WWE is currently held hostage by the dominance of The Bloodline, led by the Tribal Chief Roman Reigns. The faction, whose roots began with the current Undisputed WWE Universal champion and his Wise Man, Paul Heyman, established its reign of destruction back in 2021 and has since then made constant additions to their clan to strengthen their grip over the entire WWE landscape. One of the most lethal and decimating superstars to join the faction has been The Usos' younger brother, Solo Sikoa.
Solo Sikoa has emerged as one of the most dangerous WWE superstars with a bright future ahead of him. The Enforcer of the Bloodline made his debut in WWE NXT in October 2021, laying an attack on Grayson Waller during his in-ring segment with LA Knight. After a year in WWE's developmental brand, Solo made his main roster debut at WWE's Clash at the Clash event, assisting Roman Reigns in retaining his championship against Drew McIntyre.
The young Samoan has proved himself to be top prospect for the business. However, Solo Sikoa himself embeds shades of one of the legendary WWE superstars in his presentation. That superstar is none other than his uncle, the late Umaga. The Samoan Bulldozer was much destructive as his young nephew back in his heyday and a feared competitor in his own right, representing the proud lineage of the Anoa'i family. Moreover, WWE fans can evidently see much similarity between Solo and Umaga each and every week.
So, let's explore this in detail and try to establish on how exactly Solo Sikoa is the modern day version of his uncle, who made a name for himself as an accomplished WWE superstar of the legendary Anoa'i family.
RELATED: Solo Sikoa Honors Umaga On Raw To Mark 13 Years Since He Passed Away
Solo Sikoa's Impression Of Being Like Umaga Was His Entire Outlook & Wrestling Style
The entire landscape of NXT and the fans in attendance took notice as soon as Solo Sikoa walked into the Capitol Wrestling Center for the first time. While it was not much clearer at the point, but everybody who watched the former NXT North American champion could notice that they had just witnessed a force of fury that had terrorized the WWE during a particular era.
Over the weeks that followed, the fans could relate the similarities between Solo Sikoa and his uncle Umaga. First and foremost, Sikoa's overall presentation, right from being barefoot with feet tapes, right hand taped, and similar wrestling tights gave an impression of a modern day Umaga standing in today's squared circle.
Adding to that, Solo's ferciousity, mannerisms and ability to lay carnage much like the Samoan Bulldozer with a similar wrestling style and moveset were a clear indication that the spirit of Umaga found itself a new host to be present in front of the WWE universe in the modern era. Moreover, during an episode of After The Bell podcast, Corey Graves himself stated that Solo Sikoa approached his bouts with the same intensity as his uncle, the late Umaga. "The guy is already beyond his years as far as in-ring ability. The way he moved, in his mannerisms, his reactions reminded me very much of Umaga."
Solo Sikoa's Tribute To RAW Umaga Was On His Death Anniversary
WWE fans could already begin to see some similarities between Solo Sikoa and Umaga, since the Enforcer made his debut in NXT. However, that belief was set in stone on the December 5 edition of Monday Night RAW, when Sikoa decided to pay a tribute to his late uncle during his segment with Matt Riddle. Co-incidentally it came, one day after Umaga's death anniversary.
RELATED: Solo Sikoa On Paul Heyman: "He's Like My Uncle"
The segment saw Solo Sikoa having his right thumb taped, just like his uncle and destroyed Riddle using his famous finisher, the Samoan Spike. In an interview with the New York Post, Solo Sikoa revealed that he would continue to use Umaga's finisher moving forward. The idea came from Hunter. Hunter pulled me aside. I think it was Paul Heyman’s idea, too, so Hunter wanted to run it by me. He goes, ‘I know your uncle was a big part of your guys’ family. I know what he meant to you guys. I wanted to ask you if you would be OK using the spike?’ I was like, I don’t know. I kind of want to stay away from it because that’s his thing. And he was like, ‘I know he passed away and yesterday was his anniversary,’ which was a Sunday and the next day was Raw. He goes, ‘I think it will be cool if you pay a tribute to him on TV by using the spike.’ I was like, ‘You know what man? Yeah, let’s do it."
Solo Sikoa initially was hesitant, but then got emotional after the privilege was extended to him. He took the opportunity to refresh the WWE fans' memory about the legacy of Umaga and his exceptional contributions to the business. "Once he said that I kind of got emotional. I was like, wow. For those who don’t remember who Umaga was, now I’m about to refresh their memory.
The legacy of Umaga will flourish through the efforts of his nephew, Solo Sikoa in the modern era. This could very well lead the Enforcer towards the path of success and claim an accomplished and legendary career in WWE, just like Umaga did during his prime in the business.
RELATED: Usos Making Solo Sikoa Pay His Wrestling Dues Despite His Link To The Bloodline
