The Anoaʻi family (Samoan: [anoˈaʔi] ah-noh-AH ee) is a family of professional wrestlers originating from the Samoan Islands. Family members have comprised several tag teams and stables within a variety of promotions, most notably WWE. Famous members of the family include Roman Reigns and WWE Hall of Famers Rikishi, Yokozuna, and the Wild Samoans (Afa and Sika). Other notable members include The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso), Umaga, Rosey, Jacob Fatu, and Solo Sikoa, among others.
Reverend Amituanaʻi Anoaʻi and Peter Maivia were blood brothers,[1] a connection that continued with Amituanaʻi's sons Afa and Sika, who regarded Peter as their uncle. Peter married Ofelia "Lia" Fuataga, who already had a daughter named Ata, whom he adopted and raised as his own. Ata married wrestler Rocky Johnson, and the couple became the parents of Dwayne Johnson, who wrestled as Rocky Maivia and The Rock before establishing himself as an actor. Dwayne's daughter, Simone Johnson, performs in WWE as Ava. Peter's first cousin, Joseph Fanene, was the father of Savelina Fanene, who is known in WWE as Nia Jax. Trinity Fatu, known in WWE as Naomi, married into the family by marrying Jimmy Uso. Jimmy Snuka is related by marriage, having been married to Sharon Georgi, the daughter of a Samoan chief who was also blood brothers with Peter Maivia and Reverend Anoaʻi, effectively making her their niece.[2] Jimmy's children Sarona Snuka, known as Tamina, and Jimmy Snuka Jr, known as Deuce or Sim Snuka, have both wrestled for WWE.[3] Dwayne Johnson considers Tonga ʻUliʻuli Fifita, known in wrestling as Haku, his uncle. Tonga's sons Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, and Hikuleo, and their cousin Bad Luck Fale, have all wrestled for New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
Although not a member of the Anoaʻi family, Paul Heyman has served as the manager of several members of the family, including Rikishi and Roman Reigns.[4]
Anoaʻi family tree
edit
Other members
editPeter Maivia Jr., son of Peter Maivia, wrestled for NWA Polynesian Pro Wrestling.[6][7] Hollywood stuntman Tanoai Reed (known as Toa on the American Gladiators) is the great nephew of Peter's wife Lia Maivia,[8][9] while professional wrestler Lina Fanene (Nia Jax) is Dwayne Johnson's second cousin once removed.[10] Ricky Johnson, Rocky Johnson's brother, was also a professional wrestler.[11]
Dwayne Johnson's daughter Simone performs in WWE's developmental brand NXT as Ava (shortened from her previous ring name Ava Raine). She is the on-screen general manager of NXT.[12][13] Afa Anoaʻi's daughter, Lynn Toval Anoaʻi (Vale Anoaʻi), is an author and artist.[14] Vale's husband wrestles for World Xtreme Wrestling as Vertigo "The Cure" Rivera.[15]
Journey Fatu, son of Sam Fatu, wrestles primarily in deathmatches.[16][17]
Thamiko T. Fatu, son of Rikishi, wrestles on the independent circuit.[18]
Sean Maluta, Afa's nephew, was a participant in WWE's Cruiserweight Classic tournament.[19] Afa's nephew David Tua is a professional boxer.[20]
Jimmy Snuka was a member of the Anoa'i family though his marriage to Sharon Georgi. Their two children, Jimmy Snuka Jr. (otherwise known as Deuce) and Tamina Snuka, would also wrestle for WWE. [21]
Tag teams and stables
editThe Wild Samoans
editThe Samoan SWAT Team/The Headshrinkers
edit3-Minute Warning
editIn WWE from 2002 to 2003, Matt Anoaʻi and Eddie Fatu formed a tag team using the names Rosey and Jamal, respectively. 3-Minute Warning acted as enforcers for Raw brand General Manager Eric Bischoff. The team was used to squash any activity in the ring that Bischoff deemed "boring". Bischoff would often cue the team's surprise entrances by uttering the phrase "three minutes".
