Afa Anoa'i Jr. (born October 6, 1984) is an American

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

. He is best known for his appearances with the professional wrestling promotion

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vari ...

in the late 2000s under the ring name Manu.

Early life and education

Anoa'i attended Freedom High School in Bethlehem Township, Pennsylvania, where he competed in the

Eastern Pennsylvania Conference The Eastern Pennsylvania Conference (known informally as EPC, EPC18 and East Penn Conference) is an athletic conference consisting of 18 large high schools from Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton, and Pike counties in the Lehigh Valley and Pocono ...

, known for producing top athletic talent in football,

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

, and other sports. Anoai's high school football coach Jim Morgans described him as "the best defensive lineman I've coached." As a senior, Anoa'i was named one of the 100 best football players in the United States by analyst

Tom Lemming Tom Lemming is an American high school football recruiting analyst. Tom Lemming serves as the host of ''The Lemming Report'' on CBS Sports Network, the only national weekly high school football recruiting show. He is the editor of ''The Tom Lemmin ...

. Following graduation from Freedom High School, Anoa'i attended

Fork Union Military Academy Fork Union Military Academy (abbreviated as FUMA) is a private, all-male, college preparatory military boarding school located in Fork Union, Virginia. Founded in 1898, Fork Union is considered one of the premier military boarding academies in th ...

as a postgraduate to study and play football. In 2003, he played in the

All-American Bowl The All-American Bowl was an annual postseason college football bowl game played at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama from 1977 to 1990. The game was known as the Hall of Fame Classic from 1977 to 1985. In 1986, the National Football Foundatio ...

. Upon graduating, Anoa'i played football at the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from H ...

for a year. He began training as a

under his father, Afa, and brothers, Lloyd (L.A. Smooth), and Samu. He made his debut on August 28, 1998, at the age of 13, winning a

battle royal Battle royal (; also royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants that is fought until only one fighter remains standing, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules. In recent times, the term has been used in a ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

Professional wrestling career

World Xtreme Wrestling (1998–2006)

In 1998, Anoa'i joined the family

promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...

World Xtreme Wrestling World Xtreme Wrestling (WXW) is a Florida-based independent professional wrestling promotion which has held events across the United States and toured in Japan, the Middle East and South Pacific region including American Samoa and Guam. The pr ...

, where he formed a stable with his brothers, Samu and Lloyd Anoa'i, known as Sons of Samoa. Anoa'i went on to win numerous championships.

World Wrestling Entertainment

Development territories (2006–2007)

In October 2006, Anoa'i received a try-out with

World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and va ...

(WWE), held at the

Deep South Wrestling Deep South Wrestling (DSW) is a professional wrestling promotion in the state of Georgia. Deep South worked in tandem with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as a developmental territory from September 1, 2005, until April 18, 2007. Deep Sout ...

development territory. Later that month, Anoa'i officially signed with WWE, going under his father's ring name, "Afa". He went on to wrestle for Deep South Wrestling. He initially was introduced as part of the stable Urban Assault, organized by

Sonny Siaki Sonny Siaki (born July 23, 1974) is an American retired professional wrestler of American Samoan descent. He is best known for his time in NWA Total Nonstop Action, where he was a one-time TNA X Division Champion. Early life When Siaki was t ...

Eric Pérez Eric Alexander Pérez (born December 18, 1979) is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler who currently performs under the ring name "Escobar". In 2005, Pérez signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), where he work ...

, and Tyrus. They later lost to the

Shane Twins The Shane Twins (born December 21, 1967) are a professional wrestling tag team that consist of twin brothers Mike and Todd Shane. They were best known for their appearances in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as Gymini. History Independe ...

, ater which Afa replaced him. Urban Assault dissolved after Afa and Siaki abandoned Perez during a match against

Doc Gallows Andrew William Hankinson (born December 22, 1983) is an American professional wrestler, who is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Luke Gallows. Hankinson began his career in 2005 and participated i ...

and Tyrus. Siaki and Afa reorganized as The Samoan Fight Club. Anoa'i then wrestled for WWE's new developmental territory,

Florida Championship Wrestling Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) was a professional wrestling promotion based on the former National Wrestling Alliance member promotion, Championship Wrestling from Florida, which operated from 1961 until 1987. From October 2007 to August ...

