Professional Wrestling Career: Agatupu Rodney Anoa I (October 2, 1966 - October 23, 2000) Was An American

Agatupu Rodney Anoaʻi
(October 2, 1966 – October 23, 2000) was an American professional

wrestler. He was best known for his time with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), where he
wrestled under the ring name Yokozuna, a reference to the highest rank in
professional sumo wrestling in Japan. He was a two-time world champion.
Although the Yokozuna character was portrayed as a champion sumo wrestler, Anoaʻi never
competed as an actual sumotori. Though he wrestled as a representative of Japan, in real life he
was a Samoan American and was accordingly billed as hailing from Polynesia. However, he was
managed by the Japanese character Mr. Fuji (in reality a Japanese American) who would follow
Anoaʻi to the ring with a wooden bucket of salt while waving a Japanese flag.[1]
In the WWF, Anoaʻi was a two-time WWF World Heavyweight Champion[4] and two-time WWF Tag
Team Champion (with Owen Hart),[5] as well as the winner of the 1993 Royal Rumble.[6] He was the
first wrestler of Samoan descent to hold the WWF World Heavyweight Championship, as well as the
first Royal Rumble winner who (as a result of a direct stipulation) received a WWF world
championship title shot at WrestleMania. He defeated WWE Hall of Famers Bret Hart and Hulk
Hogan, in consecutive pay-per-view victories in the main event of WrestleMania IX and the 1993
King of the Ring, to win his two WWF World Heavyweight Championships, and also
headlined WrestleMania X against Hart. He was the third-fastest newcomer (after Brock
Lesnar and Sheamus) to win the WWF/E Championship after his debut. He was posthumously
inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2012.
CHAPTER 1 Contents
 1Professional wrestling career

o 1.1Early career (1984–1992)
o 1.2World Wrestling Federation (1992–1998)
 1.2.1WWF Champion (1992–1994)
 1.2.2Teaming with Owen Hart and departure (1995–1998)
o 1.3Independent circuit (1998–2000)
 2Personal life
 3Death
 4Legacy
 5Championships and accomplishments
 6See also
 7References
 8External links
CHAPTER 2 Professional wrestling career

CHAPTER 3 Early career (1984–1992)
Anoaʻi's career in professional wrestling began as he grew up in a family full of wrestlers, the Anoaʻi
family. His uncles were The Wild Samoans, Afa and Sika, who trained him from an early age in the
family business. Anoaʻi took on the name of the "Great Kokina" while wrestling overseas in Japan.
He also spent some time in Mexico, learning the craft and gaining the experience necessary to be a
star in the sport.[2] He made a one-off appearance for Jim Crockett Promotions on August 12, 1987,
facing Ron Simmons at a house show.[7] His first major exposure in the United States came in
the American Wrestling Association (AWA) as "Kokina Maximus".[2] Wrestling as a Samoan
superstar, he was managed by Sheik Adnan El Kassey. He was billed as the biggest Samoan
wrestler ever[8] and given credit for breaking Greg Gagne's leg and ending his career.[2]
CHAPTER 4 World Wrestling Federation (1992–1998)

CHAPTER 5 WWF Champion (1992–1994)
In 1992, Anoaʻi was contacted by Vince McMahon of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and
offered a roster spot along with The Samoans (Fatu and Samoan Savage). On an August 17, 1992
episode of Prime Time Wrestling the Samoans (soon to be the Headshrinkers) made their debut.
Commentator Gorilla Monsoon made mention of another, larger Samoan that they would soon be
seeing in the WWF.[9] Anoa'i would make his initial debut as Kokina in an untelevised match on
September 1, 1992 at a WWF Superstars taping in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Wrestling as Kokina, he
defeated Ron Neal.[10] This would be the only time that Anoa'i wrestled under his former gimmick.
Shortly after he was offered a new gimmick: Yokozuna.
Yokozuna (left) and Mr. Fuji on the first episode of Monday Night Raw
Managed by Mr. Fuji, Yokozuna debuted on the October 31, 1992 edition of Superstars and
portrayed a sumo wrestler competing under the Japanese flag, though the WWF did tactfully
acknowledge his Samoan roots.[2] He wore a mawashi as part of his ring attire, but wore long tights
underneath the loincloth, something that Vince McMahon and Yokozuna's own cousin Rikishi later
felt wasn't needed and that he should've worn the traditional mawashi without the tights to expose
his buttocks. (Something Rikishi himself would later do.)[11] He made his pay-per-view debut
at Survivor Series, easily defeating the much smaller Virgil with his huge weight advantage.[1][2]
[12]
Yokozuna's career soon took off, and he headed into 1993's Royal Rumble, where he was billed
as a potential favorite. He eliminated Randy Savage to win the Royal Rumble match,[1] cementing his
movement towards main event status.[2][3][6] Yokozuna was a competitor in the first-ever match
in Monday Night Raw history, defeating the much smaller Koko B. Ware with his signature finisher,
the Banzai Drop. Soon after, Yokozuna was challenged by American patriot "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan,
who aimed to be the first man who could knock Yokozuna off his feet (this was taped before Randy
Savage knocked down Yokozuna at the Royal Rumble). On the February 6, 1993 airing
of Superstars, Duggan succeeded in knocking Yokozuna down, only for Yokozuna to then sneak
attack Duggan with a bucket of salt Mr. Fuji had brought to the ring, and crush him with four Banzai
Drops, the fourth being with the American flag draped over Duggan. Afterwards, Duggan was
suffering from (kayfabe) internal bleeding.[13] On the May 10, 1993, edition of Monday Night Raw,
Yokozuna served as one of the lumberjacks in a match between Duggan and Shawn Michaels for
the Intercontinental Championship. Duggan, upon seeing Yokozuna, immediately charged at him
and knocked him off his feet again; late in the match, after Bam Bam Bigelow distracted Duggan,
Michaels attacked the challenger from behind and threw him out of the ring to where Yokozuna was
standing. Yokozuna knocked Duggan to the floor and nailed him with a leg drop, then rolled his
unconscious body back into the ring as payback for the earlier attack.[14]

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Agatupu Rodney Anoaʻi

(October 2, 1966 – October 23, 2000) was an American professional

 1Professional wrestling career

CHAPTER 2 Professional wrestling career

CHAPTER 4 World Wrestling Federation (1992–1998)

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