The son of a former WWE star and current announcer played a part in the Jacob Fatu and Braun Strowman segment that stole the show at Saturday Night’s Main Event.
While the returning special was met with mixed reviews from fans due to the predictable results, the aftermath of the Fatu and Strowman segment was met with universal praise. Although Strowman won the match as Fatu got disqualified for attacking the referee, The Samoan Werewolf was the one who emerged the dominant big man. After the bell, Fatu continued his assault on Strowman with multiple Moonsaults, despite the fact that security and SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis attempted to put a stop to things.
After initially being led away by Tama Tonga, Fatu stormed back to the ring to hit one final moonsault before letting the medical team assess the former Universal Champion, who was left bloodied by the assault.
As has been seen over the years, many future stars have made onscreen appearances as security extras before making their official debut as a pro wrestler. As reported by Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select, Jesse Funaki, the son of Shoichi Funaki, was one of the extras in the segment.
Funaki In WWE
A former WWE wrestler, Funaki made his debut in 1998 as a member of the Kai En Tai faction. Moving to SmackDown as part of the 2002 brand split, Funaki adopted the gimmick of SmackDown Number 1 Announcer before focusing on the Cruiserweight Division from 2004.
A former Cruiserweight and Hardcore Champion, Funaki was released from his contract in 2010 but returned the following year for a few cameo appearances. Making the switch to commentary in 2016, Funaki has since served as one-half of the Japanese announce team for subsequent WWE PLEs. Funaki has been recently seen on NXT as the interpreter for current Women’s Champion Giulia.