AEW Stars Who Faced Zilla Fatu Prior To His WWE Debut

WWE/AEW

Following years of speculation, Zilla Fatu has finally made his WWE debut, attacking Cruz Montana and Grayson Waller on the August 11 NXT episode.

while the son of Umaga only wrestled his first wrestling match in July 2023, Zilla has shared the ring with numerous top stars in the years since.

We recently shared a list of WWE stars who Zilla Fatu faced prior to signing with the company, but there are also a number of AEW stars who the Anoa’i family member got the chance to wrestle in the years leading up to his NXT arrival.

Here are five AEW stars who Zilla Fatu faced prior to his WWE debut.

Brody King

One third of the current AEW Trios Champions, Brody King met Zilla Fatu in the ring earlier this year.

King and Fatu locked horns at the April 16 House of Glory Culture Clash show, which took place in Las Vegas during WrestleMania 42 week.

There was no definitive winner for this bout, with Lance Anoa’i interfering to take out Zilla Fatu.

With the match officially announced to be a no-contest, Brody King and Zilla Fatu took out Lance, then exchanged chops, and a handshake.

It seems unlikely now, with Zilla in WWE and Brody in AEW, but it’d be fulfilling to see the two stars share the ring again somewhere down the line.

Jake Doyle

Zilla Fatu has actually shared the ring with Jake Doyle twice, with both matches being significant for different reasons.

Their first encounter came when the former “Jake Something” challenged for Zilla’s HOG Crown Jewel Championship at the December 12 Live For The Moment event, with the champion successfully retaining his gold.

Their next clash came during Zilla Fatu’s TNA Wrestling debut, with Zilla teaming with Josh Bishop and Real1 (Enzo Amore) to put away Doyle, Mance Warner and Steve Maclin during the Countdown To Slammiversary 2025 show.

If Zilla does appear for TNA as part of its ongoing crossover with NXT, that appearance would be a return, following this one-off match in July 2025.

Mike Bailey

“Speedball” Mike Bailey was one of Zilla Fatu’s first opponents during his second year as a wrestler.

The Bloodline family member kicked off his sophomore wrestling year with a Hardcore match against Bailey during the August 2024 GCW Homecoming event.

Bailey was ultimately victorious, avoiding Zilla’s Samoan Spike and rolling him up for the win.

This match showed the world that Zilla Fatu’s can do excellent work when standing across the ring from a high-flyer, given the opportunity.

Blake Christian

Another early-sophomore year match for Zilla Fatu saw him take on a former GCW World Champion and a current AEW ROH mainstay.

Zilla Fatu faced off against Blake Christian in August 2024, at GCW’s Live Fast, Die Young event.

The Bloodline family member had his hand raised at the end of this bout, hitting a top-rope Samoan Spike to win the match after 17 minutes of action.

Another match which demonstrated that Zilla Fatu can hold his own against high flyers, this bout saw the Anoa’i family member add a big W to his record.

MJF

Despite not having officially wrestled for the promotion, Zilla Fatu has challenged for the AEW World Championship.

MJF put his AEW World Title on the line at the February 20 HOG No Turning Back event, before which the champion made many references to Zilla’s famous family and stated that he’s more talented that Fatu’s family tree will ever be.

While MJF was ultimately victorious, he did put Zilla Fatu on the mic following the bout, stating that his challenger was “pretty f**king good.”

Regardless of the heights that he reaches in WWE, Zilla will likely look back fondly on the night he earned the AEW World Champion’s respect.

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• AEW
• wwe
• Zilla Fatu

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