R.I.P. Umaga, the Samoan Bulldozer
You know how much we love our pizza and beer and nothing goes better with pizza and beer than watching a bunch of overgrown men in spandex pummel the shit out of eachother. So a little tragic news from the wrestling world.
Early this morning word came through that the Samoan Bulldozer Edward Fatu, better known in wrestling circles as Umaga, passed away after suffering a heart attack in his Houston home. The two time WWE Intercontinental Champion was descended from the legendary Anoa’i family, a wrestling dynasty that includes Afa and Sika who worked as The Wild Samoans throughout the 1980s as well as The Tonga Kid, Rikishi, the also deceased and also colossal Yokozuna, and the now Disneyfied Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock. The family tree even extends as far as the Superfly Jimmy Snuka and son Sim Snuka though they are related by marriage not blood.
Umaga first entered the business under the name Jamal and wrestled as one half of a tag team known variously as The Island Boyz, The Samoan Gangstas and the fan favorite Three Minute Warning. The man cut an imposing figure in a business traditionally dominated by babyfaces like Ric Flair, John Cena, Shawn Michaels and Triple H, a list of top draw stars who coincidentally were all felled under the Samoan Bulldozer’s reign in the squared circle. And his drawing power was as massive as his waistline with WrestleMania championship matches topping the list of highest grossing Pay Per View events.
A terror in the ring, Umaga was never afraid to bloody it up for mat fans or utilize his considerable girth for signature finishing moves like the Wild Samoan Splash, a tsunami of spandex and flesh that has flattened many an opponent from jobbers all the way to top of the card headliners.
Earlier this year Fatu’s career hit a rut when he was dismissed from the WWE by Vince McMahon after his second violation of the Wellness Policy and refusal to enter drug treatment. Up until his dismissal the Samoan’s heavily tattooed face was one of the mostt recognizable, used to sell first the SmackDown and later the RAW brands. Exiled from the WWE and plagued by an ongoing battle with substance addiction the big man bounced around the business for the last 6 months, most recently as a part of the Hulkamania tour of Australia, spearheaded by Hulk Hogan, another star who by some miracle of God is still walking the Earth, let alone wrestling professionally.
With his constantly bleeding nose both in the ring and out—Fatu’s wife was said to have found him unconscious propped in front of the TV with blood streaks coming from both nostrils—coupled with his twice failure of the Wellness Policy and considerable size one can only speculate if all that alleged booger suger is the culprit here.
Umaga was 36.
And here is a somewhat comprehensive list of professional wrestlers dead before the age of 50.
Proof that Vince McMahon is the devil? We’ll let you decide.
Chris Von Erich - 21
Mike Von Erich - 23
Louie Spiccoli - 27
Art Barr - 28
Gino Hernandez - 29
Jay Youngblood - 30
Rick McGraw - 30
Joey Marella - 30
Ed Gatner - 31
Buzz Sawyer - 32
Crash Holly - 32
Kerry Von Erich - 33
D.J. Peterson - 33
Eddie Gilbert - 33
The Renegade - 33
Owen Hart - 33
Chris Candido - 33
Adrian Adonis - 34
Gary Albright - 34
Bobby Duncum Jr. - 34
Yokozuna - 34
Big Dick Dudley - 34
Brian Pillman - 35
Marianna Komlos - 35
Pitbull #2 - 36
The Wall/Malice - 36
Leroy Brown - 38
Mark Curtis - 38
Eddie Guerrero - 38
Davey Boy Smith - 39
Johnny Grunge - 39
Vivian Vachon - 40
Jeep Swenson - 40
Brady Boone - 40
Terry Gordy - 40
Bertha Faye - 40
Billy Joe Travis - 40
Chris Benoit - 40
Larry Cameron - 41
Rick Rude - 41
Randy Anderson - 41
Bruiser Brody - 42
Miss Elizabeth - 42
Big Boss Man - 42
Earthquake - 42
Mike Awesome - 42
Ray Candy - 43
Nancy Benoit (Woman) - 43
Dino Bravo - 44
Curt Hennig - 44
Bam Bam Bigelow - 45
Jerry Blackwell - 45
Junkyard Dog - 45
Hercules - 45
Andre the Giant - 46
Big John Studd - 46
Chris Adams - 46
Mike Davis - 46
Hawk - 46
Dick Murdoch - 49
Jumbo Tsuruta - 49
Rocco Rock - 49
Sherri Martel - 49
