One of the greatest Samoan wrestlers to step in the ring, Umaga had made a splash in ECW due to his size and skills. The former Intercontinental Champion has been in the ring with the likes of Jeff Hardy, Bobby Lashley, and Randy Orton.
His career took a downturn due to multiple violations of the WWE Wellness Policy until he was finally released in June 2009 after refusing rehabilitation.
Umaga died of acute toxicity that same year in December. He overdosed on multiple substances and medical reports even revealed that he was suffering from heart and liver problems. The real-life Edward Smith is succeded by four children with his wife L.T. Fatu. One of them, Zilla Fatu, had a troubled past.
Umaga’s Son Zilla Fatu
Zilla Fatu is a professional wrestler just like his father. He trained under the legendary wrestler Booker T in the Reality of Wrestling promotion since December 2022.
On July 15, 2023, Zilla made his wrestling debut and defeated Johnny Lyons after using his father’s famous finisher, Samoan Spike. The move is also used by Solos Sikoa in WWE.
It was a long time coming for Zilla. Unlike the other younger members of the Samoan family, he had to face some problems before his wrestling debut.
Zilla Fatu was sentenced to six years in the Texas State Penitentiary in 2016. He was charged with aggravated robbery at the mere age of 15. The juvenile was released in March 2022.
Zilla also spent some time in the Clemens Unit in Texas. According to Sportskeeda, his life behind bars made him acquainted with books and he has a dog named Nina.
Zilla Fatu is also related to Roman Reigns and Jey Uso, being their cousin, although he supports Jey over Reigns for the upcoming Tribal Combat at SummerSlam 2023.