Credit: WWE.com
Some performers are taken away from us far too soon.
That statement has never been more true when discussing Eddie Fatu, who passed away in December 2009 at the young age of 36.
An incredibly talented wrestler who demonstrated outstanding speed and agility for someone his size, he experienced a great deal of success as the Samoan savage Umaga. With ArmandoAlejandro Estrada by his side, the super heavyweight battled the likes of Triple H, John Cena, CM Punk, Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels and Jeff Hardy in main events across the country.
In the process, he proved that he could hang with any Superstar put in front of him.
Like any human being, he was not without his demons—demons that ultimately led to his dismissal from World Wrestling Entertainment. But when looking back on his life and career, it is impossible not to be impressed with and celebrate all that he accomplished in his three decades on this earth.
Whether he was working with Cena to deliver a Match of the Year candidate as Umaga or partnering with Rosey as one-half of Eric Bischoff's henchmen Three Minute Warning, he left an indelible mark on the fans who were lucky enough to see him ply his craft in the 20-by-20 squared circle.
In celebration of his life and career, here now is the story of the Samoan Bulldozer, told through his greatest matches and moments.
"Did I Just Hear Myself Say THREE MINUTES?"
On July 22, 2002, Eric Bischoff introduced a new tag team to WWE programming that would not only do his dirty work, but also put an end to anything he deemed to be the opposite of entertaining.
During a match between Shawn Stasiak and D'Lo Brown, which was anything but thrilling, Bischoff warned the two that the match had gone on about three minutes too long. Suddenly, Jamal and Rosey hit the ring, laying waste to both Superstars and introducing themselves to the WWE fans.
In the weeks and months that followed, the team (dubbed Three Minute Warning), would attack the moment Bischoff mentioned "three minutes."
Together, the team became one of the top tandems on Raw. Their association with Bischoff put them in some fairly high-profile spots, including a September '02 match in which they defeated Billy and Chuck at Unforgiven.
The team would play tackling dummies for Goldberg in 2003, before Jamal was unceremoniously released from his contract.
It would be three years before he returned to the company.
All Japan Pro Wrestling
Jamal's termination from World Wrestling Entertainment was a blessing in disguise. His release allowed him to head to All Japan Pro Wrestling, where he worked both tag team and singles matches against some of the most talented competitors on the planet.
During those matches, he learned, developed and grew as a performer. So much so that his work caught the eye of WWE officials, who were so impressed that they opted to give the young star a second chance. In 2006, just 24 hours after WrestleMania 22, he returned to the company.
Without his work in All Japan, the odds that Jamal would find his way back to the company in which he experienced his greatest success were incredibly low.
Samoan Savage
Umaga's return to WWE in April 2006 left many fans questioning Vince McMahon's decision to give him the push that he did. Under face paint and described as a Samoan savage, he looked very much like an ugly stereotype, not to mention a cartoon character straight out of McMahon's Rock and Wrestling Era.
He was not incredibly impressive early on, wrestling nondescript squash matches against the likes of the legendary "Nature Boy" Ric Flair and Eugene, but something happened as the weeks and months progressed. The more he worked with main event level talent, the better he was.
His series with Jeff Hardy for the intercontinental championship restored credibility to that title. Umaga was the super heavyweight destroyer who tossed the much smaller Hardy around the squared circle, pummeling him en route to victory.
Over his three-year run as Umaga, he and Hardy would have a series of outstanding matches, including a Falls Count Anywhere match at the 2008 One Night Stand pay-per-view.
John Cena and the WWE Championship
The undefeated Samoan Bulldozer entered 2007 riding a wave of momentum. Not only had he elevated his game, he had earned a significant push that saw him feuding with John Cena over the WWE Championship as the new year dawned.
At January's New Year's Revolution pay-per-view, the unstoppable force met the immovable object, with Cena emerging victorious and putting an end to his rival's win streak.
Weeks later, Cena defended his WWE title against Umaga in a Last Man Standing match at the Royal Rumble.
The two battered and brutalized each other in an outstanding match that saw Umaga bloody Cena and repeatedly have him on the verge of losing his championship. As he would become known for doing over the next decade, Cena overcame the odds and proved himself one to never give up, using the displaced ring ropes to choke his opponent out.
It was the culmination of an outstanding feud that not only cemented Cena's toughness in the eyes of the fans, but also elevated Umaga to the top of the card.
WrestleMania 23 and the Battle of the Billionaires
On the heels of his monumental showing at the Royal Rumble, Umaga was catapulted into one of the biggest matches of the year when he represented Vince McMahon in the Battle of the Billionaires with Donald Trump. His opponent at the WrestleMania 23 showdown? Bobby Lashley, a young star likeUmaga who had enjoyed a tremendous push to begin the year.
On the biggest stage either of them would ever compete on, they battled to preserve the ego and hair of their billionaire.
By night's end, Umaga would suffer yet another loss, falling to the spear from Lashley.
Despite the loss, his appearance in a match that helped make WrestleMania 23 the most-watched pay-per-view in WWE history (to that point) only further solidified his status as one of the elite performers in the industry.
Feud With Triple H
Umaga capped off a career year in 2007 by feuding with Triple H.
At No Mercy in October, he suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of The Game, a loss that threatened to derail his momentum. Weeks later, at the Cyber Sunday pay-per-view, he again clashed with the King of Kings, this time in a Street Fight.
Despite a tremendous effort in a fantastic match, Umaga again lost.
It was further proof of a resistance by WWE Creative to put the young star over the established stars the likes of Cena and Triple H.
Unfortunately, it is a pattern that persists to this day.
The End
During his last year with WWE, Umaga feuded with the likes of CM Punk and the aforementioned Jeff Hardy. He even battled Batista at WrestleMania 24 in a war between Raw and SmackDown.
Unfortunately, Umaga would never again return to the heights that he did earlier in his stint with the company. A torn PCL put him out of action late in 2008 and by the time he returned, those demons spoken of earlier had reared their ugly heads.
By June, he was released from his WWE contract.
Six months later, the wrestling world was stunned by the announcement of his untimely death.
Legacy
Umaga's legacy lives on in his nephews Jimmy and Jey Uso, both of whom credit their uncle with getting them into wrestling and, more importantly, WWE, as they revealed during a WWE Network production.
One of the most gifted big men to ever step foot inside a squared circle, Umaga was the type of worker who most fans could trust to deliver a quality contest more times than not. A phenomenal athlete whose work with Cena and Triple H will live on in the annals of WWE history, easily accessed by the company's revolutionary network for fans to watch whenever they please.
A performer whose influence can be seen in Rusev, who combines athleticism and size the same way Umaga did before him, the massive Samoan star is one whose contributions will only become more and more respected and appreciated as the years pass by.
