 Samu in 2006 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Samuel Fred Anoaʻi[4] (1963-05-29)May 29, 1963 (age 62)[3] |
Spouse | Melissa Fritz |
| Children | 5 (includingLance Anoa'i) |
| Family | Anoaʻi[2] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | The Great Samu[1] Headshrinker Samu[2] Sam Anoaʻi[2] Sammy Silk[2] Sam the Samoan[2] Samu[2] Samula[2] Super Star Tiger[2] The Tahitian Prince[2] The Wild Samoan[2] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)[2][3] |
| Billed weight | 260 lb (118 kg)[2][3] |
| Billed from | "The Isle of Samoa" |
| Trained by | Afa[2] Sika[2] |
| Debut | 1981[2][3] |
Samuel Fred Anoaʻi (born May 29, 1963) is an American retiredprofessional wrestler, better known by hisring nameSamu. He is signed toWWE on a Legends contract. He is best known for his appearances withWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW),Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), andNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) in the 1980s and 1990s.[3][2]
Anoaʻi had his first professional match at age 14 under the supervision of his father Afa and his uncleSika.[citation needed] He later ended up going pro in 1981 at age 17.
In 1983, Anoaʻi began appearing in theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF) when Sika (part of the reigningWWF Tag Team Champions) was injured on March 12, 1983. Known simply as "Samula", he helpedThe Wild Samoans defend the tag team championship a handful of times while Sika recovered.[5] After Sika returned, Samula remained in the WWF, backing up his father and uncle. In January 1984, he received a match with formerWWF World Heavyweight ChampionBob Backlund, but ended up losing by disqualification. It was around this time he started being announced as Samu instead of Samula, thoughGorilla Monsoon still referred to him as Samula. During the summer of 1984, Samula turned face after the Wild Samoans left the WWF.[6] Samula twice teamed withHulk Hogan during WWF's tours in Japan, both times facing Japanese legendsAntonio Inoki andTatsumi Fujinami.[7][8] These matches were among the last matches Samula wrestled in the WWF before leaving in January 1985.
After the WWF Samula joined up withGino Brito andDino Bravo'sInternational Wrestling territory based inMontreal. In Montreal, he was given the nameThe Great Samu and was managed byFloyd Creatchman, who used the Samoan to target the topfaces in the territory. He eventually feuded with the top babyface in the territory, Dino Bravo, defeating him for the International Heavyweight Championship on June 30, 1986.[9] Samu held on to the title until November 3, 1986, when he was beaten byDavid Schultz.[9] When International Wrestling closed a few months later, Samu went looking for warmer weather.
While working in Montreal, Samu hung out with his cousinSolofa Fatu, who was working in the area as the friendly babyface "Prince Alofa". When the Montreal territory closed up, the two cousins signed with theWorld Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico and becameThe Samoan Swat Team: Samu and Fatu. The team adopted the “Samoan savage" gimmick that had made their fathers so well known and feared throughout the wrestling world, working barefeet and never spoke English on camera. The team became the first everWWC Caribbean Tag-Team Champions on November 7, 1987, when they beatInvader I and Invader III.[9] The duo held the titles for just over a month before dropping them toMark Youngblood andChris Youngblood[9] before leaving the promotion.
Samu and Fatu next appeared in Texas, working forFritz Von Erich'sWorld Class Championship Wrestling promotion. The storyline was thatBuddy Roberts brought the team in to fight his fights against theVon Erich Family and formerFabulous Freebirds partnerMichael Hayes. The SST was given a big push right away; presented as an unstoppable force the team was even allowed to beat hometown heroesKerry andKevin Von Erich for theWCCW Tag-Team Titles on August 12, 1988.[9] The Samoans remained undefeated in WCCW until they came up against Roberts’ former partner Michael Hayes and Hayes’ new partner, “Do It To It" Steve Cox on September 12.[9] The duo was not without the gold for long as they recaptured the title only four days later.[9] Hayes and Cox beat the Samoan Swat Team for the title once again on October 15,[9][10] 1988 but this time they only held the gold for two days before they lost it back to the SST. On September 12, 1988, The Samoan Swat Team became double champions as they beat"Hollywood" John Tatum andJimmy Jack Funk for theWCWA Texas Tag Team Championship.[9] The Samoan Swat Team made theirPay Per View debut atAWA Superclash III, the first (and only) PPV that theAmerican Wrestling Association ever presented. The Samoans successfully defended their WCCW Tag-Team titles against Michael Hayes and Steve Cox.[11] In the beginning of 1989, the Samoans left WCCW, forcing both tag-team titles to be vacated due to the sudden departure.[9]
The Samoan Swat Team signed withWorld Championship Wrestling and was brought in as managerPaul E. Dangerously's replacements for the"Original" Midnight Express who had left the promotion. The Samoans also took over the "Original" Midnight Express’ feud with the Midnight Express beating the team atClash of the Champions VI on April 2, 1989.[12] AtThe 1989 Great American Bash the Samoans teamed with former rival Michael Hayes,Terry Gordy andJimmy Garvin losing aWar Games Match toThe Road Warriors, the Midnight Express andSteve Williams.[13] In the fall of 1989, Paul E. Dangerously was phased out and the Samoans were given a new manager: "The Big Kahuna"Oliver Humperdink. Their ranks were also bolstered by the addition ofThe Samoan Savage who is Fatu's brother. The Samoans started to lose more and more matches as 1989 drew to a close, but their fortunes appeared to be changing due to the injury toSid Vicious. Because Vicious was injuredThe Skyscrapers had to pull out of the "Iron Team Tournament" atStarrcade 1989 and the Samoan Swat Team were chosen to be their replacements[14] – Fatu and the Samoan Savage with no explanation of why the more experienced Samu was not chosen. For the remainder of the Samoan Swat Team's time in WCW Fatu and the Samoan Savage competed under the name while Samu made a few singles appearances.
