Former WWE Star Reminisces About Working With Late Anoa'i Family Member Umaga

Late WWE star Umaga was a terror to behold back in his prime, and much like his nickname suggested, "The Samoan Bulldozer," bulldozed his way through practically every star who dared to stand on the opposite side of him in the ring. However, behind the scenes, Eddie Fatu was beloved, and according to his former manager, Armando Alejandro Estrada, he was an impressive athlete that never got his deserved run.

"Taken far too soon, 36 years old, he left four young children and a wife behind," Estrada recalled on "Busted Open Radio." "I truly believe that the performer never got to shine as much as he could've." Estrada then suggested that fans should look at old YouTube videos of Umaga's work in Japan to truly see him at his best. "He was intense — and again, this is a guy that was probably going at 60/70% speed."

Estrada then noted how he wishes they had a longer run together, and reminded the listeners that they were only paired for a year but were on every single live event. "If he liked you, you were good. If he didn't like you? Run," the veteran noted while recalling Umaga's intensity.

John Cena was one of the best rivals Umaga ever had across his WWE run, as their rivalry pitted a monster heel against a consummate babyface, but according to Armando Estrada, while they would've always clashed in the end, the original plan looked a bit differently. 

"The plan was to build him up old school — nine months — before him and Cena touched," Estrada claimed. "Their first match was in Rockford, Illinois, and they went six minutes (...) bell-to-bell." Estrada recalled that three weeks after this, the men fought at a pay-per-view. "Before that they were doing 30 minutes on live events and just killing it, I mean ... the chemistry!"

Estrada further recalled how great his chemistry with Umaga was despite having very little history with the late star before they joined forces. "The day we debuted in Chicago, I actually picked him up the night before in Chicago," he recalled. "And that was like the first time I got to spend time with him. Twenty four hours before we walked out on "Monday Night Raw" together."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio," and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.