Sika Anoa‘i

Sika Anoa‘i

Sika Anoaʻi

Sika in 1986
Birth name Leati Sika Amituana’i Anoaʻi[1]
Born April 5, 1945
Leone, Tutuila, American Samoa
Died June 25, 2024 (aged 79)
Spouse(s) Patricia Hooker[1]
Children 5, including Rosey and Roman Reigns[2]
Family Anoaʻi[2]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s) The Samoan #2
Sika
Sika Anoaʻi[citation needed]
Sika Samoa
Wild Samoan #2
Billed height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)[3][4]
Billed weight 319 lb (145 kg)[4]
Billed from “The Isle of Samoa“[2][4]
Trained by Afa Anoaʻi[2][1]
Kurt Von Steiger
Debut 1973
Retired 1991

Leati Sika Amituana’i Anoaʻi (April 5, 1945 – June 25, 2024), better known as Sika, was an American Samoan professional wrestler best known as one-half of the tag team the Wild Samoans with his brother Afa. They held the WWF World Tag Team Championship three times, were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007 and the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2012. He was a member of the Anoaʻi family and the father of professional wrestlers Rosey and Roman Reigns.[1][4][5]

Early life[edit | edit source]

Sika Anoaʻi was born in the village of Leone on the island of Tutuila in American Samoa on April 5, 1945, one of Amituana and Tovale Anoaʻi’s thirteen children.[1][5] In 1959, at the age of 14, he moved with his family to San Francisco, California in the United States. Shortly after, he enlisted in the United States Merchant Marine, working on ships sailing to the Philippines and Japan. He demobilized in 1969 and worked as a dockworker before leaving to join his brother Afa in pro wrestling.[1][3][6]

Professional wrestling career[edit | edit source]

Anoa’i (behind) with his brother, Afa (front), in 1983

Early career (1973–1980)[edit | edit source]

Anoaʻi was trained as a wrestler by his brother Afa and Kurt Von Steiger, debuting in 1973 in Stampede Wrestling as “Sika”. Calling themselves “The Wild Samoans“, the brothers gained notoriety due to their large, wild afros, sarongs, and habit of wrestling barefoot and eating raw fish in the ring.[2][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)[edit | edit source]

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 Ivan Putski and Tito Santana to win the WWF World Tag Team Championship. Their reign lasted until August 9, 1980, when they lost to Backlund and Pedro Morales at 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][5] The Wild Samoans left the WWF in December 1980.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (1981)[edit | edit source]

In January to February 1981, The Wild Samoans toured Japan with New Japan Pro-Wrestling, performing as “The Samoan #1” (Afa) and “The Samoan #2” (Sika) respectively. They competed in the New Year Golden Series, repeatedly facing Antonio Inoki and Seiji Sakaguchi. The Wild Samoans made a second tour of Japan in November and December 1981, competing in the Madison Square Garden Tag League.

Mid-South Wrestling (1981–1982)[edit | edit source]

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)[edit | edit source]

In March 1982, The Wild Samoans began competing for the Atlanta, Georgia-based promotion Georgia Championship Wrestling, where they were managed by Sonny King. In August 1982, they defeated 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][5]

Return to WWF (1983–1985)[edit | edit source]

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 Chief Jay Strongbow and Jules Strongbow. During their reign, Anoaʻi sustained an injury, with his nephew 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][5]

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)[edit | edit source]

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)[edit | edit source]

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 Kamala, aligning himself with Kamala’s manager, Mr. Fuji, and “handler”, Kim Chee. The duo wrestled a series of matches against The Can-Am Connection and took part in several tournaments. The team was dissolved in August 1987 when Kamala left the WWF. In September 1987, Anoaʻi competed in the King of the Ring tournament, losing in the first round to S. D. Jones. On the October 3, 1987 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)[edit | edit source]

After leaving the WWF, Anoaʻi wrestled several 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. He retired in 1988.[15]

Retirement (1988–2020)[edit | edit source]

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.[citation needed]

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.[citation needed]

On March 31, 2007, The Wild Samoans were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by Sika’s son Matt and Afa’s son Samu.[2]

The Wild Samoans appeared at Hell in a Cell to celebrate Roman Reigns‘ victory.[16]

Personal life[edit | edit source]

Anoaʻi was married to Patricia Hooker, but they separated.[1] The couple had five children. Anoa’i oldest son Matt Anoa’i (1970–2017) competed in WWE as Rosey and was a tag team champion.[17] Anoaʻi’s younger son Joseph played college football for Georgia Tech from 2003 to 2006 before beginning a professional wrestling career in 2010, winning the WWE Championship on multiple occasions as “Roman Reigns”.[2][18][19]