After leaving WCW in the summer of 1990 the Samoan Swat Team worked for a number of independent promotions in the US, Europe and Japan, often teaming up with family memberRodney Anoaʻi who competed as "Kokina Maximus".[15] The family worked for theUniversal Wrestling Association in 1991 with Fatu, Kokina and The Samoan Savage winning the UWA Trios Tag-Team titles[9] and holding it for just under 2 months.[16] They also made a headline appearance on the UWA's 16th anniversary show losing toDos Caras,El Canek andMil Máscaras.[17]
In July 1992, Samu and Fatu signed up with theWorld Wrestling Federation, managed by Samu's father Afa.[6] The team changed their name tothe Headshrinkers but their gimmick remained the same, Samoan wildmen. Rodney Anoaʻi also signed with the WWF but he was repackaged as "Yokozuna" and the family ties between him and the Samoans was not mentioned on air. The team first made their presence known when they helpedMoney Incorporated beatthe Natural Disasters to win theWWF World Tag Team Championship.[18] Early in their run with the WWF, the Headshrinkers feuded with the Natural Disasters and the recently formedHigh Energy.[19]Between 1992 and the early part of 1994, the Headshrinkers maintained a position in the middle of the tag-team division, occasionally challenging for the titles and making sporadic PPV appearances feuding with teams likeThe Smokin' Gunns[20] andMen on a Mission.[21] The Headshrinkers assisted their relative Yokozuna in a casket match againstThe Undertaker at the1994 Royal Rumble.[22] In April 1994 the Headshrinkers turned face and challenged then tag-team championsThe Quebecers, and with the addition of managerLou Albano the team won the gold on April 26, 1994.[23] AtKing of the Ring 1994 on June 19 the Headshrinkers successfully defended their tag-team titles against Yokozuna andCrush.[24] Their run with the titles came to a surprising end on an untelevised card on August 28 where they lost the titles toShawn Michaels andDiesel.[25] The title change happened just one day before they were scheduled to defend againstIrwin R. Schyster andBam Bam Bigelow.[26] Soon after the title change, Samu left the WWF to recover from injuries and was replaced bySione. Samu would then work in the independent circuit.
After being away from the spotlight for a while Samu returned to the WWF in 1995. Samu along with his cousinMatt Anoaʻi were known as "The Samoan Gangster Party" with Samu being known as "Sammy the Silk" and Matt being "Big Matty Smalls". The two men did not wrestle for the WWF but watched Fatu from afar as the former Headshrinker tried to turn himself into a positive role model for kids on the street.[27] The angle never went anywhere as the Samoan Gangster Party never got in the ring or confronted Fatu before he was repackaged and the whole angle was dropped.[27] Samu andTahitian Warrior did wrestle a few house shows against the Smokin Gunns in May 1996.[28]
In 1996 The Samoan Gangster Party worked forExtreme Championship Wrestling feuding mainly withThe Gangstas in a short but intense war between the two "Gangsta" factions.[29][30][31]
After leaving ECW Samu worked for a number of independent organizations both as a singles wrestler and alongside Matt Anoaʻi who worked under names such asMatty Smalls andRosey. winning titles in WWC[9] and ISPW.[9] On December 15, 1997, he made a appearance in WCW with his cousinSam Fatu losing toCurtis Thompson andTodd Champion in a dark match forMonday Night Nitro.[32] Samu also became a regular in his father'sWorld Xtreme Wrestling Promotion and has held the WXW World title five times.[33] Samu won the New World Wrestling Undisputed Brass Knuckles Championship on October 28, 2006[34] and is a part-time instructor at his father's and uncle's “Wild Samoan Training Facility" On March 31, 2007, Samu and Rosey inducted The Wild Samoans, Afa and Sika into theWWE Hall of Fame.[35]
On November 29, 2014 Samu and his sonLance Anoaʻi teamed with former RAGE partner Quinn Magnum in a six-man tag match against Payton Graham, Stryder and Jack Pollock. Samu was also inducted into PWX's Circle Of Respect, its version of a hall of fame.[36]
On February 10, 2022, Samu signed a "Legends" contract with WWE.[37]
He came out of retirement on April 5, 2024 teaming with his son, Lance, defeating theFull Blooded Italians,Little Guido andTommy Rich at BCW A Tribute To The Extreme 2 in Philadelphia.[38]
Anoaʻi belongs to an extendedSamoan Americanfamily of professional wrestlers. He is married to Melissa Fritz. They have five children, one of whom,Lance, is also a professional wrestler.
On October 24, 2018, Anoaʻi announced that he had stage 4 liver cancer and was waiting for a transplant.
November 16, 1984: WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan & Samula fought Antonio Inoki & Tatsumi Fujinami to a double disqualification
January 1, 1985: WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan & Samula fought Antonio Inoki & Tatsumi Fujinami to a double disqualification
Ted Dibiase & IRS (w/ Jimmy Hart) defeated WWF Tag Team Champions the Natural Disasters to win the titles when Dibiase locked Earthquake in the Million $ Dream after the Headshrinkers interfered
The Gangstas beat The Eliminators, Ron & Don Harris, and The Samoan Gangsta Party in a "four way dance" to win the ECW Tag Title.
ECW Tag Champs The Gangstas beat Shane Douglas and Samu.
| First generation | |
|---|---|
| Second generation | |
| Third generation | |
| In-laws | |
| Relatives | |
| Related articles | |
