Former WWE superstar Rikishi was recently interviewed by Jason Clevett of Slam Sports about the unfortunate passing of his brother Eddie “Umaga” Fatu last year as well his sons the Uso twins, who made their debut on Monday’s RAW attacking the Hart Dynasty. Here are some highlights of what Rikishi said about:
Umaga’s Death: “It’s a great loss, not just for our personal lives, but also for professional wrestling as well, as the fans … You never expect to get a call like that. I’m having goosebumps right here sitting talking to you about it. My dealing with my brother’s loss was through the fans and the family. You would not believe how much heart, calls and emails, condolences from fans throughout the whole world. I was very proud of that.”
“Also to have so many people out of the business of wrestling, the Umaga character has touched everybody, good or bad,” Rikishi said. “It’s something that’s out of our hands. You never want it to happen to you personally. I’m very grateful that I had the last part of his life to spend with him in Australia. We had a heart to heart talk. We hadn’t seen each other in a while. With that note, everything was fantastic. So my heart is full, my heart is full. But I can only say this, I’m very sorry for the loss of professional wrestling, such a good wrestler.”
His Sons, The Uso Twins: “”You guys look out for them! They’re in a developmental deal now. What I told my boys was, ‘You guys have a lot of shoes to fill, but do what you feel comfortable with. Win the fans, win the match.’ They’re seeing why daddy walks through the door limping, don’t want to throw the football, don’t want to play basketball. But they’re going to find out first-hand.”
He added, “”I remember back in my day, doing indy shots here and there on the road, my kids seen me, how I was raised up in the business because they lived it with me. So anytime I’d see the Rotundas, Briscos, or any other third or second generation come into the business, to me, it’s a natural thing to do. I told both my sons, ‘I want to see you play NFL football, but you always have wrestling to fall back on.’ Obviously, they wanted to try the family business and try their hand at professional wrestling. Honestly, the world get ready, because you are about ready to see twice — when I say twice, twice the entertainment, twice the electricity, you’re about ready to see twice of The Rock!”
