On a recent episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer engaged in a detailed discussion regarding the WWE’s booking of Solo Sikoa, his perceived lack of credibility with fans despite a recent Money In The Bank qualification, and how this might impact an anticipated feud with the heavily protected Jacob Fatu. The conversation highlighted differing views on WWE’s booking philosophy concerning win/loss records.
The discussion was spurred by Sikoa winning a Money In The Bank qualifying match on SmackDown, a result Alvarez noted was met with fan frustration. “Solo hits the thumb. And solo wins… these fans were furious when he won this match,” Alvarez stated. Meltzer responded, “They probably have ideas. And look of the three… who gets the biggest push, it’s Solo. Solo is the one being built up for Jacob [Fatu].”
Alvarez then questioned the notion of Sikoa being “protected,” pointing to his sparse television victories in 2025 prior to the qualifier. “You do realize the last time he’s won a match on TV was, well, he never wrestles on TV… he’s wrestled 11 TV matches, and he’s won zero until this past match,” Alvarez asserted, emphasizing Sikoa’s lack of “credibility, dude, he always loses, always he’s always beaten.”
Dave Meltzer countered by referencing WWE’s long-standing booking patterns: “You know that wins and losses mean nothing in WWE… the way that they book title match, they have people lose 10, 15 times in a row, and they’ll give them a title.” He added, “For especially for heels, they beat heels all the time… This has been the case in WWE for decades.”
The debate intensified when focusing on the impending program with Jacob Fatu, who has been booked as an undefeated force. Alvarez argued, “There’s a reason that Jacob Fatu has never been beat… you’re super protecting Jacob… My point is they don’t protect Solo to a degree.” He expressed skepticism about the feud’s potential if Sikoa isn’t built more strongly: “They should if you want people to care about it… [Fans] didn’t care about Solo winning, except they were mad because they didn’t have Phoenix, or like, two guys that can do ladder matches… either start getting some wins, or this ain’t going to be much of a feud.”
Meltzer acknowledged that Fatu is protected but maintained that WWE’s approach with Sikoa differs, prioritizing television exposure and main event-level presentation. “Solo is the guy who’s going to feud with him… but they don’t care [about his losses]… they still treat him like he’s a top guy. I mean, he gets plenty of promo time. The key in WWE is your promo time,” Meltzer explained. He posited that WWE believes if a feud ultimately “works” and draws business, the booking strategy is considered successful, regardless of individual win/loss records leading into it.
Alvarez remained critical of fan perception towards Sikoa, stating, “I know people don’t care about Solo. He actually doesn’t get a very good reaction. Jacob gets a great reaction, because they can see he’s special, yeah, because he never loses, and he’s always the guy that has to save Solo… It doesn’t matter if he’s got promo time, if they’re chanting for everybody except Him, they don’t care about Solo.” He cited past feuds: “I’ve already seen it with Solo, like he had a feud with Cody, and nobody cared about Solo. He had this with Roman, and people didn’t care… yeah, business, because Cody is in there and Roman was in there… it wasn’t Solo.”
Meltzer concluded by reiterating WWE’s ultimate metric: “It did business. So that’s all that counts at the end of the day. Does it work? If it works, it worked, if it doesn’t work, then it doesn’t work, and then you got to stop doing it. But when it worked, the fact that they do this and it works, it’s like, okay, that’s what the fans think.”
Solo now has 2 wins in 2025, his first since the first week of January when Solo’s Bloodline beat Roman’s Bloodline on SmackDown. Solo’s 2025 record is 13-2. His 2024 (63-17) record is more impressive but it looks like WWE is starting to put more steam behind Solo ahead of his expected feud with Fatu.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit F4WOnline.com with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
