Former WWE Star Shannon Moore Recalls Wishing He Had Died Instead Of Late WWE Star

In 2009, former WWE Intercontinental Champion Umaga was instrumental in getting Shannon Moore's feet back under him. The hard-partying wrestler had been taking some time away from the ring, hanging out in North Carolina, riding dirt bikes with Jeff Hardy, when Umaga told Moore about Hulk Hogan's upcoming tour of Australia and promised to get Moore a spot and a payday. Moore and Umaga both ended up on the tour, but just days later Umaga was found dead at the age of 36, suffering a heart attack in December.

"That probably hurt me more than anything," Moore said on "Oh... You Didn't Know." Moore was close with the Anoa'i dynasty member, and would often sit up late at night with the Samoan superstar. 

"We'd just talk about his kids and he wanted to get an RV and travel with his kids and play football," he remembered. Moore took the news of Umaga's passing hard.

"When I got word [that Umaga had died], just like, 'Man, why couldn't that have been me?'" Moore admitted. "I don't have kids. I don't have nothing, and I sobbed. It hit me hard man. That's probably the one that hit the hardest." According to Moore, he lived with Umaga for a while in Cincinnati when the two men were coming up in the business together, comparing his bond to Umaga to one that brothers have.

Umaga was a larger-than-life presence in WWE, thanks in no small part to his introduction, which saw him attack Ric Flair and then batter and beat the WWE Hall of Famer at the 2006 edition of WWE Backlash. To this day, the introduction of Umaga is considered by former WWE writer Brian Gewirtz as his best pitch in his tenure with the company.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Oh... You Didn't Know" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.