(FCW), where he continued teaming with Siaki under their Samoan Fight Club name. In 2007, however, their team was disbanded when Siaki was released from his contract following family issues. In October 2007, Afa Jr. defeated

Davey Boy Smith Jr. Harry Francis Smith (born August 2, 1985) is a Canadian professional wrestler, best known under the ring name Davey Boy Smith Jr. and his real name Harry Smith. He currently performs for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), where he was o ...

by countout in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

to become the new FCW Heavyweight Champion. In September, Afa Jr. began to work matches in ''

Ohio Valley Wrestling Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) is an American professional wrestling promotion and former developmental promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is currently run by Al Snow and Matt Jones and Louisville mayor elect, Craig Greenberg. ...

'', forming a tag team with fellow Samoan family member Matt Anoa'i. Their team was dubbed Sons of Samoa, which also was a stable that Afa Jr. formed when he was wrestling in

Main roster (2007–2009)

On November 19, 2007, Anoa'i made his debut on

under the name Mai Tai Anoa'i in a losing effort against

Jim Duggan James Edward Duggan Jr. (born January 14, 1954), better known by his ring name "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE on a Legends contract. His best-known character is that of an American patriot, which ...

at ''

WWE Heat ''WWE Heat'' (formerly known as ''Sunday Night Heat'' and also known as ''Heat'') is an American professional wrestling television program that was produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and aired from August 2, 1998 to May 30, 2008. Ori ...

''. Anoa'i was later suspended by WWE for 30 days, on March 20, 2008, for violating WWE's Wellness Policy. At

Unforgiven ''Unforgiven'' is a 1992 American Revisionist Western film starring, directed, and produced by Clint Eastwood, and written by David Webb Peoples. The film tells the story of William Munny, an aging outlaw and killer who takes on one more job, ...

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, Anoa'i made his debut on the full-time roster under the name "Manu". He aligned himself with

Cody Rhodes Cody Garrett Runnels Rhodes (''né'' Runnels; born June 30, 1985) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Rhodes is also known for his time in All Elite Wrestling (AE ...

and

Ted DiBiase Theodore Marvin DiBiase Sr. (born January 18, 1954) is an American retired professional wrestler, manager, ordained minister and color commentator. He is currently signed to WWE working in their Legends program. DiBiase achieved championship ...

, attacking

Cryme Tyme Cryme Tyme was an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of JTG and Shad Gaspard, best known for their tenure in WWE. The team was an over-the-top parody of stereotypical street thugs. The tag team first disbanded in 2010, though ...

after their

World Tag Team Championship The world tag team championship is the name usually given to the primary tag team championship (professional wrestling), championships in professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotions, promotions. Nomenclature The name of the promo ...

match. Later that night, the three helped Randy Orton attack the

World Heavyweight Champion At boxing's beginning, the heavyweight division had no weight limit, and historically the weight class has gone with vague or no definition. During the 19th century many heavyweights were 170 pounds (12 st 2 lb, 77 kg) or less, tho ...

CM Punk and

Kofi Kingston Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah (born August 14, 1981) is a Ghanaian-born American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Kofi Kingston. He appeared on WWE's NXT brand as one-ha ...

. On the September 8, 2008 edition of ''

WWE Raw ''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that currently airs live every Monday at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network in the United States. The show fe ...

'', Manu, Rhodes, and DiBiase defeated Cryme Tyme and Kofi Kingston in a six-man tag team match. On the November 17 episode of ''Raw'', Anoa'i made his singles debut in a losing effort against

Dave Bautista David Michael Bautista Jr. (born January 18, 1969) is an American actor and retired professional wrestler. He had several stints in WWE between 2002 and 2019. In his acting career, he is most widely known for his portrayal of Drax the Dest ...

