One MIND-BLOWING Secret From Every WWE Royal Rumble

2010 - Umaga Was Meant To Re-Debut

Edward Smith ‘Umaga’ Fatu was an excellent monster heel. He played a throwback savage, but transcended the limitations of the gimmick and somehow made a caricature believable. He was intense, impressively dynamic given his gargantuan frame, and his stuff looked outright nasty. He was consistently awesome, when motivated, and was part of one of the very best WWE matches ever: his violent war against John Cena at Royal Rumble 1997.

He passed away on December 4, 2009, as a result of a heart attack incited by acute toxicity resulting from the combined effects of hydrocodone, carisoprodol, and diazepam. He was just 36 years old. To the disgust of many, his death was ignored on WWE television, not acknowledged with a ten bell salute, nor the bare minimum of a memorial graphic.

Fans inferred that, since Umaga’s drug use had contributed to his death, WWE wanted to disassociate itself from him. It could be interpreted as yet another indictment on the promotion, from which he had been released because he was considered a disciplinary liability. The weird and sad thing is that Umaga was in fact associated with the company, or very close to it.

According to the December 4, 2009 Observer, Umaga had reached an agreement to return to WWE, “where he was scheduled to debut at or around Royal Rumble time”.

Hulk Hogan wanted him to go to TNA, but Umaga told Hogan that he felt “a degree of loyalty” to Triple H and Stephanie McMahon - which makes the lack of acknowledgement even more grim in retrospect.