Leati Sika Amituana'i Anoa'i (born April 5, 1945), better known as Sika Anoa'i or simply Sika, is an American Samoan retired

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 or ...

. He is best known as one-half of the

tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...

The Wild Samoans The Wild Samoans was the professional wrestling tag team of Afa and Sika in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). The Samoans held 21 tag team championships around the world. Gimmick The Wild Samoans ra ...

with his brother Afa.

Championships In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

held by Anoa'i over the course of his career include the WWF World Tag Team Championship. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007 and the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2012. He is a member of the

Anoa'i family The Anoaʻi family ( ) is a family of professional wrestlers originating from American Samoa. Family members have comprised several tag teams and stables within a variety of promotions. Famous members of the family include Rosey, WWE Hall of Fam ...

and the father of professional wrestlers Rosey and Roman Reigns.

Early life

Anoa'i was born in the village of Leone on the island of

Tutuila Tutuila is the main island of American Samoa (and its largest), and is part of the archipelago of Samoan Islands. It is the third largest island in the Samoan Islands chain of the Central Pacific. It is located roughly northeast of Brisbane, Au ...

American Samoa American Samoa ( sm, Amerika Sāmoa, ; also ' or ') is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the island country of Samoa. Its location is centered on . It is east of the International ...

on April 5, 1945; one of thirteen children born to Amituana and Tovale Anoa'i. In 1959, at the age of 14, Anoa'i moved with his family to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

in the United States. Shortly after the move, Anoa'i enlisted in the

United States Merchant Marine United States Merchant Marines are United States civilian mariners and U.S. civilian and federally owned merchant vessels. Both the civilian mariners and the merchant vessels are managed by a combination of the government and private sectors, an ...

, working on ships sailing to the Philippines and Japan. Anoa'i left the Merchant Marine in 1969, working as a stevedore before deciding to become a professional wrestler like his older brother Afa.

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1973–1980)

Anoa'i was trained as a wrestler by his brother Afa and Kurt Von Steiger, debuting in 1973 in Stampede Wrestling as "Sika". Calling themselves "

", the brothers and gained notoriety due to their large, wild afros,

sarong A sarong or sarung () is a large tube or length of fabric, often wrapped around the waist, worn in Southeast Asia, South Asia, Western Asia, Northern Africa, East Africa, West Africa, and on many Pacific islands. The fabric often has woven plaid o ...

s, and habit of wrestling barefoot and eating raw fish in the ring. Throughout the 1970s, The Wild Samoans appeared with promotions including Big Time Wrestling, the

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 ref ...

, Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling, NWA All-Star Wrestling,

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 the 1940s until 1981. The company was founded in the 1940s by N ...

, Stampede Wrestling, and the World Wrestling Council, winning multiple tag team championships.

World Wrestling Federation (1980)

In January 1980, The Wild Samoans debuted in the

World Wrestling Federation 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 vario ...

with Lou Albano as their manager, quickly establishing themselves as a force in the tag team division through a series of decisive victories. In addition to competing in the tag division, the brothers wrestled as singles, with Anoa'i unsuccessfully challenging

Bob Backlund Robert Louis Backlund (born August 14, 1949) is an American retired amateur and professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances in the World Wide Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Federation from 1976 to 1984 and in the 1990s, wher ...

for the WWF Championship in March 1980. On April 12, 1980, The Wild Samoans defeated Ivan Putski and Tito Santana to win the

WWF World Tag Team Championship The World Tag Team Championship was the original professional wrestling world tag team championship in the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) promotion, and the promotion's third tag team championship overall. Originally established by the then- ...

. Their reign lasted until August 9, 1980, when they lost to Backlund and Pedro Morales at

Showdown at Shea Showdown at Shea was the name given to three professional wrestling events presented by the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF), and then World Wrestling Federation (WWF), at Flushing, New York's Shea Stadium. The events were held in 1972, 1976, ...

. As Backlund was the then-WWF Champion, he and Morales were forced to vacate the championship, and The Wild Samoans regained the championship on the September 9, 1980, episode of '' WWF Championship Wrestling'', defeating Tony Garea and Rene Goulet in the finals of a tournament. Their second reign lasted until November 8, 1980, when they lost to Garea and Rick Martel. The Wild Samoans left the WWF in December 1980.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (1981)

In January to February 1981, The Wild Samoans toured Japan with

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV Asahi and Amuse, Inc. own minority shares ...

, performing as "The Samoan #1" (Afa) and "The Samoan #2" (Sika) respectively. They competed in the New Year Golden Series, repeatedly facing

Antonio Inoki Muhammad Hussain Inoki (born ; February 20, 1943 – October 1, 2022) was a Japanese professional wrestler, martial artist, politician, and promoter of professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. He was best known by the ring name , a homag ...

and Seiji Sakaguchi. The Wild Samoans made a second tour of Japan in November and December 1981, competing in the Madison Square Garden Tag League.

