Outline · [ Standard ] · Linear+ Wrestling Deaths...the continuing story, 5/9: Shibuya

[5toosweet]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Fatu

[aceecards]

hmmm

But Im not dead yet!

[jaderock]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Fatu

That last paragraph about today has changed 4-5 time already!

[jaderock]

It was confirmed ... Edward "Umaga" Fatu passed away around 6 p.m. Eastern time after suffering a second heart attack while in the hospital.

[booth9919]

Wow Thats sad

[osufan2383]

i mean i know he had a heart attack, but could it also be drug related. remember the guy had been suspended for roids and just got back frmo the hulkamania tour

[dodgerblue38501]

i mean i know he had a heart attack, but could it also be drug related. remember the guy had been suspended for roids and just got back frmo the hulkamania tour

The family released a statement mentioning that when more information was available they would release it to the public. The statement also mentioned that the family asks that their privacy be respected during this time and not to get caught up in some of the reports out there. Sadly, something about that just doesn't sound right.

[osufan2383]

i definitely think people will respect this situation. But i mean there definitely is something more than just a heart attack at play here. Sad situation though since he was such a talented person and only 38.

[ffman]

Just read about Umaga on IGN.

[aceecards]

man that is horrible

[osufan2383]

did anyone see tammy lynn sytchs comment got blown up by one of the dirt sheets

[dodgerblue38501]

did anyone see tammy lynn sytchs comment got blown up by one of the dirt sheets

I didn't hear about that. What did she say?

[osufan2383]

will these guys ever learn or something along those lines and people started reporting it. she has admitted she likes to mess around with the dirt sheet guys at times, but not this time. Her husband died from the life so why would she

[osufan2383]

sadly another great died today dr death steve williams

[jaderock]

sadly another great died today dr death steve williams

Very sad news...I know his cancer came back and unfortunately it was not unexpected...he IS in my top 10 all time favorite!

--
Wrestling legend Steve Williams passes away

We are sorry to report the death of Steve "Dr. Death" Williams, an international star who was considered one of the top wrestlers in the world during the late 80s and early 90s, after a lengthy battle with cancer.

Williams, known in his heyday as one of the physically toughest men ever to compete in the industry, was 49. He passed away last night. He had been battling the disease for a number of years, first apparently beating it even with great odds against him. It came back this year and his health had worsened in the last few months.

Williams formed two of the world's best tag teams with the late Terry Gordy and with Ted DiBiase Sr., as well as a notable team with current WWE Vice President of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis. He was in particular a major star in the 90s for All Japan Pro Wrestling. He was recruited into pro wrestling by Bill Watts and was the 1982 Rookie of the Year.

Watts discovered him at the University of Oklahoma, where he was a star lineman on the football team and a four-time All-American heavyweight wrestler. Many of his peers in wrestling over the years had believed if he had not played college football and concentrated on wrestling, that he would have been a strong candidate for an Olympic gold medal in 1984 or 1988.

[dd316]

I literally just finished painting Williams on a signed jersey for a collector and mailed it off to him yesterday! I'll have pics up after he receives.

[aceecards]

I read it last night !

[dodgerblue38501]

I literally just finished painting Williams on a signed jersey for a collector and mailed it off to him yesterday! I'll have pics up after he receives.

Can't wait to see it! I followed "Doc" in the early - mid 80s during his stints in the UWF and NWA. By the time he came to WWE in the late 90s his best years were behind him. If you ever want to see pro wrestling at its finest, get some of his work from Japan as a tag team with Terry Gordy. I'm still waiting for Jim Ross to issue a statement as he and Williams were very close friends.

[jaderock]

The Harris County Medical Examiners office revealed the death of Edward Fatu, better known as Umaga, on 12/4, was from a heart attack caused by mixing three drugs.

Dan Morgan, the supervisory forensic investigar for Harris County, told Irv Muchnick in an e-mail, "The cause of death is acute toxicity due to combined effects of hydrocodone, carisoprodol and diazepam."

Hydrocodone would be better known as Vicodin, Carispoprodol is better known as somas, and diazepam is better known as Valium. All three are commonly used drugs by a number of pro wrestlers. Vicodin is used for pain killing, Somas as a muscle relaxer sleep aid and Valium for anxiety. They are also used as party drugs.

Fatu, who died at his home in Spring, TX, suffered a heart attack the night before that left him in bad shape, and a second heart attack in the hospital the next day. He was 36.

In June, he was released by WWE after a drug test failure and refusal to go to rehab. He died after returning from an Australian wrestling tour headlined by Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair. At the time of his death, both WWE and TNA were vying for his services and he had told people he had agreed to return to WWE.

[jaderock]

Angelo Poffo, the father of Randy Savage and Lanny Poffo, passed away this past night in his sleep at the age of 84.

Poffo wrestled for about 35 years after serving in the Navy during World War II. He was a major star in the late 50s when he was the transition of bringing the Chicago-based United States heavyweight title to Detroit while working for Jim Barnett. That was the forerunner of the Detroit version of the title that The Sheik and Dick the Bruiser dominated.

He often teamed with his sons when they were breaking into the business in the 70s. In the late 1970s, the family started a promotion based in Lexington, KY, which ran opposition to the Jerry Jarrett promotion, in one of the most heated promotional wars of the era. Randy was world champion for much of the run and Lanny was his biggest rival. In the early years it was never revealed they were brothers until the feud peaked and Lanny "broke the news," which was a huge angle at the time, with Savage going crazy.

In particular, the Poffo side would go on television and make fun of the more popular Jarrett wrestlers like Jerry Lawler and Bill Dundee, challenging them to real fights. With a crew of tough guys that included Randy Savage, Ron Garvin, Bob Orton Jr. and Bob Roop, there was no possible response from the Jarrett side, although the ICW was never able to rival the more popular Jarrett group. They also tried to same approach when running television in Alabama and bad mouthing the NWA wrestlers in that territory.

Eventually, the sides settled their differences, leading to Lawler vs. Savage matches which drew huge houses everywhere, including setting a record in Lexington, where the promotional war was its hottest.

Poffo was well known in wrestling for saving and investing his money in AT&T stock, and played off it in the ICW when he worked under a mask as The Miser.

Late in his career, he wore a ring jacket with the number 6,033 on the back, because at one time he set an all-time world record by doing 6,033 sit-ups without stopping.