I am about to share a secret that few, if any of my fellow researchers at American Ancestors know about me: I love professional wrestling. I was initially a fan of WWE up until about 2005, and after a significant lapse, I actually started following it again around the time I started working for American Ancestors in 2014. I attended Wrestlemania for the first time in 2019, when it was held at Metlife Stadium in New Jersey.
Believe it or not, professional wrestling actually has quite a bit to do with genealogy and family history. Some of the most famous dynasties in the sport are multi-generational families that include brothers, sisters, children, and grandchildren. These include the Ortons (“The Big O” Bob Orton Sr., his sons, Cowboy Bob Orton Jr., “Barry O,” and Bob Jr.’s son, Randy), The Harts (headed by Stu and Helen Hart, the parents of Bret, Owen, Diana (who married “The British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith, connecting the Hart and Smith families), and Ellie (who married Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, father of former women’s champion, Natalya Neidhart)), and the Von Erichs (subjects of the recent biopic film, Iron Claw). One family, however, stands above all others in terms of their impact on the world of professional wrestling: the Anoaʻi family.
It is impossible to overstate the importance of the Anoaʻi family in the world of professional wrestling. In WWF/WWE alone, they are responsible for:
Anyone who is familiar with the Anoaʻi family immediately knows two of its most famous members: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Leati Joseph “Roman Reigns” Anoaʻi, both members of the family’s third generation of wrestlers. The Rock and Roman Reigns are always said to be cousins, which is generally accepted as fact—however, there are two caveats to that statement which must be discussed. The first is that Roman Reigns’ grandfather, Amituanai Anoaʻi, and the Rock’s grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, were not actually biological brothers. They were, however, blood brothers, a sacred bond in Samoan culture which has inextricably linked the two families to such a degree that the Maivia family is considered a branch of the Anoaʻi family.
The second caveat comes from that fact that the High Chief is not the biological father of the Rock’s mother, Mataniufeagaimaleata "Ata" Fitisemanu. Ata is the High Chief’s stepdaughter through his marriage to her mother, Ofelia (Fuataga) Maivia. Peter Maivia would go on to adopt Ata, and her surname would be changed to Maivia. Again, while this is not technically a biological connection, this bond is considered the same as a connection by blood.
First Generation
As previously mentioned, the Anoaʻi family of wrestling begins with two men, Rev. Amituanaʻi Anoaʻi (1914-1994) and “High Chief” Peter Maivia (1936-1982).
Rev. Amituanaʻi was born in Fagatogo, Maoputasi, American Samoa on 10 April 1914 to Ifopo F. Amituanai (19 November 1894 – February 19691), son of Gatiso and Sina (Amituanai) Ifopo, and Puaaelo Faagata (17 April 1899 – 23 September 1991), daughter of Pasi Vaafusuaga and Selesa Amituanai.2 Amituanaʻi married his wife, Tovaleomanaia Leoso (1920 – 30 September 19883) in Leone, Lealataua, American Samoa.4 He found work as a carpenter in his native Samoa until he relocated to San Francisco.5, 6 Although he traveled to the United States several times during the 1940s, he largely remained in Samoa where his children were born until he finally settled permanently in San Diego.7 Although there is no indication he was ever a wrestler himself, at 5 feet 7 inches and 239 pounds, Amituanaʻi would have not been out of place in the ring.8
The other head of the world-famous wrestling family was the High Chief Peter Maivia. He was born Fanene Pita Anderson on 17 August 1936 in Togafuafua, Apia, American Samoa to Alfred Fanene (b. 3 October 1904) and Peke Papalii.9 Later known under the name Fanene Leifi Pita Maivia, he was well known in the wrestling world throughout his entire life. At an early age, Peter began wrestling in New Zealand before moving on to perform in England. Eventually, he would perform as part of tours of the United States, Asia, and Europe. He would later serve as President and Promoter for the National Wrestling Alliance’s Polynesian Pro Wrestling in Honolulu, Hawaii.10 From 1977 to 1981, he wrestled for the company then known as the World Wide Wrestling Federation, where he was considered a premier attraction. Peter would later marry Ofelia Fuataga (1927-2008), who would become one of wrestling’s first female promoters upon her husband’s death in 1982. Peter Maivia raised and later formally adopted Ofelia’s daughter, Ata, who married one of Peter’s trainees, Wayde Douglas Bowles (24 August 1944 – 15 January 2020), more famously known by the moniker “Soulman” Rocky Johnson.11
Second Generation
Rev. Amituanaʻi Anoaʻi and his wife, Tovaleomanaia Leoso were the parents of nine children, two of whom would go on to become famous professional wrestlers and three others who would be the parents of professional wrestlers, making them one of the most prolific families in the history of the sport. Rev. Amituanaʻi’s son, Afa, was born on 21 November 1942 (some sources say 1943) in American Samoa and passed away on 16 August 2024.12 He would go on to find great success as one half of the tag team known as the Wild Samoans, with his brother, Leati “Sika” Anoaʻi (1945-2024,13). Both Afa and Sika were trained in the art of professional wrestling by their uncle the High Chief Peter Maivia and his son-in-law, Rocky Johnson.14 Rev. Amituanaʻi Anoaʻi’s other children were Tumua (born c. 1941) [father of wrestler Black Pearl], Afoa (2 May 1942 - 30 April 2004,15) [father of Rodney, better known as WWF world champion Yokozuna (1966-2000)], Initalia (born 15 November 1949,16), Tusipa (born 7 August 1951), Peteroni (born 7 June 1954),17 Matalima (born 5 September 1955), and Elevera (18 February 1947 – 2008). Elevera would go on to marry Iʻaulualo Folau Solofa Fatu Sr. (1945-2020) and become the mother of three future WWE performers.