Death[edit | edit source]

Anoaʻi died on June 25, 2024, at the age of 79.[20][21]

In wrestling

Championships and accomplishments[edit | edit source]

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ^ Jump up to:abcdefgh Frederic Koehler Sutter (1989). The Samoans: A Global Family. University of Hawaii Press. p. 195. ISBN978-0-8248-1238-6.
  2. ^ Jump up to:abcdefghi “The Wild Samoans”. WWE.com. WWE. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  3. ^ Jump up to:ab Brian Solomon (June 15, 2010). WWE Legends. Simon and Schuster. p. 191. ISBN978-1-4516-0450-4.
  4. ^ Jump up to:abcde Steve Pantaleo (March 24, 2015). WWE Ultimate Superstar Guide. DK Publishing. p. 173. ISBN978-0-241-23501-0.
  5. ^ Jump up to:abcdefg Harris M. Lentz III (October 21, 2003). Biographical Dictionary of Professional Wrestling, 2d ed. McFarland. pp. 318–319. ISBN978-1-4766-0505-0.
  6. ^ Jump up to:abc Brian Solomon (June 15, 2010). WWE Legends. Simon and Schuster. pp. 192193–. ISBN978-1-4516-0450-4.
  7. ^ Jump up to:ab Bob Backlund; Robert H. Miller (September 15, 2015). Backlund: From All-American Boy to Professional Wrestling’s World Champion. Sports Publishing. p. 340. ISBN978-1-61321-696-5.
  8. ^ Jump up to:abcdef Harris M. Lentz III (October 21, 2003). Biographical Dictionary of Professional Wrestling, 2d ed. McFarland. p. 9. ISBN978-1-4766-0505-0.
  9. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. “The Samoans – matches – International Wrestling Enterprise”. Cagematch.net. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  10. ^ Jump up to:abc Brian Shields (June 15, 2010). Main Event: WWE in the Raging 80s. Simon and Schuster. p. 143. ISBN978-1-4516-0467-2.
  11. ^ Jump up to:ab “History of the World Tag Team Championship”. WWE.com. WWE. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  12. ^ Larry Zbyszko (December 15, 2010). Adventures in Larryland!. ECW Press. p. 51. ISBN978-1-55490-322-1.
  13. ^ Matt Hunter (2013). Hulk Hogan. Infobase Learning. pp. 1, 972. ISBN978-1-4381-4647-8.
  14. ^ James Guttman (December 15, 2010). World Wrestling Insanity Presents: Shoot First…Ask Questions Later. ECW Press. p. 136. ISBN978-1-55490-328-3.
  15. ^ “Sika Anoa’i, WWE Hall of Famer, father of Roman Reigns and member of The Wild Samoans, dead at 79”. CBSSports.com. June 25, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  16. ^ Garretson, Jordan (October 25, 2020). “Universal Champion Roman Reigns def. Jey Uso”. WWE. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  17. ^ https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2017/04/18/matt-rosey-anoai-wwe-dies/100599372/
  18. ^ “Player Bio: Joe Anoai”. Ramblin Wreck. Archived from the original on November 6, 2007. Retrieved October 12, 2007.
  19. ^ Jump up to:ab John Grasso (March 6, 2014). Historical Dictionary of Wrestling. Scarecrow Press. p. 28. ISBN978-0-8108-7926-3.
  20. ^ Mendoza, Jordan (June 25, 2024). “WWE Hall of Famer Sika Anoa’i, of The Wild Samoans and father of Roman Reigns, dies at 79”. USA Today. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  21. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (June 25, 2024). “WWE Hall of Famer Sika Anoa’i Passes Away”. Fightful. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  22. ^ 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. ISBN0-9698161-5-4.
  23. ^ “Southern Tag Team Title”. Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  24. ^ Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2000). “Tennessee: U.S. Tag Team Title”. Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 194. ISBN0-9698161-5-4.
  25. ^ “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.
  26. ^ “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.
  27. ^ Jump up to:ab Dean Miller (March 30, 2017). The WWE Book of Top 10s. Dorling Kindersley Limited. p. 178. ISBN978-0-241-31440-1.
  28. ^ Tim Hornbaker (January 3, 2017). Legends of Pro Wrestling: 150 Years of Headlocks, Body Slams, and Piledrivers. Skyhorse Publishing Company, Incorporated. p. 445. ISBN978-1-61321-875-4.

External links[edit | edit source]

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