It’s been six years since Edward Smith Fatu, better known to wrestling fans as Umaga passed away. He had worked in WWE as part of 3 Minute Warning previously but it was when he made his debut as Umaga that people really started to take notice. Shortly after his debut Umaga was established as a force to be reckoned with and his manager Armanda Alejandro Estrada proved to be a perfect fit for his act.
Umaga dominated the WWE roster in an impressive fashion which eventually led to a WWE Championship shot against John Cena at the New Year’s Revolution pay-per-view. Cena won the match and Umaga challenged him again for the belt at the Royal Rumble in a Last Man Standing match but he was unsuccessful when it came to defeating Cena.
Umaga moved on to big things after that creating one of his most memorable moments. He was selected by Vince McMahon to represent him in the Battle of the Billionaires at WrestleMania 23 and he faced Bobby Lashley who was representing Donald Trump. Umaga lost the match causing Vince McMahon to have his head shaved which is a moment that’s still talked about to this day.
Umaga had many great feuds and many great matches. He was certainly underrated as a performer as he was one of the most unique WWE Superstars to ever step foot in the ring. Umaga was a big man, who was a powerhouse but also happened to be very agile. Unfortunately he was taken from the world at the age of 36 and the official cause of death was acute toxicity due to combined effects of hydrocodone, carisoprodol, and diazepam.
So on this day we look back on Umaga’s career as we try to honor him. Take a second out of your day to watch one of his matches on the WWE Network. Take a second to look back on some of his career highlights because the man may be gone but his legacy lives on.
