TheAnoaʻi family (Samoan:[anoˈaʔi]) is a family ofprofessional wrestlers originating from theSamoan Islands. Family members have comprised several tag teams and stables within a variety ofpromotions, most notablyWWE. Famous members of the family includeRoman Reigns andWWE Hall of Fame memberRikishi,Yokozuna, and theWild Samoans (Afa andSika). Other notable members includeThe Usos (Jey Uso andJimmy Uso),Umaga,Rosey,Jacob Fatu, andSolo Sikoa among others.
Reverend Amituanaʻi Anoaʻi andPeter Maivia wereblood brothers,[1] a connection that continued with Amituanaʻi's sons Afa and Sika, who regarded Peter as their uncle. Peter marriedOfelia "Lia" Fuataga, who already had a daughter named Ata, whom he adopted and raised as his own. Ata married wrestlerRocky Johnson, and the couple became the parents ofDwayne Johnson, who wrestled as Rocky Maivia and The Rock before establishing himself as an actor. Dwayne's daughter,Simone Johnson, performs in WWE as Ava. Peter's first cousin, Joseph Fanene, was the father of Savelina Fanene, who is known in WWE asNia Jax. Trinity Fatu, known in WWE asNaomi, married into the family by marrying Jimmy Uso.Jimmy Snuka is related by marriage, having been married to Sharon Georgi, the daughter of a Samoan chief who was also blood brothers with Peter Maivia and Reverend Anoaʻi, effectively making her their niece.[2] Jimmy's childrenSarona Snuka, known as Tamina, andJimmy Snuka Jr, known as Deuce or Sim Snuka, have both wrestled for WWE.[3] Dwayne Johnson considers Tonga ʻUliʻuli Fifita, known in wrestling asHaku, his uncle. Tonga's sonsTama Tonga,Tonga Loa, andTalla Tonga (Hikuleo), and their cousinBad Luck Fale, have all wrestled forNew Japan Pro-Wrestling.
Although not a member of the Anoaʻi family,Paul Heyman has served as the manager of several members of the family, including Rikishi and Roman Reigns.[4]
Peter Maivia Jr., son ofPeter Maivia, wrestled forNWA Polynesian Pro Wrestling.[6][7] Hollywood stuntmanTanoai Reed (known as Toa on theAmerican Gladiators) is the great nephew of Peter's wife Lia Maivia,[8][9] while professional wrestlerLina Fanene (Nia Jax) isDwayne Johnson's second cousin once removed.[10] Ricky Johnson,Rocky Johnson's brother, was also a professional wrestler.[11]
Dwayne Johnson's daughter Simone performs inWWE's developmental brandNXT asAva (shortened from her previous ring name Ava Raine). She is theon-screen general manager of NXT.[12][13]Afa Anoaʻi's daughter, Lynn Toval Anoaʻi (Vale Anoaʻi), is an author and artist.[14] Vale's husband wrestles forWorld Xtreme Wrestling as Vertigo "The Cure" Rivera.[15]
Journey Fatu, son ofSam Fatu, wrestles primarily indeathmatches.[16][17]
Thamiko T. Fatu, son ofRikishi, wrestles on theindependent circuit.[18]
Sean Maluta, Afa's nephew, was a participant in WWE'sCruiserweight Classic tournament.[19] Afa's nephewDavid Tua is a professionalboxer.[20]
Jimmy Snuka was a member of the Anoa'i family though his marriage to Sharon Georgi. Their two children, Jimmy Snuka Jr. (otherwise known asDeuce) andTamina Snuka, would also wrestle for WWE.[21]
InWWE from 2002 to 2003,Matt Anoaʻi andEddie Fatu formed a tag team using the names Rosey and Jamal, respectively. 3-Minute Warning acted asenforcers forRawbrandGeneral ManagerEric Bischoff. The team was used tosquash any activity in the ring that Bischoff deemed "boring". Bischoff would often cue the team's surprise entrances by uttering the phrase "three minutes".
| Samoan Gangstas | |
|---|---|
| Tag team | |
| Members | Matt E. Smalls[22] L.A. Smooth[23] |
| Name | Samoan Gangstas[24] |
| Billed heights | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) - Matt 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) - Lloyd |
| Combined billed weight | 713 lb (323 kg; 50.9 st) |
| Debut | 1997 |
| Disbanded | 1998 |
| Trained by | Wild Samoan Training Center[22][23] |
Samoan Gangstas was atag team in theindependent promotionWorld Xtreme Wrestling (WXW).[24] The tag team consisted of members from the Anoaʻi family.[22][23]
Samoan Gangstas was a tag team made up of brothers from another mothersMatt E. Smalls andSweet Sammy Silk (Matt and Samu Anoaʻi).[25] Their tag team was formed in 1997 in WXW, the promotion of one half ofThe Wild Samoans, Samu's father and Matt's uncleAfa Anoaʻi. The duo received success in WXW in the tag team division.[24] On June 24, they won their firstWXW Tag Team Championship by beating Love Connection (Sweet Daddy Jay Love and Georgie Love).[24] However, they were temporarily suspended and the title was declared vacant.[26] Matt was repackaged as Matty Smalls. They returned in the summer of 1997 and defeated Siberian Express (The Mad Russian and Russian Eliminator), on September 17 to win their second WXW Tag Team Championship.[24]
Problems began between Smalls and Smooth. The two partners began feuding with each other and could not focus properly on their tag title. On March 27, 1998, Smooth defeated Smalls in aLoser Leaves Town match. As a result of losing this match, Smalls was forced to leave the promotion.[24] He left WXW while Smooth focused on a singles career. After a short while, Smalls returned to WXW and the two partners reunited again as Samoan Gangstas and began teaming in the tag team division. They feuded with several tag teams in WXW and focused to regain the WXW Tag Team Championship. However, due to their family disputes and problems with each other, they did not take part in the tournament for the vacated tag title, and instead feuded with each other. Samoan Gangstas feuded with each other after their splitting until Smalls left WXW and began wrestling as Kimo. He began teaming withEkmo (Eddie Fatu) asThe Island Boyz and the duo worked inFrontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW) before signing withWorld Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and working in its developmental territories.
The Sons of Samoa are a tag team currently wrestling in thePuerto Rican wrestling promotionWorld Wrestling Council and WXW. The team consists ofAfa Jr. andL.A. Smooth.
The team was formed at WXW in 1998, briefly as a stable withSamu. The team reformed in April 2009 at a WXW show with Afa Jr. and L.A. Smooth. In 2013, they began wrestling at the WWC promotion in Puerto Rico. At Euphoria 2013, they lost toThunder and Lightning. They won theWWC World Tag Team Championship from Thunder and Lightning on February 9, before losing the titles back to Thunder and Lightning on March 30 at Camino a la Gloria. However, they won the titles on June 29, 2013, at Summer Madness.
The Usos (born August 22, 1985) are aSamoan American professional wrestling tag team consisting of twin brothersJey Uso andJimmy Uso, who appear in WWE. They werethree-timeRaw Tag Team Champions (during their first two reigns, it was called the WWE Tag Team Championship) andfive-timeSmackDown Tag Team Champions—their fifth reign is the longest reign for the title as well as the longest male tag team championship reign in WWE history. They are the first tag team to simultaneously hold the Raw and SmackDown Tag Team Championships as theUndisputed WWE Tag Team Championship. The pair were previously managed byTamina Snuka and areone-timeFCW Florida Tag Team Champions.
The Bloodline is a professional wrestling stable performing in WWE. The group was initially led byRoman Reigns, who was the first to simultaneously hold theWWE Championship andWWE Universal Championship as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. Also in the group, Roman Reigns' cousinSolo Sikoa, who is a formerNXT North American Champion. The Usos (Jimmy and Jey Uso), who previously held the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship, left the group, though Jimmy rejoined and was subsequently removed post-WrestleMania XL. In February 2024,The Rock—a cousin of Reigns through ancestral blood oath—joined the group.Paul Heyman, who was thespecial counsel to Reigns, was also a member of the group.
After WrestleMania XL, Solo Sikoa became thede facto leader of The Bloodline and recruitedTama Tonga,Tonga Loa (sons of Haku) andJacob Fatu before becoming its official leader in July 2024 as its self-proclaimed "Tribal Chief". Sikoa's iteration of The Bloodline faction feuded with Roman's Bloodline faction (also called "OG Bloodline") untilthe 2024 Survivor Series: WarGames though the feud between Reigns and Sikoa culminated at theWWE Raw premiere on Netflix where Reigns regained the "Tribal Chief" title. After Sikoa's loss, Fatu turned on Sikoa and left Sikoa's Bloodline group in the process. This faction, which also addedJC Mateo andTalla Tonga, was renamed to MFT – an acronym for "My Family Tree" — in July 2025; although it is treated as a Bloodline subgroup.
...The Rock's double, his cousin Tanoai Reed, shattered an ankle.
Among the new gladiators are Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's cousin Tanoai Reed as Toa, an island warrior who intimidates opponents by performing a tribal war dance...
5/24/97: Samoan Gangstas (LA Smooth & Matt E. Smalls) beat Love Connection. 6/97: (Samoan Gangstas are temporarily suspended, titles vacated)
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