Jacob Fatu returns on SmackDown to confront Drew McIntyre

Drew McIntyre opened the episode of WWE SmackDown on September 26th at the Kia Center in Orlando wearing an orthopedic boot to sell his injury suffered at WrestlePalooza. The Scotsman took the microphone to remind everyone that he debuted in that same venue at a TakeOver, where he became WWE champion, but now he couldn't come out as the new undisputed champion after what happened at the last major event.

McIntyre claimed to feel robbed and questioned whether the company's referees really work for WWE or for Cody Rhodes. Although he clarified that he wasn't directly blaming the referee, he did insinuate that there is corruption in the company. It was then that General Manager Nick Aldis appeared to confront him verbally.

Aldis reminded him that in wrestling sometimes you win and sometimes you lose: "sometimes you're the hammer and sometimes the nail." He also doubted the use of the medical boot, as WWE's official team had declared him fit. McIntyre replied that he had his own medical team, and Aldis decided to leave the ring, ending the conversation.

With McIntyre refusing to leave, Jacob Fatu's music played, and he entered determined to confront him. Fatu didn't hesitate to tell him to shut up and accused him of crying every week about his failures. "Stop complaining," he shouted before threatening to knock down his "peg leg."

The face-off turned physical when McIntyre landed a Glasgow Kiss, but Fatu reacted with a superkick that sent the Scotsman's orthopedic boot flying, closing a segment of great tension that planted the seed for a new rivalry.

Jacob Fatu had been off television for over a month before his return on SmackDown on September 26th. His last on-screen appearance had been on August 15th, when he teamed up with Sami Zayn and Jimmy Uso; since then, he had been active in house shows and non-televised matches, but he hadn't returned to the weekly programs until his showdown with Drew McIntyre in Orlando.