Over the subsequent years prior to his sudden meteoric rise to WWE fame, Eckmo wrestled for many of my favorite promotions. He appeared frequently in the XW-2000 shows that rivaled PWA and wowed audiences up and down our coast with his atheleticism and dedication to entertaining fans everywhere he went.
There were times when he and I were in the same venue, he to wrestle, I set up at a table doing my thing. He always made it a point to stop by and offer me a handshake or a word of acknowledgement. Truth be told, it wasn't just me. Eckmo enjoyed fans - he enjoyed people and he was never afraid to show it, whether slapping the hand of a kid, hugging a lady or making an old man feel more important than he actually was.
That was Eckmo - first and foremost, he was a great guy.
Then came WWE and fame and fortune and worldwide recognition. No one I can think of deserved the world-wide spotlight than the two earnest hard working Samoan youngsters from Pensacola. How proud it made me that my friends made it to "the show." Matt and Eckie, Rosie and Jamal (right) - so light they could bump a 90 year old woman, yet so devastating they could cut a swath through the toughest tag teams on the planet.
Then, they went away.
Matt stayed in the WWE as "Super Hero In Training" for a while. I never liked that gimmick personally. I felt that it diminished the talent and heritage Matt brought to the ring. But Vince gets his way and doesn't ask me for permission.
Eckmo, meantime, dropped off the wrestling radar for a while, only to re-emerge as Umaga - this incredible Samoan fighting machine. He burst back onto the WWE scene like a bulldozer in an egg factory. His gimmick and the style and charisma that went with it was just incredible. He was simply invincible. His meteoric rise was enough to get me back to WWE TV for a while and I enjoyed every moment of it all.
But "up" is 50% of "down."
Eckmo was injured on several occasions. Pro wrestling is not pillow making. It is a rough and tumble world where the slightest mistake can hospitalize you and big errors can kill you. Pro wrestling hurts. Big hurts or small, it is still pain and you can only suck up so much of it.
Eckmo was released from WWE, "for violation of the wellness policy" we, the public were told in typical WWE mumblespeak. He had reached the end of his WWE "push" and went home to Houston, where he had chosen to live and raise his family.
There were other gigs. Japan, I am told, where he performed spectacularly. Other places I know not much about because it was his life - his career and there was so much of it that only his closer friends could keep up.
Most recently, Eckmo, as Umaga toured Australia with Hogan and Flair. Great company to keep as a young wrestler and he deserving of peerdom with them. He was successful in that as with everything else he did. He was a good man and an inspiration to others in his profession.
At age 36, Eckmo died today. Rushed to a Houston area hospital, he had been sitting, watching TV in his house when his wife found him not breathing, bleeding from the nose and unresponsive. Shortly after that, relatives were notified, life support was disconnected and just like that a great soul departed.
From Bay City Blues in Pensacola, to the WWIWC arena in Mobile, to The XW-2000 shows at the Pensacola Fairgrounds and beyond, Eckmo entertained thousands - then at the WWE and beyond, millions. He was a man who always knew what he wanted and always lived life on his terms.
Eckmo Fatu was my friend.
I miss him very much.
Goodbye Eddie. You inspired me.
Then, they went away.
Matt stayed in the WWE as "Super Hero In Training" for a while. I never liked that gimmick personally. I felt that it diminished the talent and heritage Matt brought to the ring. But Vince gets his way and doesn't ask me for permission.
Eckmo, meantime, dropped off the wrestling radar for a while, only to re-emerge as Umaga - this incredible Samoan fighting machine. He burst back onto the WWE scene like a bulldozer in an egg factory. His gimmick and the style and charisma that went with it was just incredible. He was simply invincible. His meteoric rise was enough to get me back to WWE TV for a while and I enjoyed every moment of it all.
But "up" is 50% of "down."
Eckmo was injured on several occasions. Pro wrestling is not pillow making. It is a rough and tumble world where the slightest mistake can hospitalize you and big errors can kill you. Pro wrestling hurts. Big hurts or small, it is still pain and you can only suck up so much of it.
Eckmo was released from WWE, "for violation of the wellness policy" we, the public were told in typical WWE mumblespeak. He had reached the end of his WWE "push" and went home to Houston, where he had chosen to live and raise his family.
There were other gigs. Japan, I am told, where he performed spectacularly. Other places I know not much about because it was his life - his career and there was so much of it that only his closer friends could keep up.
Most recently, Eckmo, as Umaga toured Australia with Hogan and Flair. Great company to keep as a young wrestler and he deserving of peerdom with them. He was successful in that as with everything else he did. He was a good man and an inspiration to others in his profession.
At age 36, Eckmo died today. Rushed to a Houston area hospital, he had been sitting, watching TV in his house when his wife found him not breathing, bleeding from the nose and unresponsive. Shortly after that, relatives were notified, life support was disconnected and just like that a great soul departed.
From Bay City Blues in Pensacola, to the WWIWC arena in Mobile, to The XW-2000 shows at the Pensacola Fairgrounds and beyond, Eckmo entertained thousands - then at the WWE and beyond, millions. He was a man who always knew what he wanted and always lived life on his terms.
Eckmo Fatu was my friend.
I miss him very much.
Goodbye Eddie. You inspired me.
