So Umanga is going to have a charecter change

[GD]

From the front page of tpww.net

There is talk of wanting to transition Umaga's character to where he begins doing interviews for himself. He'll reveal that he's able to speak English. Whether or not it will happen remains to be seen

They could have done a storyline where BDV would dump Striker and beat him up. Striker finds an even match for BDV in the form of the Samoan Bulldozer Umanga. Umanga would eventually defeat BDV and have Striker take some cheap shots at BDV after the match. It is revealed that they ( Striker and Umanga ) had a deal of some sort where if Umanga would help Striker get over BDV then he would win free English classes from Striker. Hence we get some backstage clips where Striker teaches Umanga english on a black board. I guess this storyline is very much current wwe standards.

[Xero]

I think it's a bad idea. The gimmick, while cartoony, actually works (which, as I've said in the past, is quite a feat in today's landscape). I think it would be better to give him a manager. The fact that he doesn't talk makes him unique today and another manager would just add to it.

Having him talk I think will destroy the character because he would lose a lot of his mystique.

[GD]

Yeah I guess then he would come out to the 3mw enterance music and eventually wear out the gimmick like the wwecw.

[Theo Dious]

I don't know, if there had been a major IWC back at the relevant time, the notion of "hey, let's show the backstory of Mankind a guy who we've incorporated into the main event without ever actually giving him the title... we can include his entire wrestling career, and reveal him to be an intelligent and sometimes articulate but still very emotionally disturbed individual" would have gotten a real shout-down from the intrawebz. I'd prefer the "Umanga's been learning Enlgish" notion to the "hey look I could always talk" route, but I can see them working it.

Additionally, I've never really grasped why they gave Umanga such a huge push, while all Rosie ever got was a SHIT gimmick, though it did make him something of a fan favorite, but it was still little more than a comedy bit.

[BigDaddyCool]

Look, Sabu never said a word, and is one of the best known non-WWF/WCW talents out there. I don't think Umanga needs to talk, he just needs to destory jobber and the undercard and occasionally beat maineventers.

[BigDaddyCool]

Or Umanga should just pick up some English without formal education. I mean he has been wrestling in america for 2 years. That is enough time to learn basic English.

[Vastardikai]

I think he could go far speaking 5 words of English at most at a time. For example:

"Great Khali... You're going down!"

"On me!"

:naughty: :shifty:

[Destor]

Sounds like a Bobby Lashley promo.

[Vastardikai]

I think Umaga can say "No" without sounding like a 6 year old girl.

[Londoner]

I think they should just make him form a tag team with mvp. Wouldn't mind that.

[Destor]

That would be the most akward tag ever.

[BigDaddyCool]

Sounds like a Bobby Lashley promo.

I think Umaga can say "No" without sounding like a 6 year old girl.


Umanga never calls anyone a bath-turd.

[Theo Dious]

Sounds like a Bobby Lashley promo.

I think Umaga can say "No" without sounding like a 6 year old girl.

Umanga never calls anyone a bath-turd.

Umaga has never been called "Lindsey" in a nationally viewed promo.

Let's all post advantages Umanga has over Lashley.

[GD]

This just in...a regular nerd at a not so very popular factory got runned over by a Samoan Bulldozer.
http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/5213/caterpillargf4.jpg

[Afterlife]

I think Umaga can say "No" without sounding like a 6 year old girl.

But can he call Ramsey a dead man?

[BigDaddyCool]

Umaga has never been called "Lindsey" in a nationally viewed promo.

Let's all post advantages Umanga has over Lashley.

Umanga has defeated Lashley and is still gainfully employed.

[Skull316]

Talk of this gives me flashbacks to Kane with his little voice box thing saying "suck it"

[The CyNick]

I think guys need to be as unique as possible. Umaga suddenly being able to speak goes away from him being unique. But I can see the internal logic being that he cant cut a promo and get himself over unless he's killing everyone. But they may be trying to get away from that big of a push to him.

I would be afraid of him talking and then its a slippery slope to him becoming a comedy guy like Rikihsi or something. I dont want to see Umaga becoming a rappin' Samoan or something.

[Gerard]

Be funny if he came out wearing a tuxedo, monacle top hat and cane combo speaking really posh.

[Loose Cannon]

yea, agree with Xero. Unless they completely scrap the savage gimmick, there's no need for him to talk

[Theo Dious]

Talk of this gives me flashbacks to Kane with his little voice box thing saying "suck it"

I'm pretty sure Kane's virst voice-boxed words were "If I do not win the title I will set myself on fire."

But yeah, still.

[Disturbed316]

Yeah, talking didn't help Kane out, so wont help Umaga

[Theo Dious]

Please. Speaking gave Kane longevity. The whole silent "Kane smash" thing was not going to last him.

