Jacob Fatu is facing allegations of neglecting a charitable event by failing to show up at a fundraising event, thus attracting negativity and backlash from the organizers and media.
During his guest appearance on the Fightful’s In The Weeds podcast, Court Bauer, the head of Major League Wrestling (MLW), was requested to provide his perspective on fresh accusations involving Jacob Fatu, a known MLW wrestler.
According to a recent report by NBC 26 in Wisconsin, Jacob Fatu was absent from a fundraising event organized by Jake’s Network of Hope, as the organization’s director Jenn Harper has confirmed.
Fatu initially explained his absence by stating a family emergency, but once Harper requested reimbursement, he abruptly ceased all communications with them. In addition to this incident, other promotions, such as Pro Wrestling KING in Indiana, have also accused Fatu of failing to show up for a booking commitment and neglecting to refund the payment he received.
What is Court Bauer doing against Fatu’s no-show issue?
Court Bauer addressed the allegations during his conversation in the Fightful podcast with Joel Pearl and Jeremy Lambert. He acknowledged that Major League Wrestling (MLW) is aware of the accusations against Jacob Fatu and stressed that they are looking up the matter very seriously.
Bauer mentioned that Fatu independently books himself for third-party shows, and while MLW has to direct connection with those commitments, they have held meetings to discuss the situation.
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Bauer assured that MLW is closely monitoring the development and gathering more information about the allegations. He highlighted the league’s involvement with charities and expressed that when such incidents occur, it raises questions and concern for everyone involved.
Jacob Fatu’s no-show allegations
According to Jenn Harper, the Director of Development at Jake’s Network of Hope, Jacob Fatu, an MLW star, failed to attend the “Hits for Hope” fundraising event organized by the charity. Jake’s Network of Hope is dedicated to providing various items, such as toys and hygiene products, to numerous organizations.
Harper claimed that Jacob was initially scheduled to appear at the fundraising event but notified the team vis phone that he would not be able to attend it due to a sudden family emergency. “We gave him the benefit of the doubt. At Jake’s, we are 100% about family, and I said, ‘If you can’t make it, that’s fine,” Harper said.
According to Harper, after rescheduling the flight for Jacob Fatu, which he had initially missed, the team was informed by Fatu that he wouldn’t be attending the event about an hour after the rescheduled flight had departed.
Following that communication, Fatu allegedly ghosted all contacts and communication, not only with Jake’s Network of Hope but also with the production team responsible for organizing the wrestling show and the person who booked him for the event.
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Harper requested Fatu for reimbursement of the total amount of $2,633, which included $1,030(pre-paid) for Fatu’s appearance, $548 on hotel accommodation for him, $657 on the first flight bookings, $348 on the flight rescheduled as per his request, $50 on 8×10 posters that were printed for Fatu to autograph on the event.
Harper further mentioned that Jake’s Network of Hope decided to remain quiet about Fatu’s behavior until they heard from other organizations that had experienced similar problems with him.
Other organizations, like Pro Wrestling KING in Indiana, have also come forward and reported similar unethical behavior of Fatu. These multiple allegations from various organizations prompted Jake’s Network of Hope to speak about their incident.
Harper explained that Jake’s Network of Hope made the decision to come forward and report the issue to prevent other organizations from suffering similar incidents.
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