Afa Anoaʻi

Afa Anoa'i
Birth name Arthur Anoaʻi
Born (1942-11-21) November 21, 1942[1]
Samoa
Residence Minneola, Florida
Family Anoaʻi
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s) Afa
Afa the Wild Samoan
Billed height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[1]
Billed weight 326 lb (148 kg; 23.3 st)[1]
Billed from The Isle of Samoa
Trained by Rocky Johnson[1]
Peter Maivia[1]
Kurt Von Steiger[1]
Debut 1971[1]
Retired 1994

Arthur "Afa" Anoaʻi Sr. (born November 21, 1942)[1] is a Samoan American retired professional wrestler and professional wrestling manager. Since retiring in the 1990s, he has operated the World Xtreme Wrestling promotion and trained wrestlers at the Wild Samoan Training Center.

Early life

Anoaʻi was born in Samoa, and his family relocated to San Francisco, California in the United States when he was young. At the age of 17, Anoaʻi enlisted in the United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps.[2]

Wrestling career

Upon leaving the Naval Sea Cadet Corps, Anoaʻi 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 as The Wild Samoans.[3]

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 the International Wrestling Alliance, winning the IWA Tag Team Championship.[4]

World Wrestling Federation (1979–1980, 1983–1984, 1992–1995)

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.[5][6]

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.[7] According to Afa, he lost his job because a few days earlier, Afa didn't come to work because he was at the birth of his son.[8] Afa Anoaʻi 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.[9] Anoaʻi left the WWF in mid-1995.

Later career

After leaving the WWF, he began training wrestlers at his Wild Samoan Training Facility, along with Sika.[10] On March 31, 2007, the Wild Samoans were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by Samu and Sika's son, Matt.[4][11] He was the wrestling trainer for Darren Aronofsky's 2008 film, The Wrestler.

Other work

In 1999, Afa and Lynn Anoaʻi 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.[12]

In wrestling

Wrestlers trained

Championships and accomplishments

Acting career

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Profil von Afa Anoai". Cagematch.net. Retrieved 2007-05-30.
  2. ↑ "Afa's Corner". WildSamoan.com. 2006. Archived from the original on March 24, 2008. Retrieved 2007-05-30. [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.
  3. ↑ "The Wild Samoans". WWE. 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-05-20. Retrieved 2007-05-30. Arthur "Afa" Anoaʻi 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" Anoaʻi, and the two would form a tag team.
  4. 1 2 3 "The Wild Samoans". OnlineWorldOfWrestling.com. Archived from the original on 12 July 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-30.
  5. ↑ "The Wild Samoans". WWE. 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-05-20. Retrieved 2007-05-30. ...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...
  6. ↑ "The Wild Samoans". OnlineWorldOfWrestling.com. Archived from the original on 12 July 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-30. 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...
  7. ↑ "The Wild Samoans". OnlineWorldOfWrestling.com. Archived from the original on 12 July 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-30. 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...
  8. ↑ Beyond the Mat (Media notes). 1999 [2015].
  9. ↑ Afa's match history, from WrestlingData.com
  10. ↑ "The Wild Samoans". WWE. 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-05-20. Retrieved 2007-05-30. 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.
  11. ↑ "The Wild Samoans". WWE. 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-05-20. Retrieved 2007-05-30. 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.
  12. ↑ Usos Foundation website
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Afa's profile at WrestlingData.com
  14. ↑ Milner, J. "Dave Batista". Canoe.ca. Retrieved 2007-05-30. In early 1999, he began training at the Wild Samoans Training Camp in Allentown, Pennsylvania, led by Samoan Afa.
  15. ↑ Milner, J. "Rosey". Canoe.ca. Retrieved 2007-05-30. After being trained by the Wild Samoans...
  16. ↑ Milner, J.; Oliver, G. "Gene Snitsky". Canoe.ca. Retrieved 2007-05-30. He also spent some time with Samoan Afa's wrestling school and WXW promotion...
  17. ↑ Milner, J. "Umaga". Canoe.ca. Retrieved 2007-05-30. Umaga is actually Eddie Fatu, who began his wrestling career by training under Afa...
  18. ↑ Duncan, R.; Will, G. (2004). "NWA Florida Tag Team Title History". Solie.org. Archived from the original on 6 July 2007. Retrieved July 26, 2007.
  19. ↑ Duncan, R.; Will, G. (1998). "AWA Southern Tag Team Title History". Solie.org. Retrieved May 30, 2007.
  20. ↑ Duncan, R.; Will, G. (1999). "NWA National Tag Team Title History". Solie.org. Retrieved May 30, 2007.
  21. ↑ Duncan, R.; Will, G. (1998). "NWA Gulf Coast Tag Team Title History". Solie.org. Archived from the original on 5 July 2007. Retrieved July 26, 2007.
  22. ↑ "International Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. 2003. Archived from the original on 13 May 2007. Retrieved May 30, 2007.
  23. ↑ Duncan, R.; Will, G. (1998). "Mid South Tag Team Title History". Solie.org. Archived from the original on 5 July 2007. Retrieved May 30, 2007.
  24. ↑ Duncan, R.; Will, G. (2007). "NWA Canadian Tag Team Title History". Solie.org. Archived from the original on 5 July 2007. Retrieved May 30, 2007.
  25. ↑ "National Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Title (Detroit)". Wrestling-Titles.com. 2003. Archived from the original on 29 June 2007. Retrieved May 30, 2007.
  26. ↑ Royal Duncan; Gary Will (2000). "Tennessee: U.S. Tag Team Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 194. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  27. ↑ "NWA United States Tag Team Title (Mid-America)". wrestling-titles.com. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  28. ↑ Royal Duncan; Gary Will (2006). Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  29. ↑ Duncan, R.; Will, G. (2005). "International Tag Team Title History". Solie.org. Archived from the original on 5 July 2007. Retrieved May 30, 2007.
  30. ↑ Duncan, R.; Will, G. (2007). "WWWF/WWF/WWE Tag Team Title History". Solie.org. Archived from the original on 13 June 2007. Retrieved May 30, 2007.
  31. ↑ 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.

External links

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