The Anoa’i family has had a great influence on the history of professional wrestling. Many Samoan legends from this family have made a name in the sport.
One of those legendary names from the Anoa’i family is the late WWE superstar Umaga. He passed away on December 4th, 2009, and a recent tribute on RAW made fans nostalgic about his great WWE run.
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In the recent episode of RAW, The Enforcer of The Bloodline Solo Sikoa, paid a tribute to late wrestler Umaga. The former North American Champion used Umaga’s move ‘The Samoan Spike’ on Matt Riddle.
They set the match between Kevin Owens and Matt Riddle vs The Usos for the Undisputed Tag Team Titles. After the match, a brawl started between Owens, Riddle, and The Usos.
The Prizefighter brought a chair and went to attack The Usos and Sami Zayn, leaving the Bro in the ring. Thus, Sikoa entered and attacked Riddle, paying a tribute to ‘The Samoan Bulldozer’.
WWE shared the video on Twitter writing, “.@SuperKingofBros just got bulldozed by @WWESoloSIkoa on #WWERaw!”
.@SuperKingofBros just got bulldozed by @WWESoloSIkoa on #WWERaw! pic.twitter.com/BGJ1aZRuF8
— WWE (@WWE) December 6, 2022
Edward Smith Fatu returned to WWE by the end of 2005 as Umaga and quickly cemented himself. He had an undefeated streak until No Way Out in 2007, when he was pinned by John Cena.
However, his stock didn’t decrease as he was a part of WrestleMania 24, Vince McMahon’s handpicked opponent in ‘The Battle of Billionaires’. He also won the Intercontinental Championship twice and was a major star until WWE released him in 2009.
Wrestling universe became nostalgic seeing Solo Sikoa paying homage to Umaga
The Samoan Bulldozer was a wrecking machine in WWE. He surely made his presence in professional wrestling and fans loved his character. Furthermore, his passing away saddened many fans at the time and this tribute surely made fans happy. They shared their reactions on Twitter.
Sikoa makes fans remember Umaga in RAW.
On the anniversary of Umaga's death. Classic
— Kaunda joshua (@GodfatherKaunda) December 6, 2022
I love that Solo Sikoa did the Samoan Spike in tribute to the late great Umaga pic.twitter.com/Dednr06Y8g
— GV Wrestling ✨ (@gv_wrestling2) December 6, 2022
Awesome tribute to Umaga by Solo Sikoa. "The Samoan Bulldozer" passed away on December 4th 2009, he should be in the WWE Hall of Fame by now… #Umaga #RIPUmaga #TheBloodline #WWE #WWERaw pic.twitter.com/I3q3OzddtP
— Raphael Wilson (@089968Raph___) December 6, 2022
As a kid who used to watch Umaga wrestle, I marked out when Solo Sikoa hit the Samoan spike. What a tribute! pic.twitter.com/iqMJ1n3iSq
— Eduardo Morales (@Eduardo_Refugio) December 6, 2022
A respectful tribute to the Samoan Bulldozer.
That Samoan Spike💪🏽 Love the way Solo channels and pays tribute to Umaga✊🏽
— Dick Drainers (@dickdrainersXXX) December 6, 2022
SAMOAN SPIKE, BULLDOZED, THE SCREECH, ALL TRIBUTES TO THE ONE AND ONLY BIG UCE #Umaga!!! #RIPUmaga #WWERaw #Raw pic.twitter.com/iYWNg2oS3u
— MJC (@itsMalcolmCaise) December 6, 2022
Solo Sikoa just won the hearts of the WWE Universe!
Loved the Umaga tribute from Solo! pic.twitter.com/nnCAgVPtTs
— Wayne Bumpass (@WayneBumpass) December 6, 2022
That was a sweet, very classy tribute by Solo Sikoa. 🙏🩸☝️ pic.twitter.com/LGmo6qBiUK
— Elijah Lovato (@elijah_lovato02) December 6, 2022
Nostalgic moments for the fans after seeing Sikoa using the Samoan Spike
HOLY SHIT brought me back! pic.twitter.com/62eHJkdcg5
— bigSLIME (@403xo) December 6, 2022
That Samoan Spike was a thing of beauty from Solo!!! Had me marking out like crazy! Great tribute to Umaga
— Adam Melluso (@AMellusoSports) December 6, 2022
Nice tribute to one of the best big men in WWE history Umaga! 🙏 pic.twitter.com/twLNyQbxAw
— KENNEDY!!!!! (@PinnacleEnder) December 6, 2022
Clearly, this homage made the fans feel good, and they appreciated Sikoa for the same.
Umaga wrestled in WWE before becoming The Samoan Bulldozer
Fatu joined WWE in 2001 under developmental contract. Many WWE superstars try different gimmicks before landing to one prime character. Similarly, Umaga named Jamal made his main roster debut in the July 2002 episode of RAW as 3-Minute Warning with his partner Rosey.
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The 3-Minute Warning was a personal hired enforcer of Eric Bischoff who attacked random stars who failed to entertain him in three minutes. This tag team lasted till 2003, when WWE released Fatu from his contract.
Watch this Story: The Most Extreme Moments in WWE Monday Night Raw History!