Mid-South Wrestling (1981–1982)

In April 1981, The Wild Samoans debuted in the

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

-based promotion

Mid-South Wrestling The Universal Wrestling Federation was a 1986 re-branding of wrestler-turned-owner Bill Watts' Mid-South Wrestling promotion. Watts' goal was to elevate his promotion from a relatively smaller, regional-level business, to a national-level rival ...

. They were initially managed by

Ernie Ladd Ernest Ladd (November 28, 1938 – March 10, 2007), nicknamed "The Big Cat", was an American professional football player and professional wrestler. A standout athlete in high school, Ladd attended Grambling State University on a basketball sch ...

before betraying him to align themselves with Skandor Akbar. The Wild Samoans held the

Mid-South Tag Team Championship The UWF Tag Team Championship was the tag team title in the Universal Wrestling Federation from 1986 until the promotion closed in 1987. It was formerly known as the Mid-South Tag Team Championship from 1979 until 1986 when Mid-South Wrestling b ...

on three occasions between June 1981 and May 1982, feuding with Junkyard Dog and his partners. They left the promotion in May 1982.

Georgia Championship Wrestling (1982)

In March 1982, The Wild Samoans began competing for the

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, Georgia-based promotion Georgia Championship Wrestling, where they were managed by Sonny King. In August 1982, they defeated The Fabulous Freebirds to win the NWA National Tag Team Championship. They held the championship for several months, vacating it in December 1982 upon leaving the promotion to return to the WWF.

World Wrestling Federation (1983–1985)

The Wild Samoans returned to the WWF in January 1983, once again adopting Lou Albano as their manager. They won the WWF World Tag Team Championship for a third and final time on March 8, 1983, defeating

Chief Jay Strongbow Luke Joseph Scarpa (October 4, 1928 – April 3, 2012) was an American professional wrestler and WWE Hall of Famer who was best known by the ring name Chief Jay Strongbow. Much like his contemporary Wahoo McDaniel, he portrayed a Native America ...

and Jules Strongbow. During their reign, Anoa'i sustained an injury, with his nephew

Samu Samu or SAMU may refer to: Places * Samu, Sierra Leone * Samu, South Khorasan, a village in South Khorasan Province, Iran * As-Samu, a town in the Hebron Governorate of the West Bank * Samu, Sarawak, Malaysia, a settlement near Kerangan Pinggai * ...

substituting for him in several title defences. The Wild Samoans' reign ended on November 15, 1983, when they lost to Soul Patrol ( Rocky Johnson and Tony Atlas) after Albano accidentally hit Afa with a chair. After splitting from Albano, The Wild Samoans challenged Soul Patrol on several occasions but were unable to regain the championship. In April 1984, Anoa'i unsuccessfully challenged Hogan for the WWF Championship in one of Hogan's earliest title defenses. In mid-1984, The Wild Samoans turned face and began a lengthy feud with The North-South Connection ( Adrian Adonis and Dick Murdoch). They left the WWF once more in January 1985.

Various promotions (1985-1986)

The Wild Samoans appeared with multiple different promotions in 1985 and 1986, among them the

American Wrestling Association The American Wrestling Association (AWA) was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 until 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo. The territory was originally part o ...

Jim Crockett Promotions Jim Crockett Promotions Inc. is a family-owned professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, restarted by Jim Crockett's son and Jim Crockett Jr's brother, David Crockett. Founded in 1931, the promot ...

, and International Championship Wrestling.

World Wrestling Federation (1986–1988)

With Afa now semi-retired, Anoa'i returned to the WWF in August 1986 as a singles wrestler. Managed by

The Wizard Wizard, the wizard, or wizards may refer to: * Wizard (fantasy), a fictional practitioner of magic * Wizard (supernatural), a practitioner of magic Art, entertainment and media Fictional characters * Wizard (Archie Comics), a comic book super ...

, he spent several weeks undefeated before losing to Pedro Morales in November 1986. In March 1987, Anoa'i formed a tag team with

Kamala Kamala refers to: People * Kamala (name), given name and surname, includes list of people and characters with the name ** Kamala Harris, the 49th and current Vice President of the United States * Kamala (wrestler) (1950–2020), American profess ...

, aligning himself with Kamala's manager, Mr. Fuji, and "handler", Kim Chee. The duo wrestled a series of matches against

The Can-Am Connection The Can-Am Connection was a tag team composed of Rick Martel and Tom Zenk in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) through 1986 and 1987. History In 1986, Canadian wrestler Rick Martel returned to the WWF with his then tag team partner, America ...

and took part in several tournaments. The team was dissolved in August 1987 when Kamala left the WWF. In September 1987, Anoa'i competed in the King of the Ring tournament, losing in the first round to

S. D. Jones Conrad Efraim (March 30, 1945 – October 26, 2008) was an Antiguan professional wrestler best known by his ring name, Special Delivery Jones or S. D. Jones (sometimes referred to as S. D. "Special Delivery" Jones) from his time (1974–1990) in ...

. On the October 3, 1987 ''

Saturday Night's Main Event XII ''Saturday Night's Main Event'' is an American professional wrestling television program that is produced by WWE (known at the time of launch as the World Wrestling Federation). Premiering in 1985, it originally aired on NBC in the United Stat ...

