Solo Sikoa Reveals Who Pitched Recent Tribute To Former WWE Star

Solo Sikoa recently paid tribute to a fallen family member, just one day removed from the 13th anniversary of his death.

On December 4, 2009, former WWE Intercontinental Champion Umaga passed away from a heart attack. It was a heartbreaking loss for the Anoaʻi family. On the December 5 episode of "Raw," Umaga's nephew Solo Sikoa honored his late uncle by performing his finishing move, the Samoan Spike, on Matt Riddle. The attack followed The Usos' victory over Riddle and Kevin Owens.

In an interview with the "New York Post," Sikoa revealed that WWE's Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque pitched the tribute spot.

"The idea came from Hunter (Levesque)," Sikoa said. "I think it was Paul Heyman's idea, too, so Hunter wanted to run it by me. He goes, 'I know your uncle was a big part of your guys' family. I know what he meant to you guys. I wanted to ask you if you would be OK using the spike?'"

Sikoa initially expressed some apprehension, stating that he wanted to "stay away from it because that's his thing." Eventually, Levesque convinced Sikoa to execute the idea.

"He was like, 'I know he passed away and yesterday was his anniversary,' which was a Sunday and the next day was Raw. He goes, 'I think it will be cool if you pay a tribute to him on TV by using the spike.' I was like, 'You know what man? Yeah, let's do it.'"

Upon confirmation of the plan, Sikoa admitted he "got emotional" over it.

"For those who don't remember who Umaga was, now I'm about to refresh their memory. It was a pretty cool moment for me to pay tribute to him."