Ulualoaiga Onosai Tuaolo Emelio (March 9, 1945 – January 9, 2007) was an American Samoan

professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...

, better known by his

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name or nickname used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons ...

, Cocoa Samoa.

Professional wrestling career

He began his training by studying

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

in Japan. His had his first matches in Japanese promotions. On November 15, 1982, as Sabu the Wildman, Cocoa partnered with

Jimmy Hart James Ray Hart (born January 1, 1944) is an American professional wrestling manager, executive, composer, and musician. He is signed to WWE in a Legends deal. He is best known for his work in WWE when it was still known as the World Wrestling ...

to defeat

Jerry Lawler Jerry O'Neil Lawler (born November 29, 1949), better known as Jerry "the King" Lawler, is an American retired color commentator and professional wrestler signed to WWE under a Legends contract. Prior to joining the World Wrestling Federati ...

in a

handicap match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...

for the

AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship The AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship was a major professional wrestling championship (professional wrestling), title in the Continental Wrestling Association during the 1970s and 1980s. The title is part of a long lineage that was started wh ...

. Hart got the pin, but Sabu the Wildman was recognized as champion. He, however, was defeated by Terry Taylor for the title two weeks later. By the mid-1980s he wrestled in the

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

and

Championship Wrestling from Florida Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF) was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida professional wrestling promotion, wrestling office existing from 1961, when Eddie Graham first bought into the promotion, until 1987, when it close ...

. By the late 1980s he worked for the NWA Pacific Northwest Wrestling promotion under the name Cocoa Samoa. In the summer of 1986, Samoa traded the

NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship The NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and defended in its member promotion Pacific Northwest Wrestling (PNW), which promoted shows in the U ...

with Rip Oliver, holding it one time. He also held the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship three times between March 1986 and May 1987, with partners Brady Boone, Ricky Santana, and Mike Miller. Also in Northwest, Samoa had a feud with

Jimmy Snuka James Reiher Snuka (born James Wiley Smith; May 18, 1943 – January 15, 2017) was a Fijian and American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. Snuka wrestled for several promotions from the 1970s to 2010s ...

. After 1988, he look a hiatus from wrestling. In 1994, Samoa returned to wrestling working in Puerto Rico. Later in his career he worked in the independent circuit and All Pro Wrestling in California until retiring in 1997.

Personal life

Samoa established a janitorial company to provide jobs to homeless people. He also worked for motorcycle companies, offering publicity by making cross-country rides. He spent time in prison after working as a money collector for a drug dealer. After being released from prison, Samoa became a preacher and visited other inmates to preach about Christianity. He estimated that he had fathered 11 children by nine different women. At the time of his death, however, he was married to a woman named Esperanza and had five known sons and three daughters. He had 31 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. During his career, he befriended other wrestlers such as

Harley Race Harley Leland Race (April 11, 1943 – August 1, 2019) was an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling promotion, promoter, and trainer. Race wrestled in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), the American Wrestling Association (AW ...

and

Antonio Inoki (born ; 20 February 1943 – 1 October 2022) was a Japanese professional wrestler, Glossary of professional wrestling terms#school, professional wrestling trainer, martial arts, martial artist, politician, and Promoter (entertainment), promot ...

. He was also close friends with

, whom he referred to as his brother. Samoa died on January 9, 2007.

Championships and accomplishments

Continental Wrestling Association Continental Wrestling Association (later the Championship Wrestling Association) was a wrestling promotion managed by Jerry Jarrett. The CWA was the name of the "governing body" for the Championship Wrestling, Inc. promotion which was usually ...

( 1 time) *

NWA Mid-America NWA Mid-America was a professional wrestling promotion territory under the umbrella of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) that promoted shows in Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama from 1940 until 1981. The company was founded in 1940 by Nick Gulas ...

** NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *

Pacific Northwest Wrestling Pacific Northwest Wrestling (PNW) (also known as Big Time Wrestling and Portland Wrestling) is the common name used to refer to several different professional wrestling companies, both past and present, based in Portland, Oregon, United States. ...

( 1 time) ** NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship ( 3 times)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Samoa, Cocoa 1945 births 2007 deaths 20th-century male professional wrestlers American Samoan male professional wrestlers People from Pago Pago Stampede Wrestling alumni NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Champions