'' (recorded September 23, 1987), Anoa'i unsuccessfully challenged WWF Champion Hulk Hogan in the main event. He went on to wrestle a series of matches against Bam Bam Bigelow and then against

Jake Roberts Aurelian Smith Jr. (born May 30, 1955), better known by the ring name Jake "The Snake" Roberts, is an American professional wrestler and actor currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he performs as manager to Lance Archer. He is be ...

. At the

Slammy Awards The Slammy Awards is a concept used by WWE, where awards, similar to the Academy and Grammy Awards, are given to professional wrestlers and other individuals within WWE, such as commentators and managers. Introduced in 1986, there have been 13 edi ...

ceremony on December 16, 1987, the "Song of the Year" category ended with no winner after Anoa'i ate the envelope containing the winner's name. In early 1988, Anoa'i's regular opponents included Lanny Poffo,

George Steele William James Myers (April 16, 1937 – February 16, 2017), better known by his ring name George "The Animal" Steele, was an American professional wrestler, school teacher, author, and actor. His career lasted from 1967 until 1988, though he mad ...

, and Hillbilly Jim. On March 27, 1988, he appeared on his first

pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guid ...

, competing in a battle royal at

WrestleMania IV WrestleMania IV was the fourth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It took place on March 27, 1988, at the Historic Atlantic City Convention Hall in Atl ...

. Anoa'i left the WWF once more following the bout.

Late career (1988)

After leaving the WWF, Anoa'i wrestled a handful of matches on the independent circuit. He formed a short-lived tag team with his nephew Kokina in

Continental Wrestling Federation Continental Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion based in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Dothan, Alabama from 1985 until 1989, owned by Ron Fuller. The promotion evolved out of the NWA-affiliated Southeastern Championship Wr ...

, where they were managed by Alan Martin. He retired later that year.

Retirement (1988–present)

Following his retirement, Anoa'i remained active in wrestling. He trained wrestlers at the Wild Samoan Training Center, a

professional wrestling school Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnivals and circuses. In the past, professional wrestlers used such terms in the presence o ...

run by Afa in Minneola, Florida. In 1999, he founded XW 2000, an independent wrestling promotion based in

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...

. On March 31, 2007, The Wild Samoans were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by Sika's son Matt and Afa's son

. The Wild Samoans appeared at

Hell in a Cell (2020) The 2020 Hell in a Cell was the 12th annual Hell in a Cell professional wrestling pay-per-view and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on Octo ...

to celebrate Roman Reigns' victory.

Personal life

Anoa'i is married to Patricia Hooker but they are currently separated. The couple have five children, two boys,

Matthew Matthew may refer to: * Matthew (given name) * Matthew (surname) * ''Matthew'' (ship), the replica of the ship sailed by John Cabot in 1497 * ''Matthew'' (album), a 2000 album by rapper Kool Keith * Matthew (elm cultivar), a cultivar of the Ch ...

and Leati Joseph, both of whom also became professional wrestlers. Matthew, who was best known for competing for

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 vario ...

as "Rosey", died on April 17, 2017. Leati Joseph played college football for Georgia Tech from 2003 to 2006 before beginning a professional wrestling career in 2010, ultimately joining WWE as "Roman Reigns" and winning the

WWE Championship The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDown' ...

on multiple occasions.

Championships and accomplishments

* Big Time Wrestling ** NWA World Tag Team Championship ''(Detroit version)'' (

2 times "2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...

) – with Afa * Cauliflower Alley Club **Other honoree (

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...

) *

AWA Southern Tag Team Championship The AWA Southern Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team title in the Tennessee area from the 1940s through the late 1980s. It was originally named the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship ''(Mid-America version)'' from its ince ...

( 1 time) – with Afa * Georgia Championship Wrestling ** NWA National Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Afa * Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling ** NWA Gulf Coast Tag Team Championship (

) – with Afa *International Wrestling Alliance **IWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Afa *

( 3 times) – with Afa * NWA All-Star Wrestling ** NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship ''(Vancouver version)'' ( 1 time) – with Afa *

** NWA United States Tag Team Championship (''Mid-America version'') ( 1 time) – with Afa *'' Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' **PWI ranked him # 462 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003 **PWI ranked him # 93 of the 100 best tag teams of the "PWI Years" with Afa in 2003 * Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame ** Class of 2012 – with Afa * Stampede Wrestling ** Stampede International Tag Team Championship (

) – with Afa * World Wrestling Council **

WWC North American Tag Team Championship The WWC North American Tag Team Championship was a major tag team championship that was used and defended in Capitol Sports Promotions. It is sometimes referred to as the WWC North American Tag Team Championship, though this isn't entirely accu ...

( 1 time) – with Afa * World Wrestling Entertainment/World Wrestling Federation ** WWE Hall of Fame ( Class of 2007) **

( 3 times)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Anoai, Sika 1945 births American Samoan male professional wrestlers Anoa'i family Living people Professional wrestling trainers Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum United States Merchant Mariners WWE Hall of Fame inductees Stampede Wrestling alumni Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Champions NWA National Tag Team Champions