Wrestler of the (3/3) Week: Umaga
Our resident philosopher, Jay Shannon, takes a look at the Samoan Bulldozer, Umaga, who will represent Raw in a Brand Superiority match at Wrestlemania.Samoans have been a vital part of wrestling for many years. Soon-to-be Hall of Famer, Peter Maivia, was one of the first Samoans to thrive in the ring wars. Afa and Sika, the Wild Samoans, were one of the top tag teams of their era, if not of all time. Yokozuna was a two-time WWE champion. Samu and Fatu, the Headshrikers, followed in their fathers’ footsteps to take tag gold. Rikishi also wore gold during his run in the WWE.
The current Samoan Superstar in the WWE has already worn the Intercontinental championship, twice. He was hand-picked by Raw’s GM, William Regal, to represent the brand against Smackdown’s Batista at Wrestlemania 24. This week’s Pro Wrestling Daily: Wrestler of the Week is the “Samoan Bulldozer”, Umaga.
The Fatu Family Tradition continues
Edward Fatu was born in American Samoa to the sister (Vera) of Afa and Sika. Eddie has two older brothers who have had success in the ring. Sam Fatu was successful under three different identities (The Tonga Kid, Tama, and the Samoan Savage). Solofa, Jr. is recognized world-wide as Rikishi and Junior Fatu.
Eddie and his family moved to California when Eddie was a small child. Eddie received his wrestling training at the Wild Samoan Training Camp, mostly from his uncle, Afa.
3 Minutes of Fame
From early on in his career, Eddie was teamed with his cousin, Matt A’noia. Their team, known as the Samoan Gangstas and the Island Boys, were patterned after the Wild Samoans with a modern street gang twist to it.
The Island Boys, Ekmo (Eddie) and Kimo (Matt), were finally brought up from the developmental territories as “Enforcers” for Eric Bischoff. They were renamed Jamal (Eddie) and Rosey (Matt). The team was christenedThree Minute Warning. The gimmick was that they would destroy any team or individual that they were dispatched to attack in three minutes or less. The team was being groomed for a run as the tag team titles, until Eddie was released after an alleged bar fight between Eddie and several bar patrons.
Going back and going forward
After his WWE release, Eddie accepted an offer from TNA. Once there, he re-adopted his old ring name of Ekmo. He worked for the company for about five months before taking an offer from Japan.
In Japan, Eddie switched back to being Jamal, the name he had used in the WWE. He was teamed with several people before settling in with Taiyo Kea. They held numerous titles in the Asian and Pacific Islands markets. Their union would come to an end when Eddie received a call for a second chance with the WWE.
A last (3) Minute change of plans
When Eddie was brought back to the WWE, he was teamed with Rosey again as Three Minute Warning. They worked a few dark matches and were scheduled to work an angle against Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch. That came to a screeching halt when Rosey asked for and received his release.
Creative decided to repackage Eddie into a totally new character. In tribute to his uncles, Eddie was brought in as a wild savage, similar to his uncles, Afa and Sika. The name Umaga was chosen. Umaga is one of the final steps in the ancient Samoan tattooing ritual. Umaga translates, roughly, into Omega or “The End” in English. Umaga was originally handled by Armando Estrada, who had been brought up from OVW.
Umaga started out feuding with Ric Flair and Kane. Umaga dominated both feuds. Umaga’s massive winning streak came to a halt when he battles John Cena for the WWE title. Cena was in the middle of a “Superman Push” where no one would be able to defeat him. Cena took out Umaga, Khali and several others.
I-C No Hair
After the battles with Cena, Vince McMahon chose Umaga as his representative for the Battle of the Billionaires war at Wrestlemania 23. Umaga was scheduled to battle Bobby Lashley. If Umaga won, Donald Trump would have lost his hair. If Lashley won, Vince would go bald. In the weeks leading up to Wrestlemania, Vince forced Jeff Hardy to defend the Intercontinental Championship against Umaga. Umaga absolutely destroyed Jeff to take the title.
At Wrestlemania, Lashley defeated Umaga, thus causing Vince to end up shaved bald. Despite the loss, Umaga continued his working relationship with both Vince and Shane McMahon. Umaga was the power member of the trio. Umaga cost Lashley his ECW title in a 3-on-1 Handicap Match. The title actually went around the waist of Vince.
Umaga stumbled, but didn’t fall
During a European tour, Bobby Lashley helped “fan” Santino Marella upset Umaga for the I-C title in what was dubbed the “Milan Miracle”. The title change was broadcast on April 16, 2007 from Milan, Italy. Marella was, in fact, a seasoned wrestler that had just been “called up” from OVW. Marella would drop the belt back to Umaga on Raw, 2 1/2 months later.
After the Chris Benoit tragedy, the WWE tightened their Wellness Program. In late August of 2007, Eddie Fatu and several other wrestlers were named in articles by Sports Illustrated and other publications as purchasers from an online pharmacy. This was never verified to the public by the WWE. In early September, Umaga dropped the I-C title to Jeff Hardy and disappeared from television for several weeks.
Another second chance
Following his time off, Umaga returned to Raw with a new-found aggressive streak. Umaga has been involved in several high-profile matches in the last few months. Umaga is scheduled to face Batista in a Battle of Superiority Match at Wrestlemania. This is seen by many to be one of the “sleeper” matches of the card.
In Conclusion:
Eddie Fatu has followed his family’s tradition of dominance in wrestling. He’s held the Intercontinental title on two occasions, as Umaga. Eddie is looking to out-shine his two brothers in the world of professional wrestling. With the possible return of Rosey and the arrival of Afa, Jr., after Wrestlemania, Umaga may have either a strong alliance with the A’noia family or a bitter family feud. Regardless, as the Raw representative chosen by William Regal on last week’s show, Umaga has earned this week’s Pro Wrestling Daily: Wrestler of the Week award.
–Jay Shannon
JayofPWD@SBCGlobal.net
(3/3/08)
Loading ...