Afa Anoa’i, the WWE Hall of Famer renowned as one-half of the legendary Wild Samoans tag team, has passed away at the age of 81. Afa is the uncle of Roman Reigns, a current WWE superstar.
Vale Anoa’i, the daughter of the retired wrestler, announced the news on X last Friday.
“Today, all of our lives are irreparably changed,” she wrote. “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.”
Vale shared the heartbreaking news that she had just received a phone call from her mother, Lynn Anoa’i, informing her that her “beloved father, the center of [her] universe,” had passed away.
Vale added that she “got to spend the vast majority of [her] life right there by his side, through the best of times and the hardest of times.” She then thanked her dad “for every priceless life lesson” he taught her and “for being someone who cared, always.”
Afa Anoa’i’s Family Had Been Preparing for the WWE Legend’s Passing
While Vale is understandably heartbroken, she admitted she was not entirely surprised. Afa had been battling several health issues in recent months.
“I’ve been preparing to say goodbye to my Dad since January, when he had those two heart attacks. I was prepared to say goodbye to my Dad when we had to tell him the news of Uncle Sika’s passing,” Vale added.
WWE Hall of Famer Sika Anoa’i, brother of Afa and partner in the iconic Wild Samoans tag team, as well as the father of Roman Reigns, passed away in June at the age of 79.
“This is just the end of your lifetime on Earth,” she wrote, as though she were speaking with her legendary father. “I will always love you. You will be remembered, honored, missed, and respected forever.”
“The 3-count comes for us all, eventually, but you fought it all the way to the end. You kicked out more times than anyone else ever has. You are forever our undisputed champion,” Vale added.
On Friday, WWE honored Afa by holding a moment of silence during “Friday Night Smackdown.”
Afa and Sika were a renowned tag team in WWE (formerly WWF) during the early 1980s. They achieved the title of three-time WWF tag team champions. They competed across various promotions, including NWA, Mid-South Wrestling, Georgia Championship Wrestling, and AWA, securing a remarkable total of 20 tag team championships worldwide.
The Wild Samoans were honored with induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007.
Afa and Sika made their last appearance in WWE during the “Hell in a Cell” premium live event in 2020, where they commemorated Roman Reigns’ victory over Jey Uso.