Maria Kanellis has looked back on one of the more unusual matches of her WWE run, a November 2006 episode of Monday Night Raw that saw her face off against Edward Smith Fatu, the performer known to fans as Umaga.
Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Kanellis described the appearance as one of the standout memories of her career. She said Fatu took care of her during the match, a detail that speaks to the trust required when a performer of his size and intensity works opposite a much smaller opponent in a televised, one-on-one setting.
The match took place at a time when Umaga was one of WWE’s most dominant heel presences, built around a monster push on Raw that made him a fixture in high-profile segments. A cross-gender encounter against Maria Kanellis stood out against that backdrop precisely because it was so far removed from his usual run of squash victories over male competitors, and it has clearly stuck with Kanellis as a notable chapter in her time with the company.
Kanellis did not offer additional detail in the portions of the interview made available about how the match came together creatively or what instructions the pair worked under, and no further specifics on the segment’s background have been independently reported. What is established is that the match aired on Raw in November 2006 and that Kanellis has singled it out years later as a highlight worth revisiting, crediting Fatu directly for how he handled the situation in the ring.
Edward Smith Fatu, who wrestled as Umaga, died in 2009. Reflections like the one Kanellis shared on Insight with Chris Van Vliet have become a recurring way for performers who worked with him to speak to his in-ring instincts and his care for opponents, adding a personal dimension to the historical record of his WWE run.
No further matches, events or storyline context tied to this encounter were detailed in the available reporting, and this article reflects only the specifics Kanellis provided in her interview.
