Remembering Eddie "Umaga" Fatu

Friday Dec 4/2009 became a day of sadness as my friend and colleague Eddie "Umaga" Fatu was killed by a massive heart attack. Eddie had just returned home from two amazing weeks in Australia. He was performing in 4 huge shows on the Hulkamania tour. The tour ended on a very high note only to be followed by heavy hearts a few days later.

I first met Eddie back in 2000 in Memphis TN. The first thing that struck me about Eddie was his calm and cool demeanor. He rarely raised his voice and was always full of confidence. Like many from his Samoan family, he knew he had talent coming out the wazoo, yet never seemed arrogant or conceited. He kept himself in check at all times. Smart, warm hearted, caring, ambitious and strong are just a few of Eddies human traits which helped him excel. Eddie was a top caliber athlete and entertainer through and through.

The professional athlete and entertainer named Eddie "Umaga" Fatu made his mark in WWE as a top ranking talent until June 2009 when a disagreement with WWE finally put Umaga on the chopping block. Fast forward to November 2009 and Eddie found himself on a new airliner called V-Australia, headed down under for 2 weeks of the huge Hulkamania tour. During those two weeks down under, I spent a lot of time with Umaga as did many of the talent on the tour. Everyone on this tour had a ton of fun and the fans got what they paid for. The best talent in the world performing for some of the best fans in the world. Umaga was no exception. The tour went off without a hitch and the last night of the tour, Umaga made a statement. Ken Anderson(formely Ken Kennedy) vs Umaga was one of the best single matches I have ever seen these two perform in. Both Ken and Eddie told a tremendous story inside the ring. They had the fans by the nads so to speak. And the finish was without a doubt, awe inspiring. Nothing fancy, but with the captivating story of the match, the finish was amazing. Both received a standing ovation from the Aussie's and from the rest of the talent back stage. I remember giving Eddie a hug after the match and telling him how great that match was. Eddie being the perfectionist that he was, still asked if there was anything I saw that could have been better. I told Eddie that was the best match I have ever seen from him. And Eddie always had great matches. Umaga had the best match of his life that night and it would be his last. What a way to exit stage right.

PS: Eddie was married with children whom he loved very much. Please say a prayer for Eddie and his family. Gods speed Eddie!

Sean "The Freetarian" Morley