Eddie Fatu
File:UMAGA2.jpg
Born	(1973-03-28) March 28, 1973 (age 51) Samoa
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	Ekmo Fatu O.G. Ekmo Ekmo Jamal Umaga
Billed height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)[1]
Billed weight	[undue weight? – discuss][1]
Billed from	The Isle of Samoa
Trained by	Afa Anoa'i
Debut	1995

Edward Umar Fatu (born March 28 1973) is a Samoan professional wrestler better known by his ring names Jamal, and currently Umaga. He is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment wrestling on the RAW brand, where he is the reigning Intercontinental Champion.

He frequently worked the independent circuit as a tag team with his cousin Matt Anoa'i (Kimo) as The Island Boyz, while using the name Ekmo.

Career

World Wrestling Entertainment

On the July 22, 2002 episode of WWE RAW, The Island Boyz made their debut as 3-Minute Warning. Fatu (using the name Jamal) and his cousin (going by Rosey) were (kayfabe) hired as General Manager Eric Bischoff's enforcers, attacking seemingly random wrestlers or non-wrestlers each week on his order.^[2] Fatu was released from his WWE contract in June 2003.^[3]

TNA and independent circuit

Fatu worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) for a short while after his WWE release under his old name, Ekmo,^[4] and later moved to All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) as a member of the Roughly Obsess & Destroy (RO&D) faction. Later, with Taiyō Kea, Fatu won the AJPW Unified World Tag Team Championship. He also challenged Satoshi Kojima for the Triple Crown.

Fatu also wrestled in many independent promotions during this time, including his brother Solofa's Nu-Wrestling Evolution. However, in December 2005, Fatu announced he would be returning to World Wrestling Entertainment and gave his notice to AJPW. His time in Japan was seen by many as a period of great improvement in his career, as he became a regular in main events and took on an aura of strength and credibility as a singles wrestler.

World Wrestling Entertainment

2005-2006

In December 2005, it was confirmed that WWE re-signed Fatu.^[5] A return of 3-Minute Warning was hinted at for many weeks with the team of Matt Anoai and Fatu competing in dark matches together before RAW;^[6] however, Rosey was released before the team could be brought back on the main show. On the April 3 2006, edition of RAW in Chicago, Illinois, Fatu made his re-debut using the name Umaga (a reference to the final part of the Samoan tattooing process, which is called Umaga and means "the end"^[7]), alongside his manager, the Cuban Armando Alejandro Estrada. When Estrada interrupted a Ric Flair promo he introduced his new client, Umaga, who proceeded to viciously attack Flair.^[8]

The 'destructive Samoan gimmick' is considered a throwback to many Samoan-based tag teams like The Wild Samoans, and The Headshrinkers and has drawn comparisons to 1980s gimmick Kamala the Ugandan Giant. Most of the matches Umaga participated in while establishing himself were squash matches against various jobbers; however, after competing in one of these squash matches, Ric Flair returned to attack him.^[9][10] Their mini-feud culminated with Umaga winning a match against Ric Flair at Backlash 2006.^[11]

At SummerSlam, Estrada offered (the undefeated) Umaga's services to The McMahons (Vince and Shane) to "take out" their D-Generation X (Shawn Michaels and Triple H) opponents during their match. When he made his way to the ring for his mission, however, he was attacked by Kane.^[12] The two of them feuded, alternating the upper hand back and forth, for the next two months until Umaga won a Loser Leaves RAW match, sending Kane off of the brand.^[13] Their feud continued, however, at Cyber Sunday where Kane was again defeated by Umaga after fans selected him over Chris Benoit and The Sandman to be Umaga's opponent for the night.^[14]

2007

Umaga, still undefeated, was then named #1 contender for John Cena's WWE Championship and began challenging him for it, only to eventually lose to him at New Year's Revolution by roll-up, ending his streak.^[15] After Estrada played down Cena's victory a fluke, claiming Umaga was in cruise control for the whole match until the very end, a Last Man Standing rematch was signed for the Royal Rumble.^[16] On a RAW between the two pay-per-views, Umaga attacked Cena (kayfabe) injuring his spleen and putting the match in jeopardy.^[17] When Cena refused to seek medical treatment for fear of a medical suspension which could lead to him being forced to forfeit the belt, the match proceeded as planned with Cena picking up the win after choking Umaga with the STFU with a ring rope that Estrada loosened earlier in the match.^[18]

