Afa Anoa'i

Afa Amituana'i "Arthur" Anoa'i (born November 21, 1942) is a Samoan-American retired professional wrestler and professional wrestling manager. Since retiring, he has operated the World Xtreme Wrestling promotion and trained wrestlers at the Wild Samoan Training Center.[2][3]

Afa Anoa'i
Birth nameAfa Amituana'i Anoa'i[1]
Born (1942-11-21) November 21, 1942[2]
Western Samoa Trust Territory
Spouse(s)
Lynn Anoa'i
​
(m. 1960)​
Children7
FamilyAnoa'i
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Afa
Wild Samoan #1
Billed height6 ft 2 in (188 cm)[2]
Billed weight326 lb (148 kg)[2]
Billed from"The Isle of Samoa"
Trained byKurt von Steiger[2]
Peter Maivia[2]
Rocky Johnson[2]
Debut1971[2]
Retired1995[2]

Early life

Anoa'i was born on an island in Western Samoa, a trust territory that was then administered by New Zealand, and his family relocated to San Francisco, California in the United States when he was young. At the age of 17, Anoa'i enlisted in the United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps.[4]

Professional wrestling career

Upon leaving the Naval Sea Cadet Corps, Anoa'i began training as a wrestler under family friends Rocky Johnson and Peter Maivia. He later received supplementary training from Kurt Von Steiger. He wrestled his first match in 1971 in Phoenix, Arizona. He then trained his brother Sika, and the siblings formed a tag team known best as The Wild Samoans.[5]

Throughout the 1970s, The Wild Samoans wrestled for the Canadian Stampede Wrestling promotion (where they received further training from Stu Hart) and for numerous National Wrestling Alliance affiliates. In 1978, The Wild Samoans traveled to Japan to wrestle for International Wrestling Enterprise, winning the IWA World Tag Team Championship.[6]

World Wrestling Federation

In 1979, The Wild Samoans joined the World Wrestling Federation, where they were managed by Lou Albano and referred to as "Albano's Wildmen". The "wild" nature of the brothers was conveyed through their unorthodox behavior (which included communicating only in unintelligible grunts and consuming unprepared raw fish, during interviews and while approaching the ring). While in the WWF, The Wild Samoans won the WWF World Tag Team Championship. Both members also challenged Bob Backlund for the WWF Heavyweight Championship on several occasions. They left the promotion in 1980.[7][8]

The Wild Samoans then wrestled in Mid-South Wrestling and Jim Crockett Promotions, before returning to the WWF (renamed from WWWF in 1979) in 1983 and regaining the WWF World Tag Team Championship. After Sika suffered an injury, the tag team was supplemented by Afa's son Samu (the relationship was not acknowledged on TV). The trio remained in the WWF until 1984.[9] According to Afa, he lost his job because he missed work to attend the birth of his son.[10]

Anoa'i returned to the WWF for a third time in 1992, as the manager and occasional tag partner of The Headshrinkers (Samu and Anoai's nephew, Fatu). He wrestled his final match on May 22, 1994, teaming with The Headshrinkers to defeat The Quebecers and Johnny Polo at the Rosemont Horizon.[11] When Samu left WWF in 1994, he also managed Sionne. Anoa'i left the WWF in mid-1995.

Post-WWF career

After leaving the WWF, he began training wrestlers at his Wild Samoan Training Facility, along with Sika.[12] On August 15, 1997, both men reunited for one night teaming with Disco Inferno, Gene Ligon, and the Big Cheese as they defeated Ken Timbs, George Love, Jay Love, Gary Royal, and Kane Adams at IWA Night Of The Legends in Kannapolis, North Carolina.

On March 31, 2007, the Wild Samoans were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by Samu and Sika's son, Matt.[6][13] He was the wrestling trainer for Darren Aronofsky's 2008 film, The Wrestler.

In 2013 and 2014, Afa came out of retirement to wrestle for his promotion World Xtreme Wrestling at age 71.

The Wild Samoans appeared at Hell in a Cell (2020) to celebrate Roman Reigns' victory.[14]

Other work

In 1999, Afa and Lynn Anoa'i started the Usos Foundation, a non-profit organization aiming to turn youth away from drugs, gangs and poverty by providing scholarships to the Wild Samoans Training Center.[15]

Championships and accomplishments

Acting career

See also

References
  1. "Afa Anoai's Florida Voter Registration". voterrecords.com. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  2. "Afa". Cagematch.net. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  3. Tim Hornbaker (January 3, 2017). Legends of Pro Wrestling: 150 Years of Headlocks, Body Slams, and Piledrivers. Skyhorse Publishing Company, Incorporated. pp. 445–446. ISBN 978-1-61321-875-4.
  4. "Afa's Corner". WildSamoan.com. 2006. Archived from the original on March 24, 2008. Retrieved May 30, 2007. [Anoaʻi] was born and raised in the Island of Samoa, before moving with his family to San Francisco...Afa joined the Marines when he was only 17 years old.
  5. "The Wild Samoans". WWE. 2007. Archived from the original on May 20, 2007. Retrieved May 30, 2007. Arthur "Afa" Anoa'i began his career being trained by his Uncle Peter Maivia and cousin Rocky Johnson after he left the United States Marine Corps. Afa would then train his brother, Leati "Sika" Anoa'i, and the two would form a tag team.
  6. "The Wild Samoans". OnlineWorldOfWrestling.com. Archived from the original on July 12, 2007. Retrieved May 30, 2007.
  7. "The Wild Samoans". WWE. 2007. Archived from the original on May 20, 2007. Retrieved May 30, 2007. ...they debuted in WWE in 1979...The Wild Samoans joined with manager Captain Lou Albano as they ascended the tag division...[they] were two men of very few words, but of many quirks. They grunted, picked their noses, they ate raw fish...
  8. "The Wild Samoans". OnlineWorldOfWrestling.com. Archived from the original on July 12, 2007. Retrieved May 30, 2007. October, 1979: [The Wild Samoans] made their WWWF debut wrestling under the team name "Albano's Wildmen"...The Wild Samoans adopted a new, savage-like demeanor, which they never portrayed before joining the WWF...Around this time period [Afa challenged] WWF Champion Bob Backlund...
  9. "The Wild Samoans". OnlineWorldOfWrestling.com. Archived from the original on July 12, 2007. Retrieved May 30, 2007. 1981-82: The Wild Somoans wrestled in Bill Watt's Mid-South Wrestling...1982: The Wild Samoans had a brief stint in Jim Crockett's NWA: Mid Atlantic territory...1983: the Wild Samoans returned to the WWF...The Wild Samoans introduced [Samu], who temporarily replaced an injured Sika...
  10. Beyond the Mat (Media notes). 1999 [2015].
  11. Afa's match history, from WrestlingData.com
  12. "The Wild Samoans". WWE. 2007. Archived from the original on May 20, 2007. Retrieved May 30, 2007. Afa was not seen in WWE until returning in 1992 to manage The Headshrinkers...Samu is Afa's son, and partner Fatu is [his] nephew...The Headshrinkers terrorized WWE competition under the leadership of Afa, and captured the World Tag Team Championship on one occasion.
  13. "The Wild Samoans". WWE. 2007. Archived from the original on May 20, 2007. Retrieved May 30, 2007. Two more of their sons and trainees, Samula "Samu" Anoa'i (Afa) and Matt "Rosey" Anoa'i (Sika), inducted Afa [and] Sika into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007.
  14. Powell, Jason (October 25, 2020). "WWE Hell in a Cell results: Powell's review of Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton in a Hell in a Cell match for the WWE Championship, Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso in an I Quit Hell in a Cell match for the WWE Universal Championship, Bayley vs. Sasha Banks in a Hell in a Cell match for the Smackdown Women's Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  15. Usos Foundation website
  16. "National Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Title (Detroit)". Wrestling-Titles.com. 2003. Archived from the original on June 29, 2007. Retrieved May 30, 2007.
  17. Duncan, Royal; Will, Gary (2006) [2000.]. "(Memphis, Nashville) Tennessee: Southern Tag Team Title [Roy Welsch & Nick Gulas, Jerry Jarrett from 1977]". Wrestling title histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present. Waterloo, Ontario: Archeus Communications. pp. 185–189. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  18. "Southern Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  19. Duncan, R.; Will, G. (1999). "NWA National Tag Team Title History". Solie.org. Retrieved May 30, 2007.
  20. Duncan, R.; Will, G. (1998). "NWA Gulf Coast Tag Team Title History". Solie.org. Archived from the original on July 5, 2007. Retrieved July 26, 2007.
  21. "International Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. 2003. Archived from the original on May 13, 2007. Retrieved May 30, 2007.
  22. Duncan, R.; Will, G. (1998). "Mid South Tag Team Title History". Solie.org. Archived from the original on July 5, 2007. Retrieved May 30, 2007.
  23. Duncan, R.; Will, G. (2007). "NWA Canadian Tag Team Title History". Solie.org. Archived from the original on July 5, 2007. Retrieved May 30, 2007.
  24. Royal Duncan; Gary Will (2000). "Tennessee: U.S. Tag Team Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 194. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  25. "NWA United States Tag Team Title (Mid-America)". wrestling-titles.com. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  26. Royal Duncan; Gary Will (2006). Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  27. Duncan, R.; Will, G. (2005). "International Tag Team Title History". Solie.org. Archived from the original on July 5, 2007. Retrieved May 30, 2007.
  28. Duncan, R.; Will, G. (2007). "WWWF/WWF/WWE Tag Team Title History". Solie.org. Archived from the original on June 13, 2007. Retrieved May 30, 2007.
  29. Kapur, B. (March 6, 2006). "Body Slam a blast for Benedict". Canoe.ca. Retrieved May 30, 2007. Korean banker's hired goons, for example, are played with a perfect air of comedic menace by the Wild Samoans, Sika and Afa.
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