Umaga was one of the most intimidating characters in WWE history, but his son Zilla Fatu just revealed something about his father’s famous face paint that fans probably never knew. Apparently, some of those intimidating looks weren’t creative decisions at all — Umaga was just running late.
During the November 11 edition of Busted Open After Dark, Fatu joined Bully Ray to discuss his father’s wrestling career and the memories he still carries with him. Bully asked Fatu to share something personal about Umaga that wrestling fans might not know, and the answer caught him completely off guard.
According to Fatu, whenever his father showed up to certain wrestling events with only half his face painted, it wasn’t necessarily because he wanted to change his appearance. He simply didn’t have enough time to finish the job before arriving at the building.
“Man, it was, uh, it’s really something small, but I don’t think the world knows. So if you see Umaga anywhere on a loop show or a dark show or whatever, with half the face paint, that means he got in late and he tried to get to the venue really early. So guess what he did on the way to the venue? He was doing the paint and, and you know, he never did the face, the full face paint is because he was late. I think the world, you guys don’t know that. So if you guys go double back and you watch some of my dad’s matches and you see him with sometimes with half the face paint, it’s because the man is running late. And, you know, he didn’t get to the venue on time.”
Bully Ray, who worked alongside Umaga during his wrestling career, admitted that he had absolutely no idea. He always assumed the different face-paint designs were simply part of Umaga’s creativity.
“I had no idea about that. I just thought he was being creative. He wasn’t, he was late.”
Fatu then revealed that his mother wasn’t exactly thrilled about Umaga’s habit of cutting things close. She would get on his case about leaving early and making sure he arrived at the venue on time.
“Yeah, my mom was on his ass. Mama shout out to Mama Zilla. She was on his ass. And she was like, come on, come on. You gotta tighten up. You gotta get there early. He was like, nah, nah.”
The story gave fans a completely different look at the man behind one of WWE’s most feared characters. Umaga was known for his aggressive presentation, intense facial expressions, and distinctive face paint, but behind the scenes, he apparently had a habit of keeping everyone waiting.
Fatu also discussed how much he learned from watching his father’s matches after losing him at a young age. He specifically pointed to Umaga’s facial expressions and ability to communicate emotion without saying a word as qualities he’s trying to incorporate into his own wrestling career.
That influence is especially important now that Fatu is establishing himself in WWE NXT. As Ringside News previously covered, John Cena recently honored Umaga while personally inviting his son into the John Cena Classic, giving Fatu another opportunity to carry on his father’s legacy.
What do you think about Zilla Fatu revealing the secret behind some of Umaga’s face-paint designs? Did you ever notice him wrestling with only half his face painted? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