Samoan Gangstas
edit| Samoan Gangstas | |
|---|---|
| Tag team | |
| Members | Matt E. Smalls[22] L.A. Smooth[23] |
| Name(s) | Samoan Gangstas[24] |
| Billed heights | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) - Matt 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) - Lloyd |
| Combined billed weight | 713 lb (323 kg; 50.9 st) |
| Debut | 1997 |
| Disbanded | 1998 |
| Trainer | Wild Samoan Training Center[22][23] |
Samoan Gangstas was a tag team in the independent promotion World Xtreme Wrestling (WXW).[24] The tag team consisted of members from the Anoaʻi family.[22][23]
Samoan Gangstas was a tag team made up of brothers from another mothers Matt E. Smalls and Sweet Sammy Silk (Matt and Samu Anoaʻi).[25] Their tag team was formed in 1997 in WXW, the promotion of one half of The Wild Samoans, Samu's father and Matt's uncle Afa Anoaʻi. The duo received success in WXW in the tag team division.[24] On June 24, they won their first WXW Tag Team Championship by beating Love Connection (Sweet Daddy Jay Love and Georgie Love).[24] However, they were temporarily suspended and the title was declared vacant.[26] Matt was repackaged as Matty Smalls. They returned in the summer of 1997 and defeated Siberian Express (The Mad Russian and Russian Eliminator), on September 17 to win their second WXW Tag Team Championship.[24]
Problems began between Smalls and Smooth. The two partners began feuding with each other and could not focus properly on their tag title. On March 27, 1998, Smooth defeated Smalls in a Loser Leaves Town match. As a result of losing this match, Smalls was forced to leave the promotion.[24] He left WXW while Smooth focused on a singles career. After a short while, Smalls returned to WXW and the two partners reunited again as Samoan Gangstas and began teaming in the tag team division. They feuded with several tag teams in WXW and focused to regain the WXW Tag Team Championship. However, due to their family disputes and problems with each other, they did not take part in the tournament for the vacated tag title, and instead feuded with each other. Samoan Gangstas feuded with each other after their splitting until Smalls left WXW and began wrestling as Kimo. He began teaming with Ekmo (Eddie Fatu) as The Island Boyz and the duo worked in Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW) before signing with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and working in its developmental territories.
The Sons of Samoa
editThe Sons of Samoa are a tag team currently wrestling in the Puerto Rican wrestling promotion World Wrestling Council and WXW. The team consists of Afa Jr. and L.A. Smooth.
The team was formed at WXW in 1998, briefly as a stable with Samu. The team reformed in April 2009 at a WXW show with Afa Jr. and L.A. Smooth. In 2013, they began wrestling at the WWC promotion in Puerto Rico. At Euphoria 2013, they lost to Thunder and Lightning. They won the WWC World Tag Team Championship from Thunder and Lightning on February 9, before losing the titles back to Thunder and Lightning on March 30 at Camino a la Gloria. However, they won the titles on June 29, 2013, at Summer Madness.
The Usos
editThe Usos (born August 22, 1985) were a Samoan American professional wrestling tag team consisting of twin brothers Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso, who appear in WWE. They were three-time Raw Tag Team Champions (during their first two reigns, it was called the WWE Tag Team Championship) and five-time SmackDown Tag Team Champions—their fifth reign is the longest reign for the title as well as the longest male tag team championship reign in WWE history. They are the first tag team to simultaneously hold the Raw and SmackDown Tag Team Championships as the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship. The pair were previously managed by Tamina Snuka and are one-time FCW Florida Tag Team Champions.
The Bloodline
editThe Bloodline is a villainous professional wrestling stable performing in WWE. The group is led by Roman Reigns, who was the first to simultaneously hold the WWE Championship and WWE Universal Championship as the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. Also in the group is Reigns' cousin Solo Sikoa, who is a former NXT North American Champion. The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso), who previously held the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship, left the group, though Jimmy rejoined and was subsequently removed. In February 2024, The Rock—considered a cousin by Reigns through ancestral blood brothers—joined the group. Paul Heyman, who is the special counsel to Reigns, is also a member of the group. On April 12, 2024, Tama Tonga, adopted son of Haku, joined The Bloodline. Haku is considered an uncle by The Rock.[27] On May 4, 2024, Tonga Loa, son of Haku, joined The Bloodline. On the June 21 episode of SmackDown, Jacob Fatu, son of Sam Fatu, debuted in WWE as a member of The Bloodline. Hikuleo, adopted son of Haku, wrestled his final match for NJPW on June 9, 2024. There are reports linking him to WWE in the future.[28]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Hall of Fame: High Chief Peter Maivia". WWE. Archived from the original on 20 February 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-16.
