Rikishi remembers brother Umaga on his 12th death anniversary
December 4th marked the 12th death anniversary of Umaga, who, during his prime, was considered one of the most fearsome heels in the WWE.
Rikishi posted a brief yet heartfelt post on Twitter remembering his brother.
Check out the WWE Hall of Famer's tweet below:
On this day Dec 4 2009 🙏🏾 my brother ( RIP ) https://t.co/nI5RBGW9Ib
Armando Estrada, Umaga's former manager, also posted a classic photo from their WWE run:
https://t.co/wruZ5hDaWe
Umaga, previously known as Jamal from his first WWE stint, passed away due to a heart attack caused by the acute toxicity of several substances found in his system.
The former WWE Intercontinental Champion was 36 years old at the time of his death, which sadly happened only a few months after his WWE release.
Umaga's high-profile WWE career
While Umaga, real name Edward Fatu, never won the world title in WWE, the Samoan wrestler had matches with some of the biggest superstars of his generation and was booked to be dominant in most of them.
Umaga first joined WWE in 2001 and was put in a tag team with cousin Rosey, collectively known as the 3-Minute Warning.
Umaga left WWE in 2003 after reportedly gaining a reputation for being reckless in the ring. He briefly worked in Japan before returning to WWE a couple of years later.
WWE repackaged Fatu as Umaga and pushed him to have a memorable undefeated streak that saw him overcome the likes of John Cena, Triple H, and other established superstars.
🙏 https://t.co/XENsElV4X9
Umaga continued to wrestle for WWE until 2009 when he worked his last match for the company at Extreme Rules in a Samoan Strap Match against CM Punk.
Umaga violated WWE's Wellness Policy on two occasions and refused to enter a rehabilitation program, which compelled the promotion to terminate his contract. The two-time Intercontinental Champion wrestled a few matches on the indie circuit before his untimely death in December.
Fans who watched WWE during the 2000s have fond memories of Umaga's barbaric heel character and incredible in-ring agility. You can share your memories of the late, great legend in the comments section below.