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Eddie Fatu, best known to wrestling fans as Umaga, was born on March 28,
1973. A part of the famous Anoai Samoan wrestling family, his early career
was spent mostly in tag team action with his cousin Matt Anoai as The Island
Boys in WWF developmental HWA.
After working various territories here and overseas, Fatu and Anoai were
christened "3-Minute Warning" (Jamal and Rosey) by WWE in 2002, where they
were essentially henchmen for then Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff. He was
released from WWE in the summer of 2003, reportedly after being involved in a
fight in a restaurant. Matt stayed on as Rosey, best known as Hurricane
Helms' Super Hero In Training.
Fatu then wrestled as Ekmo for TNA, and also began working for All Japan Pro
Wrestling. During his time in All Japan, his work improved greatly, and in
2005 he resigned with WWE and the Umaga character debuted in 2006. Before
signing with WWE again, he also made regular appearances for the now-defunct
Major League Wrestling promoted by Court Bauer in Florida.
Initially managed by Armando Alejandro Estrada, Umaga wrestled main event
level stars such as Ric Flair, Triple H, Shawn Michaels and had what was
considered one of John Cena's best matches ever at the Royal Rumble in January
2007. This was followed by the highest profile match of his career, as he was
Vince McMahon's "hand-picked" wrestler against Bobby Lashley (who was
representing Donald Trump) at Wrestlemania 23, which was the centerpiece of
that year's promotion for the event in Detroit. Umaga lost and as a result,
Lashley, Trump and special referee Steve Austin shaved Vince McMahon bald.
Umaga remained a mid to upper card performer for the company, until a torn PCL
sidelined him in 2008. During that time off, he was suspended by WWE when his
name came up among a list of performers who had received prescriptions from an
online pharmacy, a violation of the company's Wellness Policy. He returned to
the ring in January 2009, and appeared to be geared up for another big push
with rumors of a big program with The Undertaker on the Smackdown brand. He
was released suddenly in June of 2009 after his second Wellness Policy
violation. WWE later disclosed that Fatu refused to enter rehabilitation, as
outlined in their policy (a second violation meant automatic rehab), and he
was promptly was let go.
Fatu then wrestled on international and independent shows using variations on
the Umaga name (like "Rumaga"). He claimed several months back that he might
be returning to the company while backing out of a scheduled DVD interview,
but nothing came of it. He ended up booked on Hulk Hogan's Australia tour as
his brother, the former Rikishi, booked the undercard talent, working with Ken
Anderson.
Our best wishes to the Anoai family and Fatu's friends, family and fans during
this sad time.
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