- ^ "Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Family Tree - The Anoaʻi Dynasty". YouTube. September 22, 2023. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
- ^ Wrestlemania 39: How a Samoan dynasty became the greatest wrestling family of all time - ESPN.com
- ^ https://www.thesportster.com/paul-heyman-history-with-samoan-anoai-family-explained/
- ^ a b Green, John (2014). Historical Dictionary of Wrestling. Scarecrow Press. p. 28. ISBN 978-0810879263.
- ^ Shannon, Jay (March 27, 2009). "The Peter Maivia Jr. Interview". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
- ^ "Matches fought by Peter Maivia Jr". Cagematch. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
- ^ Liane Bonin (2003-09-24). "Rock Candy". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2008-01-09.
...The Rock's double, his cousin Tanoai Reed, shattered an ankle.
- ^ Tenley Woodman (2008-01-03). "Red, white and bruised". Boston Herald. Retrieved 2008-01-09.
Among the new gladiators are Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's cousin Tanoai Reed as Toa, an island warrior who intimidates opponents by performing a tribal war dance...
- ^ "The Rock Police Chase Preceded Mom's Head-On Car Accident". TMZ. August 11, 2014. Retrieved May 29, 2016.
- ^ Oliver, Greg (June 30, 2022). "DNA Says These Five Strangers Were All Fathered by the Same Wrestler—and The Rock Is Their Half Brother". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
- ^ Mrosko, Geno (25 October 2022). "Ava Raine debuts in NXT ... as a member of The Schism". Cageside Seats. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
- ^ Mrosko, Geno (2024-01-23). "William Regal returns to NXT TV to give advice to new General Manager Ava". Cageside Seats. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
- ^ "The Art of Vale". Retrieved November 12, 2023.
- ^ "Vale Anoaʻi on Facebook". Facebook. December 10, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
- ^ Phillips, Jim (March 10, 2023). "Sam Fatu | The Tonga Kid – Wrestling in His Bloodline". prowrestlingstories.com.
- ^ "Journey's Cagematch profile page". Cagematch: The Internet Wrestling Database.
- ^ Murray, Dylan (May 5, 2023). "Rikishi Introduces Newest Wrestler From The Anoaʻi Family". Retrieved November 12, 2023.
- ^ "Sean Maluta". Retrieved 15 October 2016.
- ^ "David Tua". The Wild Samoan Training Center. Archived from the original on 2008-04-04. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
- ^ "Superfly Snuka and the Anoa'i Family".
- ^ a b c "Rosey Bio". Wild Samoan. Archived from the original on 10 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-01.
- ^ a b c "L.A. Smooth Bio". Wild Samoan. Archived from the original on 2 March 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-01.
- ^ a b c d e f "WXW World Tag Team Title History". Solie's Title Histories. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
- ^ "Samoan Dynasty". Wild Samoan. Archived from the original on 16 March 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-01.
- ^ "Samoan Dynasty's first WXW Tag Team Championship summary". WXW Wrestling. Archived from the original on 20 February 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-01.
5/24/97: Samoan Gangstas (LA Smooth & Matt E. Smalls) beat Love Connection. 6/97: (Samoan Gangstas are temporarily suspended, titles vacated)
- ^ "Dwayne Johnson's Uncle Bit A Guy's Nose Off". Jimmy Kimmel Live! on YouTube. April 2, 2015. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
- ^ C., Steve. "Hikuleo Reportedly Expected to Join WWE Following Expiration of NJPW Contract". Retrieved 2024-08-17.
Further reading
edit- Greer, Jamie (November 26, 2017). "The Family Business: The Anoaʻi and Harts". Last Word On Pro Wrestling. Retrieved 2017-12-10.