The Samoan Dynasty member and Hall of Fame professional wrestler Sika Anoa’i has died at the age of 79.
Over 30 years, he was a member of the illustrious tag team the Wild Samoans, which won 21 titles in the United States and Canada. A notable figure in wrestling history, the Wild Samoans belonged to the Samoan Dynasty.
Joseph Anoa’i, aka “Roman Reigns,” is a seven-time WrestleMania main event headliner and a former W.W.E. champion, and is the son of Sika and Leati.
The Rock and Roman Reigns wrestled under the storyline titled “The Bloodline.” Reigns was “Tribal Chief.”
After Sika’s brother Afa started wrestling and tutoring him, Anoa’i uprooted his life in American Samoa and settled in San Francisco. Their career began in the 1970s in Canada, where they competed in the National Wrestling Alliance and the International Wrestling Association of Japan and won two Stampede International Tag Titles.
In January 1980, the Wild Samoans debuted at Madison Square Garden when they competed for the tag team championship against Ivan Putski and Tito Santana. They began their run of dominance with an April 1980 world tag team championship and continued with two additional titles until they were beaten in 1983 by Rocky Johnson and Tony Atlas.
Before calling it quits in 1988, Anoa’i competed in the WrestleMania IV Battle Royal. Yokozuna and Rikishi, two members of his family, were among the wrestling talents he taught after retiring.
In 2007, the Anoa’i brothers were honored with an induction into the W.W.E. Hall of Fame.
In 1983, the Samoans faced off against Rocky Johnson and Tony Atlas for the title of WWF tag team champions.
Though he officially retired in 1988, Anoa’i continued to make infrequent appearances in WWF and WWE until 2007, the year he entered the WWE Hall of Fame.