On this date in WWE history: Rest in peace, Umaga
by Jesse Holland on Dec 4, 2011 12:06 PM EST
in History
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PrintOn December 4, 2009, former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) superstar Edward Fatu passed away at the age of 36 after suffering a heart attack.
Introduced as "Jamal" from 3-Minute Warning and last billed as "Umaga," Fatu was a two-time Intercontinental champion as cousin of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson under the famous Anoa'I wrestling family.
From WWE.com:
Umaga was not a typical plodding big man; he was a super-heavyweight who is deceptively quick and could be as comfortable on the top rope as any cruiserweight. These traits, combined with his penchant for sadism, made Umaga very dangerous. Though Umaga remains an enigma to many observers in WWE, underneath that tattooed, monstrous exterior may be a method to his madness. After all, he had worn the Intercontinental Championship and headlined WrestleMania 23 in the Battle of the Billionaires.
Fatu, who was given a massive push following his 2006 return, was released in 2007 after violating the WWE Talent Wellness program and refusing to enter rehab.
Rest in peace, Umaga.
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He passed away in '09 not '07.
He was wrestled on the Hulkamanias tour late in ’09 and was about to re-sign with the WWE.
yeah typo on my part
thanks for pointing that out
It is not enough to succeed. Others must fail.
by Jesse Holland on Dec 4, 2011 1:28 PM EST up reply actions
Can't remember if it another wrestler or an announcer
But someone always called him “Umanga.” Hell it might have been Vince. Someone help me out here.
God is fake, guns are good, and people are crazy.
by *Californication* on Dec 4, 2011 6:24 PM EST reply actions
There it is!
God is fake, guns are good, and people are crazy.
by *Californication* on Dec 4, 2011 6:54 PM EST up reply actions
Regal is so awesome
Maslow's theory of higher needs does not apply to Patrick Willis. He only has two needs: tackling people and finding people to tackle.
It's a credit to him / the creative team
He was able to come back from 3 minute warning and be a really interesting and over monster heel. You could argue that he was just continuing the Head Shrinkers character type, but a badass samoan had long been absent from WWE at that time with Rikishi being a bit of a joke with 2 Cool and that nonsense with him running Steve Austin (I think) over and claiming he “Did it for Da Rock”
Bloody Elbow Grappling Editor.
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RIP
But also another travesty is how they buried the Armando Alejandro Estrada character. He had all the makings of a classic heel manager.
I miss Umaga.
He was a fantastic monster heel, unlike guys such as Henry and Kane, he was fucking mobile when it was time for him to bring it. If he didn’t have the drug problem, he’d have been a huge star.
Umaga was great
I still remember his fantastic match with Cena.
LeBron James - 0 Charles Barkley - 0 Karl Malone/John Stockton - 0 Sun Yue -1
Umaga was a great athlete
but if it wasn’t for Armando Estrada, Umaga wouldn’t have lasted 2 months. Estrada made him legit. just go back and look at umaga’s debut with flair. You wouldn’t think that character would last 3 weeks. Estrada helped him get in one of the main events of wrestlemania (trump vs. vince). Then they split them up and umaga fell way off…eventually earning his release.
Estrada was a great talent. its a shame they neutered him.
Kenwo4life=ratings. Just call me Mr. USA Today.
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