Bruce Prichard Looks Back at the Career of WWE Star Umaga

The Bloodline is in its heyday on current WWE programming, but its roots run deep within history. Edward Fatu, a member of the Anoaʻi family, initially competed in the company as Jamal and later returned for a second run as Umaga.

WWE executive Bruce Prichard discussed Umaga on his “Something To Wrestle” podcast, noting that everyone who worked with him in the ring loved him, despite the character’s tough exterior.

“Umaga was just that kind of athlete that you were comfortable with,” Prichard said.

“You’d go out and you knew that he could do anything, and you also knew that by giving your body to him that you were in the safest hands you could possibly be.

Umaga was one of those generational talents that only comes along every once in a while.

It was a charisma, an unspoken charisma, and everyone believed in him and… you still had that little bit of fear of Umaga because as sweet as he could be, he was also one of those guys that made you believe he had a switch that when flipped, he was an uncontrollable maniac.”

Umaga was best known for representing Vince McMahon against Bobby Lashley, who was representing Donald Trump, in the Battle of the Billionaires match at WrestleMania 23.

However, his epic matches with Triple H and rivalry with John Cena over the WWE Championship are also notable.

Prichard said that he thought audiences saw through Umaga’s careful in-ring nature to the “dangerous” aspects of the character as well, and that’s what made him so popular.

Sadly, Umaga died of a heart attack in 2009, but he’s still fondly remembered, as evidenced by the time he trended after the Bloodline paid tribute to him on an episode of “WWE Raw.”