"The Samoan Bulldozer" Umaga (real name Eddie Fatu) was released late Monday by World Wrestling Entertainment. Umaga's departure comes after two straight losses to CM Punk, the latter of which occurred just the previous day in a pay-per-view Samoan strap match.
The release of the Smackdown star comes just 10 days after the also surprising departure of Mr. Kennedy but with even less of an obvious explanation. While Kennedy's recurrent injuries and a final match issue with Randy Orton paved the way for his departure, there is no known obvious circumstance that would have led to Umaga's release.
Umaga has had injury issues but not to the same degree as Kennedy. His work as a savage big man character just below the upper card level has virtually never been criticized. In fact, with Umaga just recently being allowed to talk, there were avenues for expansion of his character that will now go unexplored.
The only thing that I can speculate at this point about the reasoning for this is that it could be the start of a far ranging series of job cuts in WWE due to budget issues. With PPV buyrates coming in below WWE's expectations, we may not have the seen the last of surprising exits.
As for the now former Umaga, another stint in TNA couldn't possibly be more obvious as either an ally of Samoa Joe in a fully formed Nation of Violence stable or as an archrival. This skilled agile big man with WWE creds should have no problem finding work in TNA.
