Umaga’s Cause of Death
The autopsy report on Umaga has been finalized. It turns out that the former WWE star died from a lethal combination of painkillers, muscle relaxers, and anti-anxiety medication. Those items led to the 36 year old having a heart attack three months ago.
Update on Umaga’s Death
There is still no official cause of death for Edward "Umaga" Fatu because the toxicology reports still haven't came in.
ESPN Rips on Pro Wrestling / Roddy Piper’s Reaction to Umaga’s Death
ESPN writer Bill “The Sports Guy” Simmons ripped pro wrestling in his most recent column. Here’s what he wrote:
“If you think football is bad, check out pro wrestling. It might not be a real “sport,” but it combines every bad thing about every other sport. Steroids, painkillers and PEDs? Hell, yeah. Repeated concussions from chair shots? Absolutely. A union that doesn’t look out for its members? There is no wrestling union, so I’m going to say yes. Fixed outcomes and shady referees? You betcha. Athletes getting paralyzed or dropping dead? And then some. (Google “dead wrestlers” sometime. Your eyes will pop out of their sockets.) The “sport” is a disgrace. They eat these guys up and spit them out. My friend Sal is friends with Roddy Piper and happened to be eating dinner with him the night Umaga, a WWE wrestler, died. When Roddy heard the news, he just started crying. His attitude was, “Another one … and there’s going to be more … and nobody cares …”
WWE Fans Unhappy With WWE For Not Mentioning Umaga
The UK Sun has posted an article noting that UK fans were appalled by the fact that WWE did not acknowledge the recent death of Eddie "Umaga" Fatu during Raw this week. Below are several fan complaints noted in the article, and a WWE spokesperson in The UK issued the following response: "We are not able to provide comment or clarification on this story."
"The very least they should have done was give a minute for Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler to announce the news and pass on the condolences of the WWE to Mr Fatu's family.
"And there should have been a video tribute about his two significant runs with the company, regardless of him not being under contract with them or any problems they may have had in the past.
"A completely disrespectful and classless act."
Mick Foley Calls WWE “Heartless” For Not Acknowledging Umaga’s Death
In Mick Foley's latest TNA blog, he believes WWE looks heartless for not acknowledging the death of Eddie "Umaga" Fatu on TV this week or beyond a basic statement last Friday. “I know WWE has to protect themselves from a public relations standpoint, but from a human standpoint, they really should be doing a better job then just the three sentence standard, which always includes the date the deceased was terminated from their contract,” Foley said.
Based on his experience working for WWE, Foley said he doesn’t believe the people in the company don’t care, but the collective response from WWE reflects that conclusion. “I worked there a long time – I know that they’re not heartless,” he said. “But they sure sound that way in cases like this.”
Britney Spears Shared Umaga’s Last Flight
Britney Spears was one of the last people to spend time with wrestling superstar Umaga before he died. The pop singer bumped into the former WWE WrestleMania headliner when they shared a flight from Australia to America. Britney — now back in LA — remembered Umaga from a wrestling storyline he was part of with her ex-husband Kevin Federline and John Cena on Raw. She was returning from a series of concerts Down Under, where the grappler had also been in action as part of the Hulkamania tour. His last bout was on November 28 against Ken Anderson in Sydney.
The Wrestling Observer reports: “After the match, Fatu returned to the US on a flight with both Ric Flair and Britney Spears. “Spears recognised him even before Flair, telling him she knew him for when he worked with her ex-husband.” Umaga, real name Edward Fatu, died of a heart attack a week later, aged just 36. He was due to return to the WWE in January, subject to passing a drugs test. He was fired in June for falling foul of the company’s Wellness Policy and refusing to go to rehab. The WWE have been criticised by fans for not marking his passing at all on this week’s Raw.
There was no video tribute or graphic with many assuming that Vince McMahon’s group are trying to distance themselves from the large number of grapplers who have died young. However, some wrestlers — including Chris Jericho and Primo Colon — wore black armbands in Umaga’s honour.
Jim Ross Blog
Jim Ross has updated his blog over at JRsBarBQ.com and here are some highlights:
"Concussions are a big issue in sports today and let's not forget that pro wrestling/sports entertainment or whatever in the hell one wants to call it doesn't have the franchise on this dilemma. However, chair shots to the skull should be forbidden in wrestling. Period. End of story. Bottom line."
"Eddie Fatu's funeral services are later in the week in Las Vegas. If you want to send flowers or cards you can call the Davis Funeral Home at 702-736-6200."
"I do encourage all wrestling organizations to instill as stringent a testing program as is possible for concussions, heart issues, etc and to monitor how many days an individual is booked either monthly or annually. Plus, establishing a zero tolerance policy regarding drug abuse is a gimme. Being in the wrestling business should be a privilege not one's right. If one accepts the glory and money one can earn as a successful wrestler in a major company then they should have no issue being a good citizen and living a clean life."
Umaga Was Heading Back To The WWE
According to The Sun publication, Eddie "Umaga" Fatu was set to return to WWE by the end of the year or early 2010.
WWE officials confirmed to The Sun that Fatu would have been back on the roster had he passed a screening test. Fatu only had two strikes on his record when he was released by WWE this past June after refusing to enter a rehabilitation center following his second violation of the company's drug testing policy. Had he returned to the company, his previous two offenses would have remained.
In October, Umaga told colleagues that he was speaking to WWE about returning to the company. This was the reason he gave for pulling out of a previously scheduled 'shoot' interview filming.
Figure Four Weekly's Bryan Alvarez also reports that Hulk Hogan wanted to bring Fatu to TNA following the 'Hulkamania' tour of Australia. However, he told people there was no way he was going to TNA and that he was heading back to WWE once the tour had commenced.
One WWE source said they expected him to return by the Royal Rumble providing he passed his screening test.
Somber Mood At Raw / WWE Makes Video Package Honoring Umaga
Unlike most WWE wrestler related deaths in recent years, WWE has plans to showcase a video package this time around as a tribute honoring Edward "Umaga" Fatu is being prepared. Should the company decide against airing it on television this week, you can catch it on the official WWE website.
In related news, the mood backstage at RAW today in Dallas is said to be rather somber. Most figure it will be worse tomorrow as his closest friends were mostly on Smackdown. In particular, Charlie Haas and Cryme Tyme member Shad Gaspard were both described as "devastated" over his sudden death.
Eerie Piece of Trivia About Ken Anderson
In an eerie trivia note, both Eddie Guerrero and Umaga wrestled their final matches against Ken Anderson. Both grapplers would pass away mere days after facing the former Mr. Kennedy. On a somewhat related note, former WWE wrestler Armando Estrada wrestled his retirement match against Anderson last night in Milwaukee.
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