Sam Fatu

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with Tama Tonga or Samu (wrestler).

Sam Fatu
Sika Anoa'i[1][4][5]
Debut1983[1]
Retired2019

Samuel Larry Anoa'i Fatu (born October 11, 1965) is an American retired

World Wrestling Federation under the ring names The Tonga Kid and Tama and with World Championship Wrestling as The Samoan Savage.[1][5]

Professional wrestling career

World Wrestling Federation (1983–1988)

Main article:
The Islanders

Fatu debuted as a

Superfly Jimmy Snuka, he entered into his first major feud with Snuka's rival Roddy Piper.[6]
He left the WWF in early 1985 and went to other territories.

In late 1986, he returned and teamed with

The Can-Am Connection to help the Islanders win a match; the team was now managed by Heenan,[1]
and used an aggressive, savage style of wrestling as opposed to a scientific style.

When

kidnapped the Bulldogs' dog, Matilda.[1] The Islanders were indefinitely suspended in the storyline until Matilda was found.[1] From late January 1988 until early February, the Islanders were consistently beaten by the British Bulldogs.[1]

At a

Wrestlemania 4, the Islanders, with Bobby Heenan, defeated the Bulldogs and Koko B. Ware, with Matilda.[1] On April 21, Heenan introduced Siva Afi
as the newest member of the group, but Afi never made another appearance with the Islanders. Fatu then left the WWF.

World Wrestling Council (1989)

After leaving the WWF, Fatu began performing for the

The Batten Twins to win the WWC World Tag Team Championship
. The Batten Twins regained the championship on March 4, 1989.

World Championship Wrestling (1989–1990)

Main article:
The Samoan SWAT Team

In 1989, Fatu joined

Starrcade in December 1989, The New Wild Samoans competed in the Iron Team round-robin tournament
, placing third in a field of four teams.

The New Wild Samoans left WCW in the summer of 1990.

Later career (1990–2011, 2018-2019)

After leaving WCW, Fatu (wrestling as "The Samoan Savage") journeyed to Mexico to perform for the Universal Wrestling Association along with his brother Fatu and his cousin, The Great Kokina. Billed as "The Hawaiian Beasts", the trio won the UWA World Trios Championship from Los Villanos on April 7, 1991. Los Villanos regained the championship on May 31, 1991. In 1992, his brother Fatu, Great Kokina and Samu all went to the WWF. Fatu instead did not return nor got a contract from WWF and would go on his own.

Fatu returned to the WWF as Tonga Kid for a few houses shows in 1993 against

The Smoking Gunns
.

Fatu wrestled three matches for ECW in April 1998.[7]

Fatu defeated Vic Grimes in a hardcore match put on by All Pro Wrestling on September 9, 2000 as part of a Samoan Pride Festival at Crockett Hills Regional Park[8]

In 2005 and 2006, he wrestled in Italy with the Nu Wrestling Evolution promotion. Fatu competed on the independent circuit until retiring in 2011.[9]

He returned in 2018 working in the independents and Empire Wrestling Federation in California until 2019.

Other media

Fatu appeared as "The Tonga Kid" in the opening scene of the 1986 film

The Fabulous Freebirds at the Meadowlands Arena.[10] He also starred as "Tonga Tom" in the 1987 wrestling film Body Slam, along with Dirk Benedict and Roddy Piper.[4][11][12]

Fatu was featured in an April 2020 documentary for Vice's

Nancy Argentino
.

Personal life

See also: Anoaʻi family

Fatu was born to Matagaono Solofa I'aulualo and Elevera Anoaʻi Fatu. He is a member of the famous Anoaʻi family and is the nephew of

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and Journey Fatu, who wrestles independently.[13][14] In November 2008, Fatu's wife, Theresa Fuavai-Fatu,[15] went into cardiac arrest while giving birth. Her heart stopped completely before the twins, Marley and Myracle, could be delivered by Caesarean section, but she was spontaneously revived and eventually recovered.[15][16] This type of incident is very rare, with one of the cardiac surgeons who was working on Theresa saying that he had never seen surviving mothers or babies.[15] Samuel is the older brother of Eddie Fatu (Umaga/Jamal), who died of a heart attack on December 4, 2009.[17][18]

Other members of the family in professional wrestling include Solofa's twin nephews, Jonathan and Joshua, who currently wrestle in WWE as

Lloyd Anoaʻi (L.A. Smooth). Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) is also considered to be a cousin of Samuel because of the blood brothership between Samuel's great grandfather Reverend Amituana'i Anoaʻi and The Rock's grandfather Peter Maivia
.

Championships and accomplishments

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Wrestler Profiles: Tama". Retrieved October 13, 2009.
  2. ^ "Tonga Kid". Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  3. ^
    ISBN 978-0-7566-4190-0
    .
  4. ^ a b c "The Wild Samoans". WWE. Retrieved October 13, 2009.
  5. ^ a b "Tonga Kid". Retrieved October 13, 2009.
  6. ISBN 978-1-291-10089-1
    .
  7. ^ "ECW 1998 results". January 16, 2023.
  8. ^ "Cagematch Results".
  9. ^ "Tonga Kid's Match History". Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  10. ^ Defino, Lennie. "Where Are They Now?: Buddy Roberts". WWE. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
  11. ^ Kapur, Bob (May 18, 2006). "Body Slam a blast for Benedict". SLAM! Wrestling. Archived from the original on January 1, 2013. Retrieved August 30, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  12. ^ "Tonga Kid Main". Archived from the original on October 4, 2011. Retrieved April 14, 2009.
  13. ^ Phillips, Jim (March 10, 2023). "Sam Fatu | The Tonga Kid – Wrestling in His Bloodline". prowrestlingstories.com.
  14. ^ "Journey Fatu's Cagematch page". Cagematch: The Internet Wrestling Database.
  15. ^ a b c Bill Behrens (December 26, 2008). "Tonga Kid, Sam Fatu & Wife Experience A Miracle". Wrestlezone. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  16. ^ "Pregnant Mom's Heart Stops; Gives Birth, Comes To". Archived from the original on December 30, 2008. Retrieved December 25, 2008.
  17. ^ "Umaga passes". WWE. December 4, 2009. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
  18. ^ "Umaga's cause of death revealed". NoDQ.com. March 1, 2010. Archived from the original on March 4, 2010. Retrieved March 1, 2010.
  19. ^ California births
  20. ^ California births
  21. ^ California births
  22. ^ "NWA Southeastern Tag Team Title (Alabama & e. Tennessee)".
  23. ^ "TASW Texas 6-man Tag Team Title (Texas)".
  24. ^ "UWA World Trios Title (Mexico)".
  25. ^ "WWC World Tag Team Title (Puerto Rico)".

External links

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