Which Former WWE Wrestler Is Roman Reigns’ Dad?

Roman Reigns is a member of the incredible Anoa’i clan—his real name is Leati Joseph “Joe” Anoa’i—which consists of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Rikishi, Jimmy and Jey Uso, as well as dad Sika of the Wild Samoans.

In the early 1970s, Afa started training with his uncle, High Chief Peter Maivia, and Rocky Johnson. Afa took what he learned and trained his brother, Sika. From there the two began a thirty year reign of terror that may never be duplicated. They tore through Stu Hart’s Stampede Wrestling as well as territories of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).

In the fall of 1979, the Samoans were brought to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) by Captain Lou Albano. Afa and Sika ripped apart opponents and were so dominant that even as individuals they were both contenders for the WWF Championship. On April 12, 1980, they defeated “Polish Power” Ivan Putski and Tito Santana for their first World Tag Team Championship. They held the titles for five months until the 1980 mega-event Showdown at Shea, the dream team of WWF Champion Bob Backlund and Pedro Morales beat them in a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls contest. The duo had to vacate the titles because of a rule at the time that didn’t allow Backlund to hold two championships simultaneously. A tournament was arranged to crown new champs, and the Samoans defeated Tony Garea and Rene Goulet to regain the World Tag Team Championship. After a loss to Garea and Rick Martel, they soon departed from the WWF.

For the next two years, they dominated the Mid-South and Mid-Atlantic Wrestling scenes. However, after a call from Albano, the Wild Samoans were back in the WWF frightening audiences, speaking in ancient Samoan tongues, and consuming raw fish. Their third and final title reigns came at the expense of Jay and Jules Strongbow in March 1983. By 1984, they left the company.

Sika briefly returned as a singles competitor, with his final appearance taking place at WrestleMania IV in a battle royal—he didn’t win. Afa returned to co-manage The Headshrinkers with Albano, guiding them to the World Tag Team Championship. Shortly after leaving the WWF, Afa and Sika opened The Wild Samoan Training Center and today is regarded as one of the premiere wrestling schools in the world.

WrestleMania 23 saw The Wild Samoans take their rightful place among the immortals of professional wrestling when they were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.