The other branch of this family tree runs through the step-daughter of the High Chief Peter Maivia, Mataniufeagaimaleata Fitisemanu (better known as Ata (Maivia) Johnson). In the early 1970’s, Peter Maivia wrestled a tag team match with Rocky Johnson.18 It was during this time that Johnson became involved with Ata. The two had a son, Dwayne, born on 2 May 1972.19 In 2022, an article in Sports Illustrated revealed that Rocky Johnson had at least five other children in addition to Dwayne and his children Curtis and Wanda, who were from his first marriage.20
Third Generation
It is within the third generation of the family that we can identify the connection between the Rock, Roman Reigns, and several other notable professional wrestlers from the 1980’s to the modern era.
Rev. Amituanaʻi Anoaʻi’s eldest child, Tumua, was the father of Reno Anoaʻi who wrestled under the name Black Pearl from 2002 until about 2009. The children of both Afa and Sika, the Wild Samoans, have seen considerably more success in their wrestling careers. Afa is the father of Samula “Samu” Anoaʻi (b. 1963) best known as one half of the Headshrinkers with his first cousin, Solofa “Rikishi” Fatu (b. 1965). The team won the WWF tag team championship on 26 April 1994. Twenty-one years later, Afa had another son, Afa “Manu” Jr. (b. 1984) who worked at WWE from 2006 to 2009, during which time he formed an alliance known as the Legacy which was composed of other second- and third-generation wrestlers.
The Reverend’s third son, Afoa (b. 1943), was the father of one of the industry’s largest performers of all time, Rodney “Yokozuna” Anoaʻi. Tipping the scales at nearly 600 pounds, Yokozuna proved to be a fearsome challenger to all who opposed him. Professional wrestling has a long history of performers being billed as an ethnicity other than their own, and Yokozuna was no different. Despite being Samoan, Yokozuna was billed as being from Japan and portrayed as a former sumo wrestler. Yokozuna would go on to capture the WWF Championship twice while also winning the tag team championships with second-generation talent Owen Hart on two occasions.
The other half of the Wild Samoans tag team, Leati “Sika” Anoaʻi (1945-2024), married his wife Patricia Hooker in 1969, and the couple were the parents of five children.21 Their son, Matthew Tapunu'u Anoaʻi (1970-2017) would be an in-ring performer from 1995 until his death in 2017, most notably with WWE under the name Rosey, where he captured the tag team championships with the Hurricane in 2005. Leati’s most famous son, however, is Leati Joseph Anoaʻi (b. 1985), better known by his ring name Roman Reigns. Reigns was the WWE Champion and WWE Universal Champion for several years until he lost his championship at Wrestlemania 40 in April 2024.
As previously noted, Elevera Anoaʻi, daughter of the Reverend, married a man by the name of Iʻaulualo Folau Solofa Fatu Sr., and the couple were the progenitors of the Fatu wrestling family. On 11 October 1965, Elevera and Iʻaulualo would become the parents of twin boys Samuel, better known by his ring names Tama and the Tonga Kid [the father of current WWE wrestler, “the Samoan Werewolf” Jacob Fatu], and Solofa, known in WWE under several names, most notably Rikishi. Rikishi had a twelve-year stint in WWE during which he won three Tag Team Championships and one Intercontinental Championship. In 2015, Rikishi was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Elevera and Iʻaulualo’s younger son, Edward (1973-2009) was known in WWE under the names Jamal and Umaga. During his time with company, he would also win the Intercontinental Championship twice, making him the second member of his family to claim the title.