[Xero]

You know, I just found a plot hole in the Katie Vick angle.

The "Screwing her brains out" happened after he was burned, and yet in the video "Kane" talked perfectly fine without the voice box.

That hole just completely ruins the angle for me.

:shifty:

[Mr. Nerfect]

I personally do not like the Umaga gimmick. As Xero said, it is cartoony. Far too out-dated and cheesy for my tastes. That being said, Umaga has turned into a really great performer. If he's got the promo ability of his cousin (well, shades of it, anyway), I think he should be able to use it. The savage character should not talk, though. That just reeks of foreign action movies where the foreign villains all speak English to each other. I do like how the character has become more evolved, though, and it seems he understands what he is doing, has a purpose, and it's fumbling around the ring anymore. He seems far more calculating now than what he used to be.

"Umaga" is the end of a tattooing process in Samoa, isn't it? Or something like that? I'd mark out for Umaga suddenly snapping out of the Samoan savage gimmick (ala what a lot of people suggested for Nick Dinsmore and "Eugene"), and just kicking/chopping the crap out of anything that moves. He can reveal himself to be smart, intelligent, and done playing this ridiculous character. He can start calling himself "The End" Eddie Fatu.

[Heyman]

I think it's a bad idea. The gimmick, while cartoony, actually works (which, as I've said in the past, is quite a feat in today's landscape). I think it would be better to give him a manager. The fact that he doesn't talk makes him unique today and another manager would just add to it.

Having him talk I think will destroy the character because he would lose a lot of his mystique.

I agree 100% with this. That one time where Umaga cut a promo in Samoan (and he only said 'Batista' for his only English word at the start) was pretty hilarious.

I actually think Umaga and Khali would be a pretty funny tag team, if they were to cut promos in their native tongue.

[Mr. JL]

If its not broke, don't fix it.

The gimmick works fine and is over. Umaga always seems credible and is really great at establishing guys coming up and is also a strong opponent for the main eventers.

[Rammsteinmad]

What Mr. JL said.

[Afterlife]

Times two.

[dablackguy]

Anyone else getting horrible flashbacks to when they had Kane talking for no explainable reason? Or how awkward it was having him talk with the voicebox?

Yeah.

[Xero]

Anyone else getting horrible flashbacks to when they had Kane talking for no explainable reason? Or how awkward it was having him talk with the voicebox?

Yeah.



Talk of this gives me flashbacks to Kane with his little voice box thing saying "suck it"

[Bad News Gertner]

Well Frank.....it appears that ......there's no bull.....in this bulldozer..


YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

[Team Sheep]

Well all this is irrelevent, I don't care what they do. After this year's Hall of Fame the whole Umaga character has just been totally ruined for me. :(






















:shifty:

[RVDmark]

I like the idea, especially if they gave him a really posh accent. Savage Bulldozer or Well Spoken Janitor?:wtf:

[Fox]

They should turn him into an aristocrat with a British accent.

[Mr. Nerfect]

To be bluntly honest, if Umaga turned out to be a fictional gimmick on behalf of an educated well-mannered man outside of his business, I'd mark out quite a bit. It'd remind me of a promo where William Regal said "Obviously you're not very bright sunshine, or else you'd know that the British are the most barbaric race in history!" and how he has posh taste outside of the ring, but inside it he is a killing machine.

A nice guy putting on make-up, and going out to the ring and mauling his opponents like a Samoan savage could be pretty cool.

[Afterlife]

That'd be hilarious. :y:

[TerranRich]

They could show Umaga putting on his faux-tattoo face paint and speaking English to camera, as he transforms mentally into the Samoan Bulldozer, where he doesn't "need" English and just loses it. I think that would add a new dimension to his character. Having him know English all along doesn't have to ruin anything. If done right, it could improve his character.

[Mr. Nerfect]

They could show Umaga putting on his faux-tattoo face paint and speaking English to camera, as he transforms mentally into the Samoan Bulldozer, where he doesn't "need" English and just loses it. I think that would add a new dimension to his character. Having him know English all along doesn't have to ruin anything. If done right, it could improve his character.

I'm starting to really agree. New Zealand has the haka; "Umaga" has the Samoan savage gimmick.

[Lux]

Lashley got fired, man i miss things

[thedamndest]

I wouldn't say you've been missing him, Bob. /office space

[Corkscrewed]

I'm thinking Umaga w/ English lessons w/ Striker could be classic. But he should basically never learn anything, and alway end in violence.

But that way, in the far future, they can randomly have him speak English one day and it turns out that "he picked it up after all." :shifty: