Sika Anoa'i

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Sika Anoaʻi
Kurt Von Steiger
Debut1973
Retired1991

Leati Sika Amituana'i Anoaʻi (born April 5, 1945), better known as Sika Anoaʻi or simply Sika, is an American Samoan retired

Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2012. He is a member of the Anoaʻi family and the father of professional wrestlers Rosey and Roman Reigns.[3][1][5][2]

Early life

Anoaʻi was born in the village of

Afa.[1][4][6]

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1973–1980)

Anoaʻi was trained as a wrestler by his brother

The Wild Samoans", the brothers and gained notoriety due to their large, wild afros, sarongs, and habit of wrestling barefoot and eating raw fish in the ring.[3][1][6][7] Throughout the 1970s, The Wild Samoans appeared with promotions including Big Time Wrestling, the Continental Wrestling Association, Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling, NWA All-Star Wrestling, NWA Mid-America, Stampede Wrestling, and the World Wrestling Council, winning multiple tag team championships.[8] From 1977 to 1979, the Samoans made repeated tours of Japan with International Wrestling Enterprise; in January 1978, they briefly held the IWA World Tag Team Championship.[9]

World Wrestling Federation (1980)

In January 1980, The Wild Samoans debuted in the World Wrestling Federation with Lou Albano as their manager, quickly establishing themselves as a force in the tag team division through a series of decisive victories. In addition to competing in the tag division, the brothers wrestled as singles, with Anoaʻi unsuccessfully challenging Bob Backlund for the WWF Championship in March 1980.[10][6][7]

On April 12, 1980, The Wild Samoans defeated

Showdown at Shea. As Backlund was the then-WWF Champion, he and Morales were forced to vacate the championship, and The Wild Samoans regained the championship on the September 9, 1980, episode of WWF Championship Wrestling, defeating Tony Garea and Rene Goulet in the finals of a tournament. Their second reign lasted until November 8, 1980, when they lost to Garea and Rick Martel.[10][11][12][2]
The Wild Samoans left the WWF in December 1980.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (1981)

In January to February 1981, The Wild Samoans toured Japan with

Madison Square Garden Tag League
.

Mid-South Wrestling (1981–1982)

In April 1981, The Wild Samoans debuted in the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma-based promotion Mid-South Wrestling. They were initially managed by Ernie Ladd before betraying him to align themselves with Skandor Akbar. The Wild Samoans held the Mid-South Tag Team Championship on three occasions between June 1981 and May 1982, feuding with Junkyard Dog and his partners. They left the promotion in May 1982.[8]

Georgia Championship Wrestling (1982)

In March 1982, The Wild Samoans began competing for the

The Fabulous Freebirds to win the NWA National Tag Team Championship. They held the championship for several months, vacating it in December 1982 upon leaving the promotion to return to the WWF.[8][2]

Return to WWF (1983–1985)

The Wild Samoans returned to the WWF in January 1983, once again adopting Lou Albano as their manager. They won the WWF World Tag Team Championship for a third and final time on March 8, 1983, defeating

Samu substituting for him in several title defences. The Wild Samoans' reign ended on November 15, 1983, when they lost to Soul Patrol (Rocky Johnson and Tony Atlas) after Albano accidentally hit Afa with a chair.[11][2]

After splitting from Albano, The Wild Samoans challenged Soul Patrol on several occasions but were unable to regain the championship. In April 1984, Anoaʻi unsuccessfully challenged Hogan for the WWF Championship in one of Hogan's earliest title defenses. In mid-1984, The Wild Samoans

turned face and began a lengthy feud with The North-South Connection (Adrian Adonis and Dick Murdoch). They left the WWF once more in January 1985.[13]

Various promotions (1985-1986)

The Wild Samoans appeared with multiple different promotions in 1985 and 1986, among them the American Wrestling Association, Jim Crockett Promotions, and International Championship Wrestling.

