12 WWE Superstars Who Made It Big And Then Just Disappeared
9. Umaga
The Samoan Bulldozer never really was much more than a big threat, the guy WWE would trot out to give top-flight performers some serious competition. During his three-year run near the top of the card, Umaga battled John Cena, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Bobby Lashley, Batista and Jeff Hardy. He held the Intercontinental Championship twice. And probably most notably, he served as Vince McMahons charge against Donald Trumps Bobby Lashley in the Battle of the Billionaires at WrestleMania XXIII. Umaga might not have had the most impressive won-loss record in big matches, but the fact is, he was the go-to guy in the mid- to late 2000s for the monster opponent. Unfortunately, Umaga disappeared quickly from WWE in mid-2009 for a second wellness policy violation (and refusal to enter rehab), and he died a few months later. It was another tragic pro wrestling death attached to illicit drug use, and it was a talented, young big man who had the potential to still be performing at a high level today.
Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.
