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The Wild Samoans, Yokozuna, The Uso, The Rock, and Roman Reigns. It sounds like a who’s who from various eras throughout WWE history. This is what a family reunion looks like for the Anoa’i family. This historic family tree reaches back as far as the 50s and 60s. The Bloodline is the most recent incarnation to do it, and Roman Reigns is just another proud Anoa’i sitting at head of the wrestling table.
The Roots Of The Anoa'i Family Tree
The American Samoan tradition is a proud culture. With this culture comes the bonding of families through means outside marriage. The original patriarchs of the dynasty were Reverend Amituana’I Anoa’i and The High Chief Peter Maivia. These two men built a bond through a Samoan custom of becoming blood brothers, and with this the family started.
The High Chief was a regular in the pacific island territories, along with New Zealand and Australia. His son-in-law Rocky Johnson was the heir to the Maivia side of the family, until his son came along. The Rock was and still is one of the biggest wrestling superstars to ever lace up a pair of boots.
The Samoan Superiority Continues From Yokozuna To Solo Sikoa
The Wild Samoans were a wrecking ball of brute strength dominating the wrestling world during the 1970s and 80s. These two giant men amassed over twenty tag team championship runs during their prime. Brothers Afa and Sikah continued to leave a legacy after they retired from in ring action. These two men trained hundreds of wrestlers attaching their names to the Anoa’i family, rivaling the Dungeon and Stu Hart in number of students.
Yokozuna is another member of the family to have his share of success, being the first winner of the Royal Rumble to main event WrestleMania and win the WWE Heavyweight Title. Yokozuna would continue to wrestle until the very end of his life, winning territory titles and being a main event attraction all the way until the end. The historic rivalries with Lex Luger and Hulk Hogan for this Samoan powerhouse still rank in the wrestling community’s favorite matches.
The next generation of Anoa’i members have already started making a name for themselves in the business, with the Rock’s daughter training in the performance center. Solo Sikoa is a WWE NXT star on the rise, who appears to be bigger than the Bloodline in a lot of ways, as he makes a name for himself on Tuesday nights. And who can forget WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi, who danced his way into the hearts of millions of viewers.
Then there was that time someone in WCW won a title because he looked like a member of the Anoa’i family.
Roman Reigns And The Bloodline Lead The Anoa'i Family Now
The history of the family speaks for itself, but the most recent run of the Bloodline is historic in its own regard. Jimmy and Jey Uso are the unified tag team champions and started their reign as SmackDown Champions over a year ago. The championship total for the young duo continues to rise with 8 total reigns throughout their career. Since their main roster debut in 2010, the Usos have been a mainstay in the tag team title picture for WWE. The Usos, like their cousin, have smashed and stacked almost everyone in the tag team division over the last 12 years.
Debuting in NXT and then on the main roster as a member of one of the most important factions in WWE history, The Shield, Roman Reigns was a sleeping giant for the first portion of his career. Racking up title wins and a Royal Rumble victory, Roman had solidified himself as a major star inside WWE. After winning a fight with cancer, Roman returned triumphantly to regain the title he never lost. Since then, he has been the biggest draw in the wrestling business and continues to show no signs of letting up.
The addition of the special council Paul Heyman almost seems unfair to everyone else at this point. Heyman has been one of the top minds in the wrestling world, writing, promoting, and booking for the top promotions in the world, since the 1980s. Heyman has vouched for Roman and been part of the Anoa’i family, managing members long before Roman was the head of the table.
Whether it’s the 1970s or the 2020s, there is almost always an Anoa’i at the head of the wrestling table. This historic family had a history well before Roman Reigns and the Usos climbed atop the wrestling world, but this most recent run by the cousins may be what it takes to solidify the Anoa’i’s as the first family of the professional wrestling world.