Despite the success of the other members of the Anoaʻi family’s third generation, one man stands above them all in terms of his success both in and out of the ring. Rocky Johnson and Ata Maivia were the parents of wrestler and actor Dwayne Johnson, well-known to virtually the entire world as The Rock. His accolades in the ring alone speak for themselves and would be impressive even to someone unfamiliar with professional wrestling:
Despite not having a biological relation, The Rock is considered to be a member of the Anoaʻi family and is often cited as the cousin (technically second cousin) of Roman Reigns.
Fourth Generation
While Roman Reigns is still an active competitor for the WWE, there are also several members of the Anoaʻi family’s fourth generation who compete alongside Roman on a weekly basis. These are the children of Solofa “Rikishi” Fatu, twin sons Jonathan and Joshua (b. 1985)—better known as Jimmy and Jey Uso, respectively—and Joseph Yokozuna Fatu (b. 1993), known in WWE as Solo Sikoa. The latter received his middle name from the ring name of his father’s cousin, Rodney “Yokozuna” Anoaʻi. For over a decade, Jimmy and Jey Uso were perhaps the most successful tag team in WWE history. In 2021, Roman Reigns, Jimmy and Jey Uso, and later Solo Sikoa united to form a dominant faction known as the Bloodline based on their shared family heritage. In 2023, a rift was formed in the Bloodline when Jimmy Uso turned on his brother, Jey.
Another member of the family’s fourth generation is Simone “Ava” Johnson (b. 2001), daughter of the Rock, who performs on WWE’s NXT brand. Her work with the company makes her, as of 2024, the only fourth generation member of the Anoaʻi family to compete for WWE. One other distant relation to the Anoaʻi family who also competes for WWE is Savelina Fanene (b. 1984), who goes by the name Nia Jax. Nia’s father, Joseph Fanene was a first cousin of the High Chief Peter Maivia, making her a second cousin once-removed of the Rock.
With four generations of success in WWE as professional wrestlers, the Anoaʻi family stand above all others in their impact on the sport. Their complex family ties make a great case study for genealogical researchers looking to better understand family relationships across several generations.
Notes
1 California, U.S., San Francisco Area Funeral Home Records, 1895-1985, H· F· Suhr Company, February 1969, Case No. 27743, Ancestry.com.
2 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007, Anoai Amituanai, SSN: 575285024, Ancestry.com.
3 “Amituanai, Tovale Anoai (Ripley)” San Francisco Examiner, 7 October 1988, pg. 26.
4 California, U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1888-1991, Muliaiga Anoai Faamaile, Petition Number: 149641, Ancestry.com.
5 California, U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1888-1991, Amituanai Anoai, Petition Number: 153736, Ancestry.com.
6 Anoai Household, Leone, Lealataua, American Samoa, 1950 United States Census, Roll: 6289; Page: 29a; Enumeration District: 3-1a, Ancestry.com.
7 U.S., Index to Alien Case Files,1944-2003, Amituanai Anoai, Registration Number: 012651094, Ancestry.com.
8 California, U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1888-1991, Amituanai Anoai, Petition Number: 153736, Ancestry.com.
9 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007, Petelo Fanene, SSN: 576066496, Ancestry.com.
10 “High Chief Peter Maivia, Wrestling Promoter, Dies” Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 15 June 1982, pg. 3.
11 “Peter Maivia” Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 16 June 1982, pg. 78.
12 U.S., Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume 1, Afa A Anoai Sr, Ancestry.com.
13 California, U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1888-1991, Leati Anoai, Petition Number: 153737, Ancestry.com.
14 Biography, The Wild Samoans, WWE.com.
15 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007, Junior Amituanai Anoai Jr, SSN: 557625873, Ancestry.com.
16 California, U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1888-1991, Initalia Anoai, Petition Number: 153741, Ancestry.com.
17 California, U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1888-1991, Peteroni Anoai, Petition Number: 153736, Ancestry.com.
18 The Rock, The Rock Says, (Harper Collins, New York, 2000), pg. 7.
19 The Rock, The Rock Says, (Harper Collins, New York, 2000), pg. 10.
20 Oliver, Greg, “DNA Says These Five Strangers Were All Fathered by the Same Wrestler—and The Rock Is Their Half Brother” Sports Illustrated, 30 June 2022.
21 Sutter, Frederic Koehler, The Samoans: A Global Family, (University of Hawaii Press, 1989), pg. 195.