Umaga won his first championship in WWE on February 19 2007, defeating Jeff Hardy to claim the WWE Intercontinental Championship.^[19]

Umaga then began a feud with ECW World Champion Bobby Lashley after Umaga was chosen by Vince McMahon for the Battle of the Billionaires match at WrestleMania 23 and Bobby Lashley was chosen by Donald Trump.^[20] At WrestleMania 23, Lashley defeated Umaga despite interference by Vince's son, Shane.^[21] On April 16, Lashley helped a planted fan, Santino Marella, defeat Umaga in a No Holds Barred match for the Intercontinental Championship.^[22] His manager, Armando Estrada, was injured after Lashley attacked Estrada on ECW.^[23] At Backlash, Umaga, Shane, and Vince McMahon defeated Bobby Lashley in a handicap match, making Vince the new ECW World Champion.^[24] At Judgment Day 2007, Mr. McMahon, Shane McMahon and Umaga faced Lashley in a 3 on 1 handicap rematch, which Lashley won, but since he pinned Shane McMahon instead of Mr. McMahon, Mr. McMahon remained the champion.^[25] At One Night Stand, Lashley defeated Mr. McMahon for the ECW World Championship, despite interference from Umaga and Shane McMahon.^[26] On the June 18 edition of RAW, it was announced that Umaga would face off against Santino Marella, the man who beat him for WWE Intercontinental title, at Vengeance.^[27] At Vengeance, Umaga lost when the referee stopped the match after he refused to cease leveling Marella with punches. Umaga finished Marella off with a splash and a Samoan Spike.^[28] On July 2, 2007, Umaga beat Santino Marella in a rematch and won the Intercontinental title for the second time.^[29]

In wrestling

• Finishing moves
  • Samoan Spike (Asiatic Spike)
  • Wild Samoan Splash / Flying Sausage (Top rope stretch out splash)
  • Top rope Samoan drop - 2002
  • Wild Samoan Drop (Gorilla press into a Samoan drop)
  • Samoan Wrecking Ball (Running hip attack to the head of an opponent seated and leaning against the bottom turnbuckle)
  • Swinging side slam
  • Throat thrust
  • Running headbutt drop to the head of an opponent held in the tree-of-woe position
  • Reverse STO
  • Diving headbutt
  • Turnbuckle powerbomb, usually preceded by an elevated three-quarter double arm choke
  • Giant swing, occasionally into an object such as ring steps or a barricade

• Managers
  • Armando Alejandro Estrada
  • Shane McMahon
  • Vince McMahon

• Nicknames
  • During Fatu's time as Umaga, he has gone by the nicknames "Samoan Wrecking Machine" and "Samoan Smashing Machine", both of which are believed (by some) to be parodies of "Samoan Submission Machine"; the nickname of Samoa Joe, before being given the more consistent nickname of the "Samoan Bulldozer".
  • In AJPW, he was known as the "Samoan Typhoon", to go along with tag partner Taiyo Kea's nickname of "Hawaiian Tornado".

Championships and accomplishments

• All Japan Pro Wrestling
  • AJPW Unified World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Taiyō Kea
  • World's Strongest Tag Team League (2004) - with Taiyō Kea
• Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling / World Entertainment Wrestling
  • FMW/WEW Hardcore Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Matt Anoa'i
• Hawai'i Championship Wrestling
  • HCW Kekaulike Heritage Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Taiyō Kea
• Heartland Wrestling Association
  • HWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Kimo
• Memphis Championship Wrestling
  • MCW Southern Tag Team Championship (3 times) - with Kimo
• World Wrestling Entertainment
  • WWE Intercontinental Championship (2 times, current)

References

External links

• WWE Profile