(2nd October 1966 - 23rd October 2000)
- Early Career
Rodney Anoa'i was a member of the famous Anoa'i family where The Rock, Rikishi, Samu, Rosey and Umaga all were among his cousins, and Afa and Sika (The Wild Samoans) were his uncles. The Wild Samoans were also the ones who trained Rodney Anoa'i from an early age.
Anoa'i (Rodney) began his wrestling career in Japan under the name of Great Kokina. He also spent some time in Mexico learning the craft and gaining the experience necessary to be a star in professional wrestling. His first major exposure in the United States came in the American Wrestling Association (AWA) as Kokina Maximus, a Samoan superstar managed by Sheik Adnan El Kassey (General Adnan). His biggest achievement at that time was breaking of Greg Gagne's leg and ending his career (scripted). At the time, Anoa'i weighed less than 400 pounds.
- WWF
In 1992, Anoa'i was contacted by Vince McMahon who offered Anoa'i with a new gimmick, Yokozuna. The term 'Yokozuna' refers to the highest rank in japanese professional sumo wrestling. Although the "Yokozuna" character that Vince presented was portrayed as a champion sumo wrestler, Anoa'i had never competed as an actual sumo wrestling.
Managed by Mr Fuji, Yokozuna debuted in October 1992, and was announced as a sumo wrestler competing under the Japanese flag (despite his samoan origin). His first notable victory came at Survivor Series 1992, when he squashed the much smaller Virgil.
Yokozuna's career took off immediately and he headed into the 1993 Royal Rumble billed as a potential favorite. Eventually, Yokozuna eliminated Randy Savage to win the Rumble, cementing his movement towards main event status. Soon after, Yokozuna further solidified his villainy by crushing the American hero "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan with 4 Banzai Drops, the 4th being done with a American flag draped over Duggan.
- WWF Champion
At WrestleMania IX, Yokozuna faced off against Bret Hart for the WWF Championship. Hart had the match won with Yokozuna about to submit to the Sharpshooter, when Mr. Fuji threw salt into the Bret Hart's face. Blinded, Hart was then pinned by Yokozuna, who won the WWF Championship, causing a major upset. As Yokozuna and Mr Fuji celebrated, Hulk Hogan came out to protest against the decision. Mr Fuji then arrogantly challenged the Hulkster for a match against Yokozuna right on the spot, offering to put the title on the line as well. Hogan accepted the challenge after Hart gave him his blessing. Fuji then tried to blind Hogan with salt but the move backfired, leading to Yokozuna being pinned in less than a minute. This gave Yokozuna as the 2nd-shortest title reign in WWE history.
At King of the Ring 1993, Yokozuna, whose billed weight increased from 505 pounds to 550, challenged Hogan for the title. Hogan seemed to be in control of the match but the champion underestimated the deceitful tactics of Mr Fuji. A "Japanese photographer" (Harvey Wippleman) posing as a member of the legitimate Japanese wrestling press by the ringside, aimed his lens at Hogan shot a blast of fire into his face. This allowed Yokozuna to take Hogan out with Hogan's own leg drop and reclaim the WWF Championship, after which Yokozuna proceeded to hit Hogan with a Banzai Drop. Soon after, Hogan left the WWF to pursue other interests, which left Yokozuna and Fuji claiming that they had ended "Hulkamania".
As a celebration, Yokozuna held a "Bodyslam Competition" aboard the USS Intrepid on Independence Day. Many wrestlers and athletes alike tried to slam Yokozuna, with no success. As Yokozuna thought that there would be none left to challenge him, Lex Luger flew in by helicopter, stepped forward, and slammed him on the deck. It was claimed by announcer Bobby Heenan that the move pulled by Luger was a hip toss rather than a bodyslam as Yokozuna was running at Luger when he slammed him, despite the claim the slam was ruled legitimate. This made Luger the next major challenger to Yokozuna's title reign.
