'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Between the years 2006-2009, Umaga was one of the most dominant wrestlers in WWE. Even though the Samoan wrestler never won a World Championship, his in-ring skills were top-notch, and his matches were entertaining too. This led to the late wrestler being part of many memorable moments.
While Umaga tragically passed away in 2009, his legacy continues to live on. Along with remembering him as a top-level wrestler, fans and colleagues also remember him as a good person. Recently, on a podcast, former WWE referee Mike Chioda was asked to share his favorite memory of the late wrestler.
Chioda responded to this request by narrating a story where WWE threatened to fine Umaga for a bizarre reason. Speaking about the incident, the former referee said:
"I remember me, Johnny Stamboli, Rey Mysterio, and Ekie in the car and we're driving down. Ekie's got a — he's started this Umaga thing with the paint and all that stuff. So he'd go to TVs and have one of the guys paint his face all the time. We're in the car on the way to a live event, I remember Johnny [Ace] calling him. He says, 'Ek, you didn't wear your face paint last night at the live event.' Ek's like, 'Yeah, Johnny, I put it on the TVs.' 'You gotta start putting it on now or else you're gonna get fined.' He was like, 'What?'" [H/T Wrestling INC]
Mike Chioda further added that they had to stop at a couple of places to get markers, and the referee helped Umaga paint his face with them. He also mentioned that the markers did not come off for three days.
Umaga's in-ring legacy is being continued by his son
Even though the WWE Universe will never get to see Umaga wrestle again, they might be able to see his son compete inside a WWE ring soon. The late wrestler's son, Zilla Fatu, like his father, has taken to wrestling and made his much-anticipated debut in July.
After training under Booker T for quite a while, Fatu made his debut with the former's promotion, Reality of Wrestling. In his professional wrestling debut, Fatu took on Jonny Lyons and registered a dominant victory. The Samoan wrestler impressed many fans with his performance inside the ring.
While many expected to see more of Zilla Fatu in Reality of Wrestling, he recently parted ways with the promotion. As per Booker T, Fatu will now pursue a career on the independent circuit. Even though the indie scene will be tough initially, if he can survive it, Fatu could soon be seen in WWE.
Given that the ongoing Bloodline storyline has received so much attention from the fans, at some point, WWE could consider adding Zilla Fatu to their roster and make him a part of the storyline. If this happens, it will be interesting to see how he performs at the big stage.