. Rhodes, DiBiase, and Manu entered a storyline with Randy Orton in which Orton was constantly criticizing and insulting them, and attacked DiBiase on the November 3 episode of ''Raw''. Manu and Rhodes accepted Orton's offer for an alliance in the following weeks, and the trio dubbed themselves The Legacy. After Orton tired of The Legacy losing matches, he scheduled a test for each member on the December 29 episode of ''Raw''. Manu failed to pass his test after losing to ECW Champion

Matt Hardy Matthew Moore Hardy (born September 23, 1974) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is best known for his time with WWE. With his real life brother Jeff, Hardy gained notoriety in WWF's tag team ...

and being kicked out as his former companions Rhodes and Sim Snuka turned their backs on him. Later, Snuka also got kicked out of the group, and the two quickly reunited. They planned to obtain revenge against Orton and Rhodes on the January 12, 2009 episode of ''Raw'' with the aid of returning Ted DiBiase. DiBiase betrayed them, however, and joined The Legacy with Orton and Rhodes. Anoa'i was released from his WWE contract on February 23, 2009.

Independent circuit (2009–present)

On April 18, 2009, two months after being released by

, Anoa'i returned to the independent circuit at a

(WXW) show. He reformed the Sons of Samoa tag team with Samu, and the pair competed as a tag team throughout the rest of 2009. In 2010, Anoaʻi competed for the Belgian Catch Wrestling Federation and NWA Dawg Pound. On February 9, 2013, Afa Jr. and L. A. Smooth, as The Sons of Samoa, won the WWC World Tag Team Championship. They lost their titles at Camino a la Gloria on March 30, 2013. However, they won them back on June 29, 2013 at Summer Madness. They lost the title at WWC 40 Aniversario to Chicano and Abbad. They regained them again on November 16, 2013 at Crossfire. However, they lost the title at Euphoria Day 2 against Xix Xavant and Chicano. At the Regional Championship Wrestling event Rumblemania 9 in Reading, Pennsylvania on March 15, 2014, Manu and RC beat Rob Noxious in a respect match. This was a hardcore match that ended up going all over the building; after the match, Manu shook hands with Noxious and beat up RC, his manager. Since 2014, Afa has been attached to Pennsylvania Premiere Wrestling (PPW) in

Hazleton, Pennsylvania Hazleton is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 29,963 at the 2020 census. Hazleton is the second largest city in Luzerne County. It was incorporated as a borough on January 5, 1857, and as a city on Decembe ...

, capturing the promotions Heavyweight Championship and its No Limits Championship. Afa captured the PPW Title from his nephew Lance Anoa'i and retained the title against contenders, including

Dan Maff Daniel Lopez (born October 28, 1973), better known by his ring name Dan Maff, is an American professional wrestler, known for his time with Ring of Honor (ROH). Professional wrestling career Da Hit Squad Lopez attended Jersey All Pro Wrestling ...

and Samoa Joe. Afa defeated

Al Snow Allen Ray Sarven (born July 18, 1963) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Al Snow. He is best known as a wrestler for Smoky Mountain Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and World Wrestling Entertainment. Sn ...

at the December PPW Event to retain the PPW No Limits Title. In July 2017, he appeared on an NWA card in Morgan City, Louisiana, where he was defeated by NWA North American heavyweight champion Mustang Mike.

Personal life

Anoa'i is a member of the Anoa'i family, a Samoan family of wrestlers. He is the son of

Afa Anoa'i Afa Amituana'i "Arthur" Anoa'i (born November 21, 1942) is a Samoan-American retired professional wrestler and professional wrestling manager. Since retiring, he has operated the World Xtreme Wrestling promotion and trained wrestlers at the Wild ...

and the younger brother of Samu and L.A. Smooth. He is related to

Roman Reigns Leati Joseph "Joe" Anoa'i (born May 25, 1985) is an American professional wrestler and former football player. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Roman Reigns. He is the leader of The B ...

, The Rock,

The Usos The Usos (born August 22, 1985) are an American professional wrestling tag team composed of twin brothers Joshua Samuel Fatu and Jonathan Solofa Fatu, who are known professionally by their respective ring names Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso. They ar ...

Yokozuna , or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (''rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the on ...

