Jacob Fatu limped after a match against Solo Sikoa at a WWE live event in Liverpool, England, and that has put his Tribal Combat showdown with Roman Reigns in doubt for Clash In Italy on Sunday, May 31. What first sounded like a minor scare has turned into a real concern inside WWE, which is now worried Fatu may not be cleared in time for the main event.
The timing is what makes this more than a routine injury report. Fatu is scheduled to meet Reigns in the headline match of a premium live event that WWE plans to present on, and any change there would hit the center of the card. That is why fans started searching his name as word spread earlier in the day that he was limping after the Liverpool match.
PWInsider later reported that Fatu was legitimately hurt in Liverpool, which is the detail that changed the tone around the situation. Earlier chatter suggested he was fine, but the later report made clear WWE has a real clearance problem on its hands with less than a week to go before May 31.
Clash In Italy is built around the Tribal Combat match, so if Fatu cannot go, WWE would have to shift the show quickly. The company is already mulling alternative plans if the bout gets pulled, and that leaves the most important question hanging over the event: whether medical clearance comes in time for Fatu to keep the match as scheduled.
The uncertainty is especially sharp because WWE is also dealing with questions about whether Sol Ruca is medically cleared for her title match against Becky Lynch. For now, though, the bigger issue is Fatu, whose injury in Liverpool could force a late change to a main event WWE appears to have counted on right up to Sunday, May 31.
