Zilla Fatu may have only just started making noise in NXT, but WWE apparently doesn’t expect him to stay there for very long. In fact, the company is already laying some of the groundwork for eventually putting him alongside his family on the main roster.
According to WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select, there is an internal expectation that Fatu will reach either RAW or SmackDown “before long.” WWE believes putting the 26-year-old together with his cousins this early in his run could set him up for long-term success.
“We’ve learned that it is internally expected that Zilla Fatu will be on the main roster before long, as those within the company believe pairing him with his cousins this early in his WWE television career could set the stage for long-term success.”
WWE has apparently already started introducing him to fans who might not regularly watch NXT. Fatu recently appeared in a video package on RAW ahead of his NXT Championship match at Heatwave. While promoting the show was obviously part of it, WrestleVotes reports that wasn’t the only reason WWE put him in front of the RAW audience.
“We’re told the vignette on RAW featuring Zilla was not only designed to help push this weekend’s NXT Heatwave event, but also serve as a soft introduction to Fatu for the portion of WWE’s regular audience that may not be familiar with the 26-year-old.”
The idea is apparently to get main-roster viewers familiar with Fatu now rather than suddenly introducing him whenever the call-up happens.
“The idea is to begin establishing that connection now rather than waiting until a potential main-roster move is imminent.”
There’s no exact date for that move yet. WrestleVotes acknowledged that some within WWE may believe Fatu could still use more time in NXT, but others apparently see things very differently.
“There are those we spoke to saying, ‘No, before long, he’s going to be on either RAW or SmackDown, joined up with his cousins, because the time is now.’”
TC agreed that Fatu doesn’t exactly look like somebody WWE plans on keeping in developmental for years. He noted that Zilla Fatu has the ‘it” factor and ability that WWE definitely looks for within their talent.
“I think if you are any sort of a scout, you can kind of see it in Zilla, too, that he’s not for NXT for a long time. He has that ‘it’ factor. He has the ability and the wherewithal that I think those in WWE look for within their talent.”
That makes what happens at NXT Heatwave on August 30 a little more interesting. Fatu is set to make his official NXT in-ring debut by challenging Tony D’Angelo for the NXT Championship in a Fatal Four-Way also involving Grayson Waller and Cruz Montana.
Fatu already made sure everybody noticed him before getting there. He closed the August 25 NXT by crashing the Heatwave summit, wiping out his three opponents and posing with D’Angelo’s championship.
TC even floated the possibility that WWE could put the title on Fatu despite already thinking about the main roster. In that scenario, Fatu could potentially appear on RAW or SmackDown while continuing to work selected Tuesday nights as NXT Champion.
The family connection is obviously sitting there whenever WWE decides the time is right. Fatu could immediately be thrown into the orbit of his cousins and the wider Bloodline story, giving WWE a pretty easy way to introduce him without starting from scratch. Nobody is putting a firm date on it yet, but Joey Votes believes the wait may not even last through the rest of 2026.
“I don’t know if it’ll come within the next couple of weeks, but I think before the end of the year, you’ll see him on the main roster.”
So Fatu may have a Fatal Four-Way and potentially an NXT Championship run ahead of him first, but WWE apparently already sees where this is going. His time in NXT could be short, and joining his family on RAW or SmackDown may be waiting on the other side.
Would you move Zilla Fatu to the main roster this quickly, or give him a longer NXT run first? Let us know in the comments.
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