, Umaga,

Rikishi A , or, more colloquially, , is a professional sumo wrestler. follow and live by the centuries-old rules of the sumo profession, with most coming from Japan, the only country where sumo is practiced professionally. Participation in official t ...

, and others. He has Samoan tattoos on his arms.

Armed robbery

In August 2003, Anoa'i was implicated as the

getaway driver A crime scene getaway is the act of fleeing the location where one has broken the law. It is an act that the offender(s) may or may not have planned in detail, resulting in a variety of outcomes. A :crime scene is the "location of a crime; e ...

of a duo who committed an

armed robbery Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or by use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the perso ...

in Bethlehem Township, Pennsylvania, stealing money and jewellery worth over $150,000 and stabbing an elderly female resident. Anoa'i pleaded

no contest ' is a legal term that comes from the Latin phrase for "I do not wish to contend". It is also referred to as a plea of no contest or no defense. In criminal trials in certain United States jurisdictions, it is a plea where the defendant neith ...

to the charge of receipt of stolen property and was sentenced to two years

probation Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration. In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences (alternatives to incarceration), such ...

Championships and accomplishments

*Belgian Wrestling School **BWS Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *Defiant Pro Wrestling **DPW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *

FCW Southern Heavyweight Championship The FCW Southern Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling heavyweight championship owned and promoted by Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW, now known as NXT Wrestling), the developmental territory of WWE. It was contested for in t ...

( 1 time) *Independent Superstars of Professional Wrestling **ISPW Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *

Jersey Championship Wrestling Game Changer Wrestling (GCW), formerly known as Jersey Championship Wrestling (JCW), is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in New Jersey. The promotion was originally founded by Ricky Otazu in 1999, it was rebranded un ...

**JCW Television Championship (1 time) *Pennsylvania Premiere Wrestling **PPW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) **PPW No Limits Championship (1 time) *Primal Conflict Wrestling **PCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Nui Tofiga *

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publi ...

**PWI ranked him #368 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the

PWI 500 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publi ...

in 2008 *Regional Championship Wrestling **RCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Rob Noxious *

World Wrestling Council The World Wrestling Council (WWC) (Spanish: "Consejo Mundial de Lucha"), is a Puerto-Rican professional wrestling promotion based in Puerto Rico. It was originally established as Capitol Sports Promotions in 1973 by Carlos Colón Sr., Victor J ...

** WWC World Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with

L.A. Smooth Lloyd Anoa'i (born May 7, 1971) is an American professional wrestler and professional wrestling manager. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) under the ring names Tahitian Savage, Fred Williams, and Lloyd ...

* World Wrestling Professionals ** WWP World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with

** WXW Cruiserweight Championship ( 2 times) **

WXW Hardcore Championship This is a chronological list of WXW Hardcore Champions. The WXW Hardcore Championship is a professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling), title created in 1996 as part of Top Rope Productions and World Xtreme Wrestling when the promot ...

( 3 times) ** WXW Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time) **

WXW Tag Team Championship This is a chronological list of WXW Tag Team Champions. The WXW Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team title created in 1996 as part of for Top Rope Productions (later renamed World Xtreme Wrestling World Xtreme Wrestling ...

( 3 times) – with Lucifer Grim (1), L.A. Smooth (1) and Sean Maluta (1) **

WXW Television Championship The WXW Television Championship is a professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling), title created in 1996 as part of Top Rope Productions and World Xtreme Wrestling when the promotion was renamed in 1998. Title history ;Key A ...

( 1 time) ** WXW Ultimate Heavyweight Championship ( 2 times) **Wild Samoan Tag Team Tournament (2017) – with

Sean Maluta Sean Maluta (born September 30, 1988) is an American professional wrestler currently competing on the independent circuit. He made a number of appearances with WWE and took part in the first Cruiserweight Classic. Professional wrestling career ...

Notes

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Anoai, Afa Jr. 1984 births American male professional wrestlers American professional wrestlers of Samoan descent Anoa'i family UConn Huskies football players Freedom High School (Pennsylvania) alumni Living people Players of American football from Pennsylvania Professional wrestlers from Pennsylvania Sportspeople from Allentown, Pennsylvania 21st-century professional wrestlers FCW Southern Heavyweight Champions