At SummerSlam 1993, Yokozuna and the newly-reborn patriot Luger fought it out for the WWF Championship. Luger took control late in the match, scoring on Yokozuna with a bodyslam and flying forearm. Luger had metal plates put into his arm (scripted), making it a formidable weapon. It was stipulated that Luger must wear a protective pad over it, but it was torn off in the course of the match and Yokozuna was knocked out of the ring, unconscious, and lost via countout but able to retain his title. Yokozuna and Luger continued to feud until Survivor Series 1993, where both men chose a team of allies for an elimination match. The match was billed as an All Americans (Lex Luger, The Undertaker and Steiner Brothers) vs. Foreign Fanatics (Yokozuna, Quebecer Jacques, Ludvig Borga and Crush) contest. Prior to the match, Yokozuna and The Undertaker stood nose-to-nose as a tease to the crowd as to the possibility of those 2 facing each other. The Undertaker, however, was not tagged into the match until after it was just him and Luger on the American Team. When the Undertaker entered he beat down on Ludvig Borga but was knocked down by Yokozuna. Yokozuna then gave the Undertaker a Banzai Drop, but the Undertaker sat up when Yokozuna went for a 2nd Banzai Drop. The 2 then brawled outside the ring, where Yokozuna seemed to be completely overmatched. They were both eliminated by double countout. The match ended when Luger defeated Luvig Borga to win the match for the All Americans and making himself the sole survivor of the match.
Yokozuna feuded with The Undertaker next and both men faced off in a casket maych at Royal Rumble 1994. All the odds looked to be in the Undertaker's favor. However, after a lengthy match, Mr Fuji called out a dozen of heel wrestlers out to aid Yokozuna in attacking the Undertaker. After some struggling, the group managed to shove the Undertaker into the casket and closing it, giving the win to Yokozuna. In the actual 1994 Royal Rumble match, the last 2 competitors, Lex Luger and Bret Hart, fought and eliminated each other simultaneously. Since the winner of the Royal Rumble was to become the #1 contender to Yokozuna's title, it was decided that both wrestlers would get a shot at the title at WrestleMania X.
By virtue of winning a coin toss, Luger got to wrestle Yokozuna first at the event. The winner of that match would go on to face Bret Hart later in the evening with the title on the line. Bret Hart on the other hand will take on his brother, Owen Hart, before facing the eventual winner of the Luger/Yokozuna contest for the WWF title. To obviate the risk of outside interference, both title matches were scheduled to have special guest referees. Mr Perfect was the special guest referee for the Luger/Yokozuna bout and Roddy Piper for the Bret Hart's title deciding match.
In the Luger/Yokozuna match, Luger seemed to have the match well in hand and had knocked out Yokozuna with the bionic forearm in the middle of the ring. He also knocked out Mr Fuji and Jim Cornette, who tried to enter the ring. However when Luger went for the pin, Perfect occupied himself with the unconscious Fuji and Cornette who were still lying on the ring apron. When Luger got angry and pushed Perfect and was enventually disqualified, thus making Yokozuna the winner.
Later in the night, Yokozuna defended the championship again, this time against the former champion Bret Hart, who had lost earlier in the night to his brother Owen Hart. At the end of the match, Yokozuna seemed ready to hit his finishing maneuver, the Banzai Drop. However, he lost his balance and took a fall from the ropes. Hart capitalized and got the pinfall victory, finally taking the title away from the long-running champion who reigned for 280 days.
After the loss, Yokozuna's main-event status soon began to fade away, as he never again fully challenged for the WWF Championship. He began tagging briefly with Crush and the duo failed to capture the WWF tag titles against The Headshrinkers at King of the Ring 1994.
Yokozuna then had to deal with the "rebirth" of the Undertaker and both men faced off Survivor Series 1994. To prevent any outside interference from taking place, actor/karate expert Chuck Norris was appointed as the special enforcer to keep the other heel wrestlers away from ringside. Although Irwin R. Schyster did successfully interfere on Yokozuna's behalf, it wasn't enough to prevent the Undertaker from knocking Yokozuna out with a chokeslam and rolled him into the casket to win the match. This was Yokozuna's last main event run in the WWF for a time, as he wrestled only briefly on the mid-card before taking some time off.
- WWF Tag Team Champion
In April 1995, Owen Hart promised that he would have a great tag-team partner to face off against The Smokin' Gunns at WrestleMania XI for the WWF Tag Team Championship. At the event, Yokozuna was revealed as his partner, and the surprisingly diverse tag team managed to take out the Gunns and win the WWF Tag Team Championship.
The 2 would remain a tough tag team for a few months, defending against teams like the Allied Powers (Lex Luger & Davey Boy Smith), the Smoking Gunns and others. Still, by this point it was obvious that Yokozuna was no longer in great shape, having gained too much weight. He was estimated to be at around 700 lb (320 kg) at this point, although he was billed at 641 lb by WWF.
At In Your House 3, Yokozuna teamed up with Davey Boy Smith to take on Shawn Michaels and Diesel. Davey Boy Smith was a substitute for Owen Hart because Hart was supposedly with his wife as she gave birth to one of their children. Diesel's WWF Championship, Shawn Michaels' WWF Intercontinental Championship and Owen/Yoko's WWF Tag Team Championship on the line. During the match, Owen Hart came to the ring, only to be pinned by Diesel. The next day, due to protests from the team and the legal help of Clarence Mason, President Gorilla Monsoon reluctantly returned the belts to Yokozuna and Hart, since Hart was not an official part of the match. However, their 2nd reign was much shorter, as the Smoking Gunns defeated them that night for the belts.
- Late Career
Yokozuna had little continued success in 1996. He competed in the 1996 Royal Rumble match, managing to eliminate Bob Backlund, King Mabel, and Swat Team member #2 before being tossed out by Shawn Michaels, the eventual winner. Although Cornette had tried to make peace between him and new acquisition Vader, many observers felt Yokozuna was being relegated. After several run-ins, Yokozuna left Cornette and began a short babyface stint. He spoke English to the fans and had Mr Fuji wave an American flag during his matches.
It was during this feud with Vader that Yokozuna teamed up with Ahmed Johnson and Jake Roberts in a 6-man tag-team match at WrestleMania XII facing off with Vader, Owen Hart and British Bulldog. The feud took a painful turn a few months later, when Vader jumped on Yokozuna's leg, supposedly breaking it. A forklift had to come down to ringside to lift Yokozuna out, showing how his weight had gotten out of control.
He returned at the Free for All just before SummerSlam 1996, facing off against a heel Stone Cold Steve Austin. Yokozuna took the advantage near the end of the match but when he went for the Banzai Drop, the rope broke, sending him crashing back down. Austin took advantage of the situation and attained sn easy victory. It is interesting to note that during that match, neither man used the top rope in any way during the match due to the one turnbuckle being rigged to break.
The next night on Raw, Yokozuna faced Shawn Michaels for the WWF Championship. Despite using his massive weight and size, Yokozuna lost the match to Michaels. He would appear on one last WWF pay-per-view, still going after Vader at the Survivor Series 1996, but that match ended with all remaining wrestlers being disqualified.
Yokozuna stayed on the WWF roster for a while afterwards, as he worked to lose the weight that he had put on. Despite dropping a reported 100 pounds (45 kg), he still could not lose enough weight to satisfy the WWF officials. He was unable to pass a physical required for professional wrestlers by the New York State Athletic Commission and was eventually released from the WWF in 1998, although rumors persisted for many years that he would be brought back if he lost enough weight.
- Post WWF
After his WWF career ended, Anoa'i performed for various independent promotions. The last major appearance for Yokozuna was at October 1999's Heroes of Wrestling pay-per-view, where he looked massively overweight compared to his WWF days. At the event, Yokozuna tagged with Jake Roberts against the team of King Kong Bundy and Jim Neidhart.
- Death
Tragedy struck on October 23, 2000, Anoa'i died of fluid in his lungs while in his room at the Moat House Hotel, Liverpool. It was reported that his death was caused by a heart attack or heart failure. Anoa'i died at the age of only 34 and weighing of over 600 pounds.
Despite being a fearsome and ruthless competitor on camera, Rodney Anoa'i was regarded by many of his friends and colleagues to be a genuinely friendly and heartwarming man who was a true professional in the ring. Superstars like Stone Cold Steve Austin, Bret Hart, and Hulk Hogan have spoken highly of Anoa'i in various interviews about his professionalism in and outside the ring. Anoa'i was also close friends with The Undertaker, despite their on screen rivalry.
Links:
1) Rare clip of Kokina Maximus wrestling in Mexico
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRAzaYB5eoU (Thanks to DarkAtlantis)
2) Yokozuna vs. Bret Hart (Steel Cage Match)
http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/yokozuna/video/x360za_bret-hart-vs-yokozuna-steel-cage-ma_sport (Thanks to TSteck160)
3) Yokozuna vs. USA (Independence Day Bodyslam Challenge in 1993)
http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/yokozuna/video/x2u297_bodyslam-challenge-yokozuna-vs-usa_sport (Thanks to Stinger1981)
4) Yokozuna and Owen Hart vs. The Allied Powers
http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/yokozuna/video/x36vl4_owen-hart-yokozuna-vs-allied-powers_sport (Thanks to TSteck160)
5) Yokozuna vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin (Summerslam 1996)
http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/yokozuna/video/x4yw7l_stone-cold-vs-yokozuna-1996_sport (Thanks to Shermie_Carnival)
6) Yokozuna Tribute
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXTmVFe0hx4 (Thanks to CubsBulls0898)
