Arthur Afa Anoai (born November 21, 1942) 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 Facility.
Career
Anoai was born in Samoa, but his family relocated to San Francisco, California in the United States of America when he was young. At the age of 17, Anoai enlisted in the United States Marine Corps.
Upon leaving the Marine Corps, Anoai began training as a wrestler under family friends Rocky Johnson and Peter Maivia, receiving supplementary training from Kurt Von Steiger and Ricky Thompson. He debuted in 1971, wrestling his first match in Phoenix, Arizona. Anoai subsequently trained his brother Sika and the siblings formed a tag team known as the Wild Samoans.
Throughout the 1970s, the Wild Samoans competed for the Canadian Stampede Wrestling promotion, where they received supplementary training from Stu Hart, and for numerous National Wrestling Alliance affiliates. In 1978, the Wild Samoans travelled to Japan and competed for the International Wrestling Alliance, winning the IWA Tag Team Championship.
In 1979, the Wild Samoans joined the World Wide Wrestling Federation, where they were partnered with manager Lou Albano and renamed Albanos Wildmen. The wild nature of the brothers was highlighted by their unorthodox behaviour, which included communicating only in unintelligible grunts and consuming unprepared raw fish during interviews and on approach to the ring. While in the WWWF (renamed the World Wrestling Federation, or WWF, in 1979) the Wild Samoans won the WWWF World Tag Team Championship and challenged Bob Backlund for the WWWF Heavyweight Championship on several occasions. They left the promotion in 1980.
The Wild Samoans wrestled in Mid-South Wrestling and Jim Crockett Promotions before returning to the WWF in 1983 and regaining the WWF World Tag Team Championship. When Sika suffered an injury, the tag team was supplemented by Anoais son Samu. The trio remained in the WWF until 1984.
Anoai returned to the WWF for a third time in 1992 as the manager of The Headshrinkers, Samu and Anoais nephew Fatu. Anoai remained with the WWF until 1994. Upon leaving the WWF, he began training wrestlers at the Wild Samoan Training Facility along with his brother.
On March 31, 2007, the Wild Samoans were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by Samu and Sikas son, Matt.
Wrestling facts
Finishing and signature moves
o Headbutt
o Samoan drop
Managers
o Lou Albano
o Ole Anderson
o Brother Ernest Angel
o Oliver Humperdink
o Sonny King
o Dr. V
Nicknames
o The Dream Maker
o The Godfather of Professional Wrestling
o Pops
o The Wild Samoan
Championships and accomplishments
American Wrestling Association
* AWA Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Sika
Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling
* GCCW Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Sika
International Wrestling Alliance
* IWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Sika
Mid-South Wrestling
* Mid-South Tag Team Championship (5 times) - with Sika
National Wrestling Alliance
National
* NWA Canadian International Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Sika
* NWA National Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Sika
Regional
* NWA Florida Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Sika
* NWA World Tag Team Championship (Detroit version) (2 times) - with Sika
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
* PWI ranked him # 346 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 2003
* PWI ranked him # 93 of the best tag teams of the PWI Years in 2003 (with Sika)
Stampede Wrestling
* Stampede International Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Sika
World Wide Wrestling Federation | World Wrestling Federation
* WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2007)
* WWWF/WWF World Tag Team Championship (3 times) - with Sika
Acting career
* Body Slam (1987)
* Miami Vice (1987) in the episode By Hooker by Crook as Henchman #2
* Mr. Nanny (1993)
Personal life
Anoai is a member of the large Anoai family. He is married to Lynn, with whom he has three sons, Samu, Afa, Jr. and Lloyd, all of whom are wrestlers, and a daughter, Monica, who married wrestler Gary Albright. Numerous other relatives of Anoai have wrestled, including his brother, Sika, and his nephews Rodney Yokozuna Anoai, Sam Tama Fatu, Solofa Rikishi Fatu, Jr., Eddie Umaga Fatu and Matt ROZ Anoai. Numerous other wrestlers are closely connected with the family, including Peter Maivia, Toa Maivia, Rocky Johnson, Dwayne The Rock Johnson, Jimmy Snuka, Jimmy Snuka, Jr. and Reno Black Pearl Anoai.
Anoai is a born-again Christian
Anoai is the director of the non-profit USOs Foundation, and is involved with organisations such as Drug Abuse Resistance Education and the Special Olympics.
Wrestling Bio: