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Afa Anoa'i
Actor
Born November 21, 1942Died August 16, 2024 (81 years)
Afa Amituana'i Anoa'i was a retired Samoan professional wrestler and manager, who appeared as one of Kenneth Togaru's henchmen that killed Charles Symington and Ali Ferrand in the episode "By Hooker by Crook" of the series Miami Vice.
Anoai got into professional wrestling in the early 1970s, trained by Rocky Johnson and Peter Maivia (father and grandfather of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson), then made his debut in 1971, and brought in his brother Sika Anoa'i (born 1945) and formed The Wild Samoans, a tag team that won three WWWF (precursor to today's WWE) Tag Team Championships (twice in 1980 and once in 1983), managed by Capt. Lou Albano for all of their reigns. They also held the NWA National Tag Team titles in 1982 and several other regional titles during their career. In 1983 Sika was injured and Afa brought in his son Samu, and would remain a team until 1984. The Wild Samoans broke up soon after, but Afa returned to the WWF as manager of Samu and Afa's nephew Fatu and they formed The Samoan Swat Team (in World Class—WCCW, and the NWA) before moving to the WWF and becoming The Headshrinkers, which won the WWF Tag Team Titles once before Afa retired in 1994. He then trained new pro wrestlers at the Wild Samoans Academy, and in 2007 he and Sika were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Anoa'i's only acting credits besides Vice was in the movies Body Slam and Mr. Nanny.
Anoa'i married his wife Lynn in 1970, and have five children; their three sons, Samula "Samu", Afa, Jr. "Manu", and Lloyd "L.A. Smooth", all became pro wrestlers, and two daughters, Monica and Lynn.
Anoai got into professional wrestling in the early 1970s, trained by Rocky Johnson and Peter Maivia (father and grandfather of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson), then made his debut in 1971, and brought in his brother Sika Anoa'i (born 1945) and formed The Wild Samoans, a tag team that won three WWWF (precursor to today's WWE) Tag Team Championships (twice in 1980 and once in 1983), managed by Capt. Lou Albano for all of their reigns. They also held the NWA National Tag Team titles in 1982 and several other regional titles during their career. In 1983 Sika was injured and Afa brought in his son Samu, and would remain a team until 1984. The Wild Samoans broke up soon after, but Afa returned to the WWF as manager of Samu and Afa's nephew Fatu and they formed The Samoan Swat Team (in World Class—WCCW, and the NWA) before moving to the WWF and becoming The Headshrinkers, which won the WWF Tag Team Titles once before Afa retired in 1994. He then trained new pro wrestlers at the Wild Samoans Academy, and in 2007 he and Sika were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Anoa'i's only acting credits besides Vice was in the movies Body Slam and Mr. Nanny.
Anoa'i married his wife Lynn in 1970, and have five children; their three sons, Samula "Samu", Afa, Jr. "Manu", and Lloyd "L.A. Smooth", all became pro wrestlers, and two daughters, Monica and Lynn.
Afa Anoa'i Filmography
| 2020 | WWE: Slammy Awards · as Afa |
| 2020 | First Look: WWE Icons · as Afa |
| 2020 | WWE Hell in a Cell · as Afa (appearance) |
| 2015 | WWE: The Kliq Rules · as Afa |
| 2014 | The Usos: 10 Hours to Houston · as Afa |
| 2013 | Legends of the Mid-South Wrestling · as Afa |
| 2010 | |
| 2007 | |
| 2007 | WrestleMania 23 · as Afa |
| 2004 | The Rise & Fall of ECW · as Afa |
| 1999 | WWE SmackDown (TV Series) · as Afa |
| 1998 | WWE Heat (TV Series) · as Afa |
| 1995 | Royal Rumble · as Afa |
| 1994 | Paul Bearer's Hits from the Crypt · as Afa (manager) |
| 1994 | German Fan Favorites Folge 2 · as Afa |
| 1994 | King of the Ring · as Afa (manager) |
| 1994 | WrestleMania X · as Afa |
| 1994 | Royal Rumble · as Afa |
| 1993 | Survivor Series · as Afa (manager) |
| 1993 | Global Warfare · as Afa (manager) |
| 1993 | WWF: U.K. Fan Favorites · as Afa |
| 1993 | King of the Ring · as Afa (manager) |
| 1993 | WrestleMania IX · as Afa (manager) |
| 1993 | |
| 1993 | Royal Rumble · as Samoan Afa |
| 1993 | WWE Raw (TV Series) · as Afa |
| 1992 | Survivor Series · as Afa (manager) |
| 1986 | Body Slam · as The Samoans |
| 1986 | WWF Wrestling Challenge (TV Series) · as Afa |
| 1986 | WWF Superstars (TV Series) · as Afa |
| 1986 | |
| 1986 | AWA Championship Wrestling (TV Series) · as Destroyer Samoan |
| 1986 | |
| 1985 | André the Giant · as Afa (archive Footage) |
| 1985 | WWF Prime Time Wrestling (TV Series) · as Afa |
| 1985 | |
| 1985 | The WWF's Most Unusual Matches · as Afa |
| 1984 | Miami Vice (TV Series) · as Henchman #2 |
| 1984 | Tuesday Night Titans (TV Series) · as Afa |
| 1981 | Mid-South Wrestling (TV Series) · as Afa |
| 1980 | WWF Championship Wrestling (TV Series) · as Afa |
| 1973 | WWF on MSG Network (TV Series) · as Afa - The Wild Samoans |
| 1973 | WWE Old School (TV Series) · as Afa |
| 1972 | WWF All-Star Wrestling (TV Series) · as Afa |
| 1972 | WWF Championship Wrestling (TV Series) · as Afa |
| 2021 | Biography: WWE Legends (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2021 | WWE Icons (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2015 | WWE 24 (TV Series) · as Himself |
| 2014 | True Giants · as Self |
| 2014 | The Monday Night War (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2012 | WWE Hall of Fame 2012 · as Self |
| 2009 | WWE: Batista - I Walk Alone · as Self |
| 2008 | WWE Hall of Fame 2008 · as Self |
| 2007 | The Most Powerful Families in Wrestling · as Self |
| 2007 | WWE Hall of Fame 2007 · as Self - Inductee |
| 2006 | The World's Greatest Wrestling Managers · as Self |
| 1999 | Beyond the Mat · as Self |
| 1994 | Survivor Series · as Himself (manager) |
| 1994 | Summerslam · as Himself (manager) |
| 1993 | Late Night with Conan O'Brien (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1993 | Summerslam · as Himself (manager) |