WWE & AEW Rumours: Jacob Fatu Injury Update, Blame For Andrade Situation

On the back of a wild week of wrestling news, the week wraps up with a few rumours and reports on October 19 for both AEW and WWE, including news on Ilja Dragunov’s United States Title win, more on Andrade, and Jacob Fatu’s injury status. 

Backstage News On Ilja Dragunov's United States Title Win

Sami Zayn dropped the United States Championship on Friday Night SmackDown this week to the returning Ilja Dragunov, who made his comeback after over a year away from the ring through injury. When it comes to who was behind the decision to book Dragunov as United States Champion, Bodyslam.Net has revealed the brains.

Now former champion Sami Zayn was reportedly the one who pushed for Dragunov to be the one to dethrone him. Zayn’s reign ends after just 48 days. 

Jacob Fatu Injury Update

Reports circulated over the last few days that Jacob Fatu was to be out of action with a non-wrestling related injury issue, meaning he’d be ruled out “well into 2026”. Mike Johnson of PWInsider has offered an update on Fatu’s condition, and it is a positive one. 

It is stated that those at SmackDown said that Fatu was recovering from a dental procedure so was not cleared to wrestle, but the hope and expectation is that he will be back very soon. Fatu was scheduled to compete against Drew McIntyre on SmackDown but was written out of the match after a backstage attack. 

Who AEW Blames For Andrade's Contract Mishap

The Andrade contract situation has been a big story over the last few weeks. Following his firing from WWE for reported violations of their wellness policy, Andrade showed up on AEW Dynamite, making his return to the promotion. However, things went silent and Andrade was conspicuous by his absence. It emerged that Andrade had not known he was still under a non-compete clause, leading to WWE sending a cease and desist letter to AEW.

When it comes to who is to blame for this oversight, Fightful Select has reported that those in AEW are putting blame towards the company’s legal team for not thoroughly checking Andrade’s status. There is now talk of Andrade being unable to compete in AEW for up to a year due to violations of his non-compete clause. 

Rhea Ripley Suffers Broken Nose During WWE's Japan Tour

WWE’s injury list continues to rise as it has emerged that Rhea Ripley has suffered from a broken nose, picked up during WWE’s trip to Japan this weekend. Ripley teamed with Iyo Sky to take on The Kabuki Warriors in Tokyo, coming out of the match with a swollen and bruised nose, of which she posted an image to social media. 

It isn’t yet known if Ripley will be kept out of the ring for any amount of time with this injury. She joined those in the ring later on in the show when members of the WWE roster celebrated the career of AJ Styles, who noted that this might be his last ever show in Japan after his recent announcement of an upcoming retirement. 

Rikishi Undergoes Emergency Surgery

An announcement is expected at some point soon regarding WWE Hall Of Famer Rikishi, after PWInsider learned that he had undergone an emergency surgery for a health issue which emerged suddenly. There is no word yet on what this health issue is. Rikishi has been pulled from multiple upcoming appearances and events. We wish the best to Rikishi in his recovery.