WWE Hall Of Famer 'Wild Samoan' Afa Anoa'i Dead At 81

WWE Hall of Famer Afa Anoa'i , one half of the legendary tag-team 'The Wild Samoans' and a member of one of wrestling's greatest families, has died at the age of 81, his daughter, Vale , announced on her X account Friday (August 16).

"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 wrote.

Afa's death comes less than two months after his brother, Sika , the father of top WWE superstar Roman Reigns , died at the age of 79 on June 25.

Anoa'i, a native of the Western Territory of Samoa, relocated to San Francisco with his family at a young age and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. before beginning training under the tutelage of his cousin through marriage, Rocky Johnson , and uncle, Peter Maivia , the late father and maternal grandfather of Dwayne ' The Rock ' Johnson , before making his debut in 1971, at which point he began training his brother.

The Wild Samoans wrestled in several territories before debuting for the then-World Wrestling Federation (now-World Wrestling Entertainment) in 1979 with their manager, WWE Hall of Famer Capt. Lou Albano , gaining notoriety for their "wild," unorthodox behavior and winning the WWF Tag Team Championship three times.

The Anoa'i Family is widely regarded as professional wrestling's greatest lineage with the faction 'The Bloodline,' serving as WWE's primary storyline since 2021, which coincided with Reigns' 1,316-day reign as Undisputed WWE Universal Heavyweight Champion. The Wild Samoans made their final WWE appearance at the 2020 Hell in a Cell premium live event, presenting Reigns with the Ula Fala necklace symbolizing his role as the 'Tribal Chief' following his win against cousin Jey Uso .

Afa is also credited for training several notable wrestlers including Reigns, Dave Bautista , WWE Hall of Famers Yokozuna and Rikishi , Virgil , Billy Kidman and The Tonga Kid , among others.