Another member of the Anoa'i family, Umaga ran through the WWE like a runaway train between 2005 and 2009, powering through all of the competition in his wake. He never managed to convert his onslaught into a WWE Championship, but he was involved in a number of memorable feuds around the title, including a brutal Last Man Standing match with John Cena. In a similar way to Rusev, Umaga could only be controlled by his handler Armando Estrada. After he debuted the gimmick in 2006, it took almost a year for him to lose a match by pinfall or substitution. As with The Great Khali, it was Cena who broke his streak. Such was his success as a monster heel that Umaga was picked by Vince McMahon to represent him in the "Battle of the Billionaires" match against Bobby Lashley (representing Donald Trump) at WrestleMania 23. He continued to be involved in the Lashley vs McMahon feud in the subsequent months, though repeated losses to Lashley hurt his credibility as a monster heel. He experienced a brief face turn in 2007, but Umaga returned to his monster heel persona soon after and feuded with various top babyfaces, including CM Punk, before being dismissed due to Wellness Policy violations. He died due to multiple heart attacks in 2009.
Freelance film journalist and fan of professional wrestling. Usually found in a darkened screening room looking for an aisle seat and telling people to put away their mobile phones. Also known to do a bit of stand-up comedy, so I'm used to the occasional heckle.
