WWE Hall of Famer Afa Anoai Sr., one half of the ‘ , has died, his son announced Friday. He was 81.
Afa was part of the legendary tag team with his brother, Sika, in the 1970s and 80s. Sika, who was the father of current WWE superstar Roman Reigns, died in late June. “It is with deepest regret that we announce the passing of my father Afa Anoai Sr.
,” his son Samu Anoa’i . “It was a peaceful transition and he was surrounded by loved ones. Please respect our privacy as we morn our father.
” Afa Anoai Sr. had been facing health issues in recent months, having suffered two heart attacks in January, according to by his daughter Vale Anoa’i. Today, all of our lives are irreparably changed.
I love you so much, Dad. More than any words could ever express. Your strength was absolutely superhuman.
You fought all the way to the end, and the end was peaceful. That's all I could have hoped for. I love you so very much.
— Vale Anoa'i (@ValeAnoai) The pro wrestling legend had a major tie to the Lehigh Valley. He moved to the area in 1986 and ran the former Wild Samoan Training Center, with locations in Allentown and Hazleton. The centers closed during the pandemic.
Afa Anoai Sr. was also the cousin of the late Rocky Johnson, who was the father of fellow WWE legend and Freedom High School graduate Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. Afa Anoai Sr.
’s uncle was Peter Maivia, Dwayne Johnson’s grandfather. Though Afa Anoai Sr. achieved the peak of his stardom in the 1970s and 80s, he returned to the WWE in 1992 to manage another tag team, The Headshrinkers.
That team consisted of his son, Samu Anoa’i and nephew Solofa Fatu Jr. (known as Fatu and later Rikishi). Afa and Sika Anoai, who won several WWE tag team championships as the “Wild Samoans” were .
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