Second return to WWF (1986–1988)

With Afa now semi-retired, Anoaʻi returned to the WWF in August 1986 as a singles wrestler. Managed by The Wizard, he spent several weeks undefeated before losing to Pedro Morales in November 1986.

In March 1987, Anoaʻi formed a tag team with

Saturday Night's Main Event XII (recorded September 23, 1987), Anoaʻi unsuccessfully challenged WWF Champion Hulk Hogan in the main event. He went on to wrestle a series of matches against Bam Bam Bigelow and then against Jake Roberts. At the Slammy Awards ceremony on December 16, 1987, the "Song of the Year" category ended with no winner after Anoaʻi ate the envelope containing the winner's name.[14]

In early 1988, Anoaʻi's regular opponents included Lanny Poffo, George Steele, and Hillbilly Jim. On March 27, 1988, he appeared on his first pay-per-view, competing in a battle royal at WrestleMania IV. Anoaʻi left the WWF once more following the bout.

Late career (1988)

After leaving the WWF, Anoaʻi wrestled a handful of matches on the independent circuit. He formed a short-lived tag team with his nephew Kokina in Continental Wrestling Federation, where they were managed by Alan Martin. As part of the Wild Samoans, he made two appearances in the Trans World Wrestling Federation in 1989 and 1991. He retired later in 1991.

Retirement (1988–present)

Following his retirement, Anoaʻi remained active in wrestling. He trained wrestlers at the Wild Samoan Training Center, a

professional wrestling school run by Afa in Minneola, Florida
.

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.

In 1999, he founded XW 2000, an independent wrestling promotion based in Pensacola, Florida.

On March 31, 2007, The Wild Samoans were inducted into the

Samu.[3]

The Wild Samoans appeared at Hell in a Cell (2020) to celebrate Roman Reigns' victory.[15]

Personal life

Anoaʻi is married to Patricia Hooker but they are currently separated.[1] The couple have five children. Anoaʻi's son Joseph played college football for Georgia Tech from 2003 to 2006 before beginning a professional wrestling career in 2010, ultimately joining WWE as "Roman Reigns" and winning the WWE Championship on multiple occasions.[3][16][17]

Championships and accomplishments

See also

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 978-0-8248-1238-6
    .
  2. ^
    ISBN 978-1-4766-0505-0
    .
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "The Wild Samoans". WWE.com. WWE. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  4. ^
    ISBN 978-1-4516-0450-4
    .
  5. ^
    ISBN 978-0-241-23501-0
    .
  6. ^
    ISBN 978-1-4516-0450-4
    .
  7. ^
    ISBN 978-1-61321-696-5
    .
  8. ^
    ISBN 978-1-4766-0505-0
    .
  9. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "The Samoans - matches - International Wrestling Enterprise". Cagematch.net. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  10. ^
    ISBN 978-1-4516-0467-2
    .
  11. ^ a b "History of the World Tag Team Championship". WWE.com. WWE. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  12. ISBN 978-1-55490-322-1
    .
  13. ISBN 978-1-4381-4647-8
    .
  14. ISBN 978-1-55490-328-3
    .
  15. ^ Garretson, Jordan (October 25, 2020). "Universal Champion Roman Reigns def. Jey Uso". WWE. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  16. ^ "Player Bio: Joe Anoai". Ramblin Wreck. Archived from the original on November 6, 2007. Retrieved October 12, 2007.
  17. ^
    ISBN 978-0-8108-7926-3
    .
  18. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4
    .
  19. ^ "Southern Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  20. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4
    .
  21. ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Top 500 Wrestlers of the PWI Years". Wrestling Information Archive. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved October 11, 2007.
  22. ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Top 100 Tag Teams of the PWI Years". Wrestling Information Archive. Archived from the original on September 21, 2011. Retrieved October 11, 2007.
  23. ^
    ISBN 978-0-241-31440-1
    .
  24. ISBN 978-1-61321-875-4
    .

External links
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