only that, when I feel right, just like the same feeling I had in prison, that I was tired, that I needed to change my life, I’m just waiting for that feeling. And once that feeling pops up, that’s when I’m going to start pushing for it.

“But for right now, I’m just being patient and just waiting, just grinding, enjoying the process, enjoying the journey, and just learning as I go and always be the student in the game. And I think, time will tell, and I think the fans will play a big role in that. So I’m just working like WWE never had their eyes on me. I think having that mindset, I think I’m going to get there. I know I’m going to be there. I think it just takes repetition, and it takes time, and I think where I’m at today, my brand is only going to excel. It’s only going to excel because, like I said earlier, we’re still figuring it out every day and brainstorming every day.”

Fatu, 25, said becoming a wrestler has made him feel closer to his father, who passed away when Fatu was only nine years old. He named Shelton Benjamin as someone who he looked up to as a father figure in the time after Umaga’s death.

In his indie career, Fatu has held gold for Reality of Wrestling, House of Glory, and 4th Rope. He recently dropped the House of Glory Crown Jewel Championship to Bully Ray but will face off against him in a rematch at the promotion’s show in Philadelphia on September 4.

The full episode of Insight can be watched below: