Rodney Anoa'i
Encyclopedia
Rodney Agatupu Anoa'i 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. The term yokozuna refers to the highest rank in professional sumo
wrestling in Japan. Although the "Yokozuna" character was portrayed as a champion sumo wrestler, Anoa'i had never competed as an actual sumotori. Though Yokozuna wrestled as a representative of Japan, he was of Samoan origin and was accordingly billed as hailing from Polynesia
(although he was managed by Mr. Fuji
, who would follow Anoa'i to the ring with a wooden bucket of salt, and waving a Japanese flag).
In the WWF, Anoa'i was a two-time WWF Champion
and two-time Tag Team Champion (with Owen Hart
), as well as the winner of the 1993 Royal Rumble
. Anoa'i was the first wrestler of Samoan descent to hold the WWF Championship as well as the first Royal Rumble winner to receive a world title shot at WrestleMania
, as a result of a direct stipulation.
Yokozuna was one of the heaviest wrestlers of all time. When he entered wrestling he weighed just under 500 pounds, Fueled by a continuous desire to become bigger and heavier, Yokozuna soon weighed over 600 pounds and removed the padding. His heaviest billed wrestling weight was 750 pounds, although it is believed he actually weighed somewhere close to 800 pounds and was still trying to increase his size.
, Afa
and Sika
, who trained him from an early age in the family business. Anoa'i 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. His first major exposure in the United States came in the American Wrestling Association
(AWA) as Kokina Maximus. Wrestling as a Samoa
n superstar, he was managed
by Sheik Adnan El Kassey
. His biggest achievement at that time was the kayfabe
breaking of Greg Gagne
's leg and ending his career. At the time, he weighed less than 400 lb (181.4 kg), which was lean in comparison to his weight later in life (during his WWF career, he weighed between 500 lb (226.8 kg) and perhaps as much as 700 lb (317.5 kg) at his heaviest. After his time with the WWF he wrestled in independent circuits, increasing his weight even more in the hopes of gaining another 200–300 lb and thus becoming the biggest wrestler ever).
of the World Wrestling Federation
(WWF) and was offered a new gimmick: Yokozuna. Managed by Harry Fujiwara
(Mr. Fuji), Yokozuna debuted on the October 31, 1992 edition of Superstars
and was announced as a sumo wrestler competing under the Japanese flag. He made his pay-per-view
debut at Survivor Series
, easily defeating the much smaller Virgil
with his huge weight advantage.
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, cementing his movement towards main event status. Soon after, Yokozuna further solidified his status as a monstrous villain
by crushing the American hero "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan
with four Banzai Drops, the fourth being with the American flag draped over Duggan.
, 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 champion's face. Blinded, Hart was then pinned by Yokozuna, who won the WWF Championship in a major upset, officially becoming the seventeenth WWF Champion. As he and Mr. Fuji celebrated, Hulk Hogan
came to the ring to help Hart and was challenged by Mr Fuji to take on the champion for his newly won crown. After Fuji accidentally threw salt in Yokozuna's eyes, Hogan came through with the win and captured his fifth WWF title.
At King of the Ring 1993, Yokozuna, whose weight had already increased from 500 lb (226.8 kg) to 580 lb (263.1 kg), challenged Hogan for the title. Once again, Hogan seemed to be in control, but the champion underestimated the deceitful tactics of Mr. Fuji. A "Japanese photographer" posing as a member of the legitimate Japanese wrestling press and planted at ringside by the group, aimed his lens at Hogan and pressed a button, shooting a blast of fire into his face. This allowed Yokozuna to take Hogan out with a leg drop and reclaim the WWF Championship, after which Yokozuna proceeded to hit Hogan with the Banzai Drop in the corner. Soon after, Hogan left the WWF to pursue other interests (WCW), which left Yokozuna and Fuji to claim that they had ended "Hulkamania" (to wit, that would be Hogan's last appearance in the WWF for nine years). To celebrate, he held a "Bodyslam Competition" aboard the , a decommissioned aircraft carrier
, on Independence Day
. Many wrestlers and athletes alike tried to slam Yokozuna, with no success. As Yokozuna thought that there would be no one 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, but the slam was ruled legitimate. This made Luger the next major challenger to Yokozuna's title reign.
At SummerSlam
, 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 following an injury from a motorcycle accident, making it a formidable weapon (it was stipulated that Luger had to 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. The title did not change hands, but the match's result made it seem like Luger had a chance against his gigantic foe. The contract Luger had signed for the match, as orchestrated by Yokozuna's new spokesman and advisor Jim Cornette
, stated that if he did not win the championship, he would not get another shot at the title. Yokozuna and Luger continued to feud until Survivor Series
, where each 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.
Yokozuna's next challenger was The Undertaker. The two first squared off against each other as parts of their respective teams at Survivor Series. Prior to the match starting, the two stood nose-to-nose as a tease to the crowd as to the possibility of those two 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 second Banzai Drop. The two then brawled
outside, where Yokozuna seemed to be completely over-matched. They were both eliminated by double countout.
Eventually, Yokozuna was forced to accept a Casket match with the Undertaker. The match occurred at Royal Rumble
, where all the odds looked to be in the Undertaker's favor. However, after a lengthy match, Mr. Fuji called out the troops, bringing a dozen heel wrestlers out to aid Yokozuna in attacking the Undertaker. After a lot of struggle (as well as damaging the Undertaker's "magic" urn), the group managed to shove the Undertaker into the casket, giving the win to Yokozuna. As they celebrated afterwards, however, a mysterious figure appeared on the Titantron
, looking like the Undertaker inside the casket. He opened his eyes and said the Undertaker would not rest in peace; he then disappeared in a smoke and light show, rising to the top of the Titantron and seemingly levitating all the way to the arena ceiling. He then vanished. This storyline was used to allow the Undertaker to rest for several months to recover from lingering real-life injuries.
In the 1994 Royal Rumble match, the last two competitors, Lex Luger and Bret Hart, fought and eliminated each other simultaneously. Since the winner of the Royal Rumble was to become the number one 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. 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. Luger seemed to have the match well in hand and had knocked out Yokozuna with a running forearm smash 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 Mr. Perfect, he was disqualified, thus making Yokozuna the first villainous
champion to successfully defend the WWF Championship at a WrestleMania
.
Later in the night, Yokozuna defended the championship again, this time against the former champion Bret "Hitman" Hart, who had lost earlier in the night to his brother Owen Hart
. For this match, Roddy Piper
was the special referee. When Cornette tried to interfere to break a pinfall, Piper decked him. At the end of the match, Yokozuna seemed ready to hit his finishing maneuver, the Banzai Drop, when he lost his balance and took a fall from the ropes. Hart got the pinfall victory, finally taking the title away from the long-running champion who reigned for 280 days. Afterwards on television, Cornette would blame the fall on a concussion suffered from Luger's forearm plate.
, another Mr. Fuji charge. In May 1994, on a Monday Night Raw
episode, Yokozuna was challenged by Earthquake
to an actual sumo match. On May 16, 1994, Earthquake beat Yokozuna in the only (worked) sumo match until WrestleMania 21
, between The Big Show
and an actual yokozuna
, Akebono
. At King of the Ring 1994
, Yokozuna and Crush failed to win the WWF Tag Team Championship from The Headshrinkers
(Samu
and Fatu
).
Yokozuna then had to deal with the "rebirth" of the Undertaker, who immediately came after the foe who had taken him out of action. The two met in another casket match at the Survivor Series
, this time with actor/karate expert Chuck Norris
as the special enforcer to keep the other heel wrestlers away from ringside. Without their help (although Irwin R. Schyster
did successfully interfere on Yokozuna's behalf), Yokozuna could not win and eventually ended up locked inside the casket. Yokozuna continued to wrestle briefly before taking some time off to increase his already huge weight advantage. .
began promising that he would have a great tag-team partner to face off against The Smoking Gunns (Billy
and Bart
) at WrestleMania XI
for the WWF World Tag Team Championship. At the event, Yokozuna was revealed as his partner, and the team managed to defeat the Gunns and win the WWF World Tag Team Championship. Following the match, Jim Cornette stated, "Michael Jordan
's back and so is Yokozuna" (a reference to Jordan's first NBA return). The two would remain a tough tag team
for a few months, defending against teams like the Allied Powers (Lex Luger
and Davey Boy Smith
), the Smoking Gunns, and others. Still, by this point it was obvious that Yokozuna was no longer in fighting shape, though still trying to grow bigger, it was obvious that he had already gained too much weight (he was estimated to be at around 700 lb (317.5 kg) at this point, although he was billed at 641 lb (290.8 kg)).
At In Your House 3
on September 24, 1995, Yokozuna teamed up with Davey Boy Smith
to take on Shawn Michaels
and Diesel
(the back story being that Hart was with his wife as she gave birth to one of their children) with Diesel's WWF Championship, Shawn Michaels' Intercontinental Championship
and Hart and Yokozuna's Tag Team Championship on the line. During the match, 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. Their second reign was shorter, as the Smoking Gunns defeated them that night for the belts.
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 stint as a fan favorite
. He spoke English to the fans, had Mr. Fuji wave an American flag during his matches, and challenged Vader to numerous matches. It was during this feud that Yokozuna teamed up with Ahmed Johnson
and Jake Roberts
in a six-man tag-team match at WrestleMania XII
, facing off with Vader, Owen Hart and British Bulldog. The feud took a painful turn a couple weeks later, when Vader jumped on Yokozuna's leg, breaking it. A forklift had to come down to ringside to lift Yokozuna out, showing how his enormous size and his desire to gain even more weight had gotten out of control. He took some time off to begrudgingly slim down.
Yokozuna returned at In Your House 8: Beware of Dog
to wrestle Vader. During the event, a severe thunderstorm in the area caused the pay-per-view broadcast feed to black out. In one of the matches not broadcast, Yokozuna defeated Vader. The event was rescheduled two days later, in which the matches that were previously blacked-out took place again. In the rematch, Vader defeated Yokozuna. He appeared at Free for All
just before SummerSlam
, facing off against 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 attained the victory.
The next night on Raw, Yokozuna faced Shawn Michaels
for the WWF Championship. Despite using his big size, Yokozuna lost the match to Michaels. He would appear at one more WWF pay-per-view, still going after Vader at the 1996 Survivor Series
, but that match ended with all remaining wrestlers being disqualified.
Yokozuna stayed on the WWF roster for a while afterwards, as he slowly worked to lose the weight that he had put on. Despite dropping a reported 100 lb (45.4 kg), he still could not lose enough 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 that he would be brought back if he lost enough weight.
. The last major appearance for Yokozuna was at October 1999's Heroes of Wrestling
pay-per-view, where he looked enormously overweight compared to his WWF days. At an estimated 760 pounds, he had not only gained the weight that he had lost but admitted he was intentionally getting bigger with a goal weight between 850 and 900 pounds. At the pay-per-view event, Yokozuna was scheduled to take on King Kong Bundy
in one of the event's two featured matches. However, this was not to be as Jake Roberts
, who was scheduled to face Jim Neidhart
in the other main event match, came to the ring for his match intoxicated and in no condition to wrestle. The promoters made a last minute change and ordered Yokozuna to team with Roberts against Bundy and Neidhart, and Yokozuna's team lost.
: The Rock, Rikishi
, Samu
, Rosey
, Manu
and Umaga
were among his cousins, and Afa
and Sika
were his uncles. He had two children, Justin and Keilani.
in his room at the Moat House Hotel
, Liverpool, England while he was on an independent wrestling tour in Europe. At the time, it was widely reported that he died of heart failure or a heart attack, but this was later found to be incorrect. Anoa'i's weight at his death was 680 lb (308.4 kg).
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
. He was best known for his time with the World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(WWF) where he wrestled under the ring name
Ring name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
Yokozuna. The term yokozuna refers to the highest rank in professional sumo
Sumo
is a competitive full-contact sport where a wrestler attempts to force another wrestler out of a circular ring or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet. The sport originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally...
wrestling in Japan. Although the "Yokozuna" character was portrayed as a champion sumo wrestler, Anoa'i had never competed as an actual sumotori. Though Yokozuna wrestled as a representative of Japan, he was of Samoan origin and was accordingly billed as hailing from Polynesia
Polynesia
Polynesia is a subregion of Oceania, made up of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are termed Polynesians and they share many similar traits including language, culture and beliefs...
(although he was managed by Mr. Fuji
Harry Fujiwara
Harry Fujiwara is an American former professional wrestler and manager, best known by his ring name Mr. Fuji. He was infamous for often throwing salt in the eyes of face wrestlers...
, who would follow Anoa'i to the ring with a wooden bucket of salt, and waving a Japanese flag).
In the WWF, Anoa'i was a two-time WWF Champion
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
and two-time Tag Team Champion (with Owen Hart
Owen Hart
Owen James Hart was a Canadian professional and amateur wrestler who worked for several promotions including Stampede Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling , World Championship Wrestling , and most notably, the World Wrestling Federation , where he wrestled under both his own name, and ring name The...
), as well as the winner of the 1993 Royal Rumble
Royal Rumble (1993)
Royal Rumble was the sixth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on January 24, 1993 at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California. The main event was a Royal Rumble match, a battle royal in which two wrestlers...
. Anoa'i was the first wrestler of Samoan descent to hold the WWF Championship as well as the first Royal Rumble winner to receive a world title shot at WrestleMania
WrestleMania
WrestleMania is a professional wrestling pay-per-view event, produced annually in late March or early April by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut...
, as a result of a direct stipulation.
Yokozuna was one of the heaviest wrestlers of all time. When he entered wrestling he weighed just under 500 pounds, Fueled by a continuous desire to become bigger and heavier, Yokozuna soon weighed over 600 pounds and removed the padding. His heaviest billed wrestling weight was 750 pounds, although it is believed he actually weighed somewhere close to 800 pounds and was still trying to increase his size.
American Wrestling Association (1984–1992)
Anoa'i's career in professional wrestling began as he grew up in a family full of wrestlers. His uncles were the Wild SamoansWild Samoans
The Wild Samoans was the professional wrestling tag team of Afa and Sika in Mid-South Wrestling, the National Wrestling Alliance and the World Wrestling Federation . The Samoans held 21 tag team championships around the world.-Gimmick:...
, Afa
Afa Anoa'i
Arthur "Afa" Anoa'i, Sr. is a Samoan American retired professional wrestler and professional wrestling manager. Since retiring in the 1990s, he has operated the World Xtreme Wrestling promotion and trained wrestlers at the Wild Samoan Training Facility.-Early life:Anoa'i was born in Samoa, but...
and Sika
Sika Anoa'i
Leati "Sika" Anoa'i is a former professional wrestler and a member of the Anoa'i family.-Career:Sika teamed with his brother Afa to form the tag team the Wild Samoans. They teamed in various promotions including WWF and Mid-South. In 1979, they signed with the World Wrestling Federation...
, who trained him from an early age in the family business. Anoa'i 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. His first major exposure in the United States came in the American Wrestling Association
American Wrestling Association
The American Wrestling Association was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 to 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo...
(AWA) as Kokina Maximus. Wrestling as a Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
n superstar, he was managed
Manager (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
by Sheik Adnan El Kassey
Adnan Al-Kaissie
Adnan Bin Abdulkareem Ahmed Alkaissy El Farthie , better known professionally as Adnan Al-Kaissie, is a former iraqi professional wrestler and a manager best known as Sheik Adnan Al-Kaissy, Billy White Wolf, or General Adnan...
. His biggest achievement at that time was the kayfabe
Kayfabe
In professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real" or "true". Specifically, the portrayal of professional wrestling, in particular the competition and rivalries between participants, as being genuine or not of a worked nature...
breaking of Greg Gagne
Greg Gagne (wrestler)
Gregory Alan "Greg" Gagne is a former professional wrestler and the son of Verne Gagne. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he achieved his biggest success as one half of the tag team The High Flyers with Jim Brunzell...
's leg and ending his career. At the time, he weighed less than 400 lb (181.4 kg), which was lean in comparison to his weight later in life (during his WWF career, he weighed between 500 lb (226.8 kg) and perhaps as much as 700 lb (317.5 kg) at his heaviest. After his time with the WWF he wrestled in independent circuits, increasing his weight even more in the hopes of gaining another 200–300 lb and thus becoming the biggest wrestler ever).
Early push (1992–1993)
In 1992, Anoa'i was contacted by Vince McMahonVince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the current Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE...
of the World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(WWF) and was offered a new gimmick: Yokozuna. Managed by Harry Fujiwara
Harry Fujiwara
Harry Fujiwara is an American former professional wrestler and manager, best known by his ring name Mr. Fuji. He was infamous for often throwing salt in the eyes of face wrestlers...
(Mr. Fuji), Yokozuna debuted on the October 31, 1992 edition of Superstars
WWF Superstars of Wrestling
WWF Superstars of Wrestling is a professional wrestling television program produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It debuted on September 6, 1986...
and was announced as a sumo wrestler competing under the Japanese flag. He made his pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
debut at Survivor Series
Survivor Series (1992)
Survivor Series was the sixth annual Survivor Series pay-per-view professional wrestling event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on November 25, 1992 at the Richfield Coliseum in Richfield, Ohio...
, easily defeating the much smaller Virgil
Mike Jones (wrestler)
Mike Jones is an American professional wrestler, who most recently performed for World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Virgil, where he appeared on its Raw brand as Ted DiBiase, Jr.'s personal assistant...
with his huge weight advantage.
Yokozuna's career soon took off, and he headed into 1993's Royal Rumble
Royal Rumble (1993)
Royal Rumble was the sixth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on January 24, 1993 at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California. The main event was a Royal Rumble match, a battle royal in which two wrestlers...
, where he was billed as a potential favorite. He eliminated Randy Savage
Randy Savage
Randall Mario Poffo , better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler, best known for his time with the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling .Savage held twenty championships during his professional wrestling career and was a...
to win the Royal Rumble match, cementing his movement towards main event status. Soon after, Yokozuna further solidified his status as a monstrous villain
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
by crushing the American hero "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan
Jim Duggan
James Edward Duggan , better known by his ring name "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment in the 1980s, when it was known as World Wrestling Federation , and World Championship Wrestling...
with four Banzai Drops, the fourth being with the American flag draped over Duggan.
WWF Champion (1993–1994)
At WrestleMania IXWrestleMania IX
WrestleMania IX was the ninth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. The event took place at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 4, 1993 and was the first WrestleMania event held outdoors...
, Yokozuna faced off against Bret Hart
Bret Hart
Bret Hart is a Canadian on-screen personality, writer, actor and Semi-retired professional wrestler. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College...
for the WWF Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
. Hart had the match won with Yokozuna about to submit to the Sharpshooter
Sharpshooter (professional wrestling)
The Sharpshooter, originally named Sasori-gatame, Scorpion Hold in English, is a professional wrestling submission hold. The move is also known by several other names: cloverleaf leg-lace Boston crab, standing reverse figure-four leglock, and, the most commonly known alternative, Scorpion Deathlock...
, when Mr. Fuji threw salt into the champion's face. Blinded, Hart was then pinned by Yokozuna, who won the WWF Championship in a major upset, officially becoming the seventeenth WWF Champion. As he and Mr. Fuji celebrated, Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan
Terrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
came to the ring to help Hart and was challenged by Mr Fuji to take on the champion for his newly won crown. After Fuji accidentally threw salt in Yokozuna's eyes, Hogan came through with the win and captured his fifth WWF title.
At King of the Ring 1993, Yokozuna, whose weight had already increased from 500 lb (226.8 kg) to 580 lb (263.1 kg), challenged Hogan for the title. Once again, Hogan seemed to be in control, but the champion underestimated the deceitful tactics of Mr. Fuji. A "Japanese photographer" posing as a member of the legitimate Japanese wrestling press and planted at ringside by the group, aimed his lens at Hogan and pressed a button, shooting a blast of fire into his face. This allowed Yokozuna to take Hogan out with a leg drop and reclaim the WWF Championship, after which Yokozuna proceeded to hit Hogan with the Banzai Drop in the corner. Soon after, Hogan left the WWF to pursue other interests (WCW), which left Yokozuna and Fuji to claim that they had ended "Hulkamania" (to wit, that would be Hogan's last appearance in the WWF for nine years). To celebrate, he held a "Bodyslam Competition" aboard the , a decommissioned aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
, on Independence Day
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
. Many wrestlers and athletes alike tried to slam Yokozuna, with no success. As Yokozuna thought that there would be no one left to challenge him, Lex Luger
Lex Luger
Lawrence Wendell "Larry" Pfohl , better known by his ring name Lex Luger, is an American former professional wrestler and football player currently working with WWE on their wellness policy...
flew in by helicopter, stepped forward, and slammed him on the deck. It was claimed by announcer Bobby Heenan
Bobby Heenan
Raymond Louis "Ray" Heenan , better known as Bobby "The Brain" Heenan , is a former American professional wrestling manager and color commentator, best known for his time with the American Wrestling Association , World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation...
that the move pulled by Luger was a hip toss rather than a bodyslam as Yokozuna was running at Luger when he slammed him, but the slam was ruled legitimate. This made Luger the next major challenger to Yokozuna's title reign.
At SummerSlam
SummerSlam (1993)
SummerSlam was the sixth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on August 30, 1993 at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan....
, 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 following an injury from a motorcycle accident, making it a formidable weapon (it was stipulated that Luger had to 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. The title did not change hands, but the match's result made it seem like Luger had a chance against his gigantic foe. The contract Luger had signed for the match, as orchestrated by Yokozuna's new spokesman and advisor Jim Cornette
Jim Cornette
James Mark "Jim" Cornette is an American professional wrestling manager, commentator, promoter, and booker. As a manager, he has worked for Jim Crockett Promotions, World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Federation and from 1991 to 1995, was the owner of Smoky Mountain Wrestling...
, stated that if he did not win the championship, he would not get another shot at the title. Yokozuna and Luger continued to feud until Survivor Series
Survivor Series (1993)
Survivor Series was the seventh annual Survivor Series pay-per-view professional wrestling event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on Thanksgiving Eve, November 24, 1993 at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts...
, where each 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
Jacques Rougeau
Jacques Rougeau Jr. is a retired French-Canadian professional wrestler from Saint-Sulpice, Quebec, best known for his appearances in the 1980s and 1990s with the World Wrestling Federation under his own name, and as The Mountie. Rougeau has held fifteen championships during his career...
, Ludvig Borga and Crush
Brian Adams (wrestler)
Brian Keith Adams was an American professional wrestler. Adams gained fame in the 1990s while performing for the World Wrestling Federation , under the name Crush, and for World Championship Wrestling under his given name.Trained in Japan by Antonio Inoki, Adams was a two time WCW World Tag Team...
) contest.
Yokozuna's next challenger was The Undertaker. The two first squared off against each other as parts of their respective teams at Survivor Series. Prior to the match starting, the two stood nose-to-nose as a tease to the crowd as to the possibility of those two 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 second Banzai Drop. The two then brawled
outside, where Yokozuna seemed to be completely over-matched. They were both eliminated by double countout.
Eventually, Yokozuna was forced to accept a Casket match with the Undertaker. The match occurred at Royal Rumble
Royal Rumble (1994)
Royal Rumble was the seventh annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on January 22, 1994 at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island. The main event was the Royal Rumble match, a battle royal in which...
, where all the odds looked to be in the Undertaker's favor. However, after a lengthy match, Mr. Fuji called out the troops, bringing a dozen heel wrestlers out to aid Yokozuna in attacking the Undertaker. After a lot of struggle (as well as damaging the Undertaker's "magic" urn), the group managed to shove the Undertaker into the casket, giving the win to Yokozuna. As they celebrated afterwards, however, a mysterious figure appeared on the Titantron
Jumbotron
A JumboTron is a large-screen television using technology developed by Sony, typically used in sports stadiums and concert venues to show close-up shots of the event. Although JumboTron is a registered trademark owned by the Sony Corporation, the word jumbotron is often used by the public as a...
, looking like the Undertaker inside the casket. He opened his eyes and said the Undertaker would not rest in peace; he then disappeared in a smoke and light show, rising to the top of the Titantron and seemingly levitating all the way to the arena ceiling. He then vanished. This storyline was used to allow the Undertaker to rest for several months to recover from lingering real-life injuries.
In the 1994 Royal Rumble match, the last two competitors, Lex Luger and Bret Hart, fought and eliminated each other simultaneously. Since the winner of the Royal Rumble was to become the number one contender to Yokozuna's title, it was decided that both wrestlers would get a shot at the title at WrestleMania X
WrestleMania X
WrestleMania X was the tenth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York on March 20, 1994. The central focus of the pay-per-view was the WWF Championship, which was defended...
. 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. To obviate the risk of outside interference, both title matches were scheduled to have special guest referees. Mr. Perfect
Curt Hennig
Curtis Michael "Curt" Hennig , also known by the ring name Mr. Perfect, was an American professional wrestler, manager and color commentator who worked for, among other promotions, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , the American Wrestling Association , World Championship Wrestling and the World...
was the special guest referee for the Luger/Yokozuna bout. Luger seemed to have the match well in hand and had knocked out Yokozuna with a running forearm smash 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 Mr. Perfect, he was disqualified, thus making Yokozuna the first villainous
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
champion to successfully defend the WWF Championship at a WrestleMania
WrestleMania
WrestleMania is a professional wrestling pay-per-view event, produced annually in late March or early April by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut...
.
Later in the night, Yokozuna defended the championship again, this time against the former champion Bret "Hitman" Hart, who had lost earlier in the night to his brother Owen Hart
Owen Hart
Owen James Hart was a Canadian professional and amateur wrestler who worked for several promotions including Stampede Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling , World Championship Wrestling , and most notably, the World Wrestling Federation , where he wrestled under both his own name, and ring name The...
. For this match, Roddy Piper
Roddy Piper
Roderick George Toombs , better known by his ring name "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler and film actor who is currently signed to WWE. In professional wrestling, he is best known for his work with WWE...
was the special referee. When Cornette tried to interfere to break a pinfall, Piper decked him. At the end of the match, Yokozuna seemed ready to hit his finishing maneuver, the Banzai Drop, when he lost his balance and took a fall from the ropes. Hart got the pinfall victory, finally taking the title away from the long-running champion who reigned for 280 days. Afterwards on television, Cornette would blame the fall on a concussion suffered from Luger's forearm plate.
Tag team competition and The Undertaker's return (1994)
Yokozuna began tagging briefly with CrushBrian Adams (wrestler)
Brian Keith Adams was an American professional wrestler. Adams gained fame in the 1990s while performing for the World Wrestling Federation , under the name Crush, and for World Championship Wrestling under his given name.Trained in Japan by Antonio Inoki, Adams was a two time WCW World Tag Team...
, another Mr. Fuji charge. In May 1994, on a Monday Night Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
episode, Yokozuna was challenged by Earthquake
John Tenta
John Anthony Tenta was a Canadian professional wrestler known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation as Earthquake and later Golga, and in World Championship Wrestling as Avalanche and The Shark.-Early life:John Tenta was born in Surrey, British Columbia...
to an actual sumo match. On May 16, 1994, Earthquake beat Yokozuna in the only (worked) sumo match until WrestleMania 21
WrestleMania 21
WrestleMania 21 was the twenty-first annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on April 3, 2005 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. It started off with an interpormotional battle royal, for which Booker T...
, between The Big Show
Paul Wight
Paul Donald Wight, Jr. , better known by his ring name, Big Show, is an American professional wrestler and actor, currently signed to WWE on its Raw brand....
and an actual yokozuna
Makuuchi
or is the top division of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers , ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments....
, Akebono
Akebono Taro
is a retired American born-Japanese sumo wrestler from Waimānalo, Hawaii. Joining the professional sport in Japan in 1988, he was trained by pioneering Hawaiian sumo wrestler Takamiyama and rose swiftly up the rankings, reaching the top division in 1990...
. At King of the Ring 1994
King of the Ring (1994)
King of the Ring was the second annual King of the Ring professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on June 19, 1994 at the Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. "King of the Ring" is also the name of the tournament that was the focus of...
, Yokozuna and Crush failed to win the WWF Tag Team Championship from The Headshrinkers
The Headshrinkers
The Headshrinkers were a professional wrestling tag team in the World Wrestling Federation that consisted of Fatu and Samu. They previously competed under the name The New Wild Samoans in the National Wrestling Alliance , and as The Samoan Swat Team in World Championship Wrestling , World Class...
(Samu
Samula Anoa'i
Samula Anoa'i is a professional wrestler best known as one half of The Headshrinkers/Samoan Swat Team under the name Samu. His father is Afa Anoa'i who trained Samula for his professional wrestling debut....
and Fatu
Solofa Fatu
Solofa F. Fatu, Jr. is an American professional wrestler, best known under the ring name Rikishi.-The Samoan Swat Team:...
).
Yokozuna then had to deal with the "rebirth" of the Undertaker, who immediately came after the foe who had taken him out of action. The two met in another casket match at the Survivor Series
Survivor Series (1994)
Survivor Series was the eighth annual Survivor Series pay-per-view professional wrestling event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on Thanksgiving Eve, November 23, 1994 at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, Texas...
, this time with actor/karate expert Chuck Norris
Chuck Norris
Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris is an American martial artist and actor. After serving in the United States Air Force, he began his rise to fame as a martial artist and has since founded his own school, Chun Kuk Do...
as the special enforcer to keep the other heel wrestlers away from ringside. Without their help (although Irwin R. Schyster
Mike Rotunda
Lawrence Michael "Mike" Rotunda is a former American professional wrestler, perhaps best known under the name Irwin R. Schyster or I.R.S. for short. He is currently signed with WWE working as a road agent and making occasional appearances on WWE shows as Irwin R...
did successfully interfere on Yokozuna's behalf), Yokozuna could not win and eventually ended up locked inside the casket. Yokozuna continued to wrestle briefly before taking some time off to increase his already huge weight advantage. .
Teaming with Owen Hart (1995)
In April 1995, Owen HartOwen Hart
Owen James Hart was a Canadian professional and amateur wrestler who worked for several promotions including Stampede Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling , World Championship Wrestling , and most notably, the World Wrestling Federation , where he wrestled under both his own name, and ring name The...
began promising that he would have a great tag-team partner to face off against The Smoking Gunns (Billy
Monty Sopp
Monty Kip Sopp is an American professional wrestler, best known as Billy Gunn during his tenure for World Wrestling Entertainment. He is probably best known as one of the members of the New Age Outlaws. He also worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Kip James...
and Bart
Mike Plotcheck
Michal Burton "Mike" Polchlopek, Jr. is an American professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, also known by the ring names Bart Gunn and Mike Barton...
) at WrestleMania XI
WrestleMania XI
WrestleMania XI was the eleventh annual WrestleMania pay-per-view event held by the World Wrestling Federation at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut on April 2, 1995...
for the WWF World Tag Team Championship. At the event, Yokozuna was revealed as his partner, and the team managed to defeat the Gunns and win the WWF World Tag Team Championship. Following the match, Jim Cornette stated, "Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
's back and so is Yokozuna" (a reference to Jordan's first NBA return). The two would remain a tough tag team
Owen Hart and Yokozuna
Owen Hart and Yokozuna were a professional wrestling tag team that wrestled in World Wrestling Federation. The team existed in 1995.-History:...
for a few months, defending against teams like the Allied Powers (Lex Luger
Lex Luger
Lawrence Wendell "Larry" Pfohl , better known by his ring name Lex Luger, is an American former professional wrestler and football player currently working with WWE on their wellness policy...
and Davey Boy Smith
Davey Boy Smith
Davey Boy Smith was a British professional wrestler, better known as "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith, who was born in Golborne in North West England, United Kingdom. Smith is known for his appearances with Stampede Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling...
), the Smoking Gunns, and others. Still, by this point it was obvious that Yokozuna was no longer in fighting shape, though still trying to grow bigger, it was obvious that he had already gained too much weight (he was estimated to be at around 700 lb (317.5 kg) at this point, although he was billed at 641 lb (290.8 kg)).
At In Your House 3
In Your House 3
In Your House 3 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation , which took place on September 24, 1995 at the Saginaw Civic Center in Saginaw, Michigan...
on September 24, 1995, Yokozuna teamed up with Davey Boy Smith
Davey Boy Smith
Davey Boy Smith was a British professional wrestler, better known as "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith, who was born in Golborne in North West England, United Kingdom. Smith is known for his appearances with Stampede Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling...
to take on Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American television host and retired professional wrestler. He presents the Outdoor Channel show MacMillan River Adventures, and is currently signed to WWE, where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December...
and Diesel
Kevin Nash
Kevin Scott Nash is an American professional wrestler and actor. As of 2011, Nash is signed to a five year contract with WWE under their WWE Legends program and appears as part of their Raw brand roster...
(the back story being that Hart was with his wife as she gave birth to one of their children) with Diesel's WWF Championship, Shawn Michaels' Intercontinental Championship
WWE Intercontinental Championship
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand...
and Hart and Yokozuna's Tag Team Championship on the line. During the match, 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
Clarence Mason
Herman Stevens, Jr. is an American attorney and former professional wrestling manager, best known for his attorney gimmicks as Clarence Mason in the World Wrestling Federation and as J. Biggs in World Championship Wrestling from 1996–1999.-Early life:As a child, Stevens had always wanted...
, President Gorilla Monsoon
Gorilla Monsoon
Robert James "Gino" Marella , better known by his ring name of Gorilla Monsoon, was an American professional wrestler, play-by-play announcer, and booker...
reluctantly returned the belts to Yokozuna and Hart, since Hart was not an official part of the match. Their second reign was shorter, as the Smoking Gunns defeated them that night for the belts.
Face Turn and Departure (1996–1998)
Yokozuna had little continued success in 1996. He competed in the 1996 Royal RumbleRoyal Rumble (1996)
Royal Rumble was the ninth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on January 21, 1996 at the Selland Arena in Fresno, California....
match, managing to eliminate Bob Backlund
Bob Backlund
Robert Lee "Bob" Backlund is an American professional wrestler with an in ring career that spanned over 30 years. Over that time, he went on to become a two-time WWWF/WWF Champion...
, King Mabel
Nelson Frazier, Jr.
Nelson Frazier, Jr. is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring names Mabel, Viscera, Big Daddy V, and King V. He is best known for his work with World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment...
, 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 stint as a fan favorite
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
. He spoke English to the fans, had Mr. Fuji wave an American flag during his matches, and challenged Vader to numerous matches. It was during this feud that Yokozuna teamed up with Ahmed Johnson
Anthony Norris
Anthony "Tony" Norris , better known by his ring name, Ahmed Johnson, is an American former professional wrestler. He is best known for his stint in the World Wrestling Federation, where he is a one time Intercontinental Champion and the first-ever winner of the Kuwait Cup.-Global Wrestling...
and Jake Roberts
Jake Roberts
Aurelian Jake Smith, Jr. is a second-generation American professional wrestler, the son of former wrestler Aurelian "Grizzly" Smith...
in a six-man tag-team match at WrestleMania XII
WrestleMania XII
-Other on-screen talent:-External links:**...
, facing off with Vader, Owen Hart and British Bulldog. The feud took a painful turn a couple weeks later, when Vader jumped on Yokozuna's leg, breaking it. A forklift had to come down to ringside to lift Yokozuna out, showing how his enormous size and his desire to gain even more weight had gotten out of control. He took some time off to begrudgingly slim down.
Yokozuna returned at In Your House 8: Beware of Dog
In Your House 8: Beware of Dog
In Your House 8: Beware of Dog was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation , that originally took place on May 26, 1996 from the Florence Civic Center in Florence, South Carolina. Due to a severe thunderstorm, the power went out during the event,...
to wrestle Vader. During the event, a severe thunderstorm in the area caused the pay-per-view broadcast feed to black out. In one of the matches not broadcast, Yokozuna defeated Vader. The event was rescheduled two days later, in which the matches that were previously blacked-out took place again. In the rematch, Vader defeated Yokozuna. He appeared at Free for All
WWE Free For All
WWE Free for All is a professional wrestling television program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It serves as a thirty minute preview show to the promotion's monthly events on pay-per-view , and as such airs freely on PPV channels a half-hour before the actual pay-per-view event starts...
just before SummerSlam
SummerSlam (1996)
SummerSlam was the ninth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on August 18, 1996 at the Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.-Event:...
, facing off against Stone Cold Steve Austin
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Steve Austin , better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American film and television actor and retired professional wrestler...
. 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 attained the victory.
The next night on Raw, Yokozuna faced Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American television host and retired professional wrestler. He presents the Outdoor Channel show MacMillan River Adventures, and is currently signed to WWE, where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December...
for the WWF Championship. Despite using his big size, Yokozuna lost the match to Michaels. He would appear at one more WWF pay-per-view, still going after Vader at the 1996 Survivor Series
Survivor Series (1996)
Survivor Series was the tenth annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on November 17, 1996 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York....
, but that match ended with all remaining wrestlers being disqualified.
Yokozuna stayed on the WWF roster for a while afterwards, as he slowly worked to lose the weight that he had put on. Despite dropping a reported 100 lb (45.4 kg), he still could not lose enough 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 that he would be brought back if he lost enough weight.
Independent circuit (1999–2000)
After his WWF career ended, he performed for various independent promotionsIndependent circuit
In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indy circuit refers to the many independent promotions which are much smaller than major televised promotions. They are roughly analagous to a minor league for pro wrestling, or community or regional theatre.Specific promotions on the...
. The last major appearance for Yokozuna was at October 1999's Heroes of Wrestling
Heroes of Wrestling
Heroes of Wrestling was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event that took place on October 10, 1999 from the Casino Magic hotel and casino in Bay St...
pay-per-view, where he looked enormously overweight compared to his WWF days. At an estimated 760 pounds, he had not only gained the weight that he had lost but admitted he was intentionally getting bigger with a goal weight between 850 and 900 pounds. At the pay-per-view event, Yokozuna was scheduled to take on King Kong Bundy
King Kong Bundy
Christopher Alan "Chris" Pallies is an American professional wrestler, stand-up comedian and actor, better known by his ring name, King Kong Bundy.-Personal:...
in one of the event's two featured matches. However, this was not to be as Jake Roberts
Jake Roberts
Aurelian Jake Smith, Jr. is a second-generation American professional wrestler, the son of former wrestler Aurelian "Grizzly" Smith...
, who was scheduled to face Jim Neidhart
Jim Neidhart
James Henry "Jim" Neidhart is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances in the 1980s and 1990s in the World Wrestling Federation as Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart. Jim is the father of WWE Diva Natalya...
in the other main event match, came to the ring for his match intoxicated and in no condition to wrestle. The promoters made a last minute change and ordered Yokozuna to team with Roberts against Bundy and Neidhart, and Yokozuna's team lost.
Personal life
Anoa'i was a member of the famous Anoa'i familyAnoa'i family
The Anoa'i family, originating from American Samoa, is a family of professional wrestlers. Family members have comprised several tag teams and stables within a variety of promotions.-Family members:...
: The Rock, Rikishi
Solofa Fatu
Solofa F. Fatu, Jr. is an American professional wrestler, best known under the ring name Rikishi.-The Samoan Swat Team:...
, Samu
Samula Anoa'i
Samula Anoa'i is a professional wrestler best known as one half of The Headshrinkers/Samoan Swat Team under the name Samu. His father is Afa Anoa'i who trained Samula for his professional wrestling debut....
, Rosey
Matt Anoa'i
Matthew "Matt" Anoa'i is a professional wrestler, best known for his time on the independent circuit under numerous ring names, and his time in World Wrestling Entertainment , where he competed as Rosey....
, Manu
Afa Anoa'i, Jr.
Afa Anoa'i, Jr. is an American professional wrestler of Samoan descent. He is best known for his work in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he competed on its Raw brand under the ring name Manu.-World Xtreme Wrestling:...
and Umaga
Eddie Fatu
Edward Smith "Eki" Fatu was a Samoan-American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Umaga...
were among his cousins, and Afa
Afa Anoa'i
Arthur "Afa" Anoa'i, Sr. is a Samoan American retired professional wrestler and professional wrestling manager. Since retiring in the 1990s, he has operated the World Xtreme Wrestling promotion and trained wrestlers at the Wild Samoan Training Facility.-Early life:Anoa'i was born in Samoa, but...
and Sika
Sika Anoa'i
Leati "Sika" Anoa'i is a former professional wrestler and a member of the Anoa'i family.-Career:Sika teamed with his brother Afa to form the tag team the Wild Samoans. They teamed in various promotions including WWF and Mid-South. In 1979, they signed with the World Wrestling Federation...
were his uncles. He had two children, Justin and Keilani.
Death
On October 23, 2000, Anoa'i died from fluid in his lungsPulmonary edema
Pulmonary edema , or oedema , is fluid accumulation in the air spaces and parenchyma of the lungs. It leads to impaired gas exchange and may cause respiratory failure...
in his room at the Moat House Hotel
Queens Moat Houses
Queens Moat Houses plc was a British public limited company engaged primarily in the hotel business.It came to public attention after the suspension of its shares on 31 March 1993 consequent upon significant financial difficulties which precipitated a spectacular collapse. The company was...
, Liverpool, England while he was on an independent wrestling tour in Europe. At the time, it was widely reported that he died of heart failure or a heart attack, but this was later found to be incorrect. Anoa'i's weight at his death was 680 lb (308.4 kg).
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Banzai Drop (Jumping seated corner senton)
- Signature moves
- Running leg drop
- Samoan drop
- Savate kick
- Side belly to belly suplex
- Throat thrust
- Managers and valetsManager (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
- Sheik Adnan El KasseyAdnan Al-KaissieAdnan Bin Abdulkareem Ahmed Alkaissy El Farthie , better known professionally as Adnan Al-Kaissie, is a former iraqi professional wrestler and a manager best known as Sheik Adnan Al-Kaissy, Billy White Wolf, or General Adnan...
- Jim CornetteJim CornetteJames Mark "Jim" Cornette is an American professional wrestling manager, commentator, promoter, and booker. As a manager, he has worked for Jim Crockett Promotions, World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Federation and from 1991 to 1995, was the owner of Smoky Mountain Wrestling...
- Mr. FujiHarry FujiwaraHarry Fujiwara is an American former professional wrestler and manager, best known by his ring name Mr. Fuji. He was infamous for often throwing salt in the eyes of face wrestlers...
- Sheik Adnan El Kassey
- Entrance themesMusic in professional wrestlingMusic in professional wrestling serves a variety of purposes. The most common uses of music in professional wrestling is that of the entrance theme, a song or piece of instrumental music which plays as a performer approaches the ring...
- "Sumo" by Jim Johnston (WWF; 1992–1996)
Championships and accomplishments
- Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
- PWI Most Improved Wrestler of the Year (1993)
- PWI ranked him #5 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1993
- PWI ranked him #145 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003
- Universal Wrestling AssociationUniversal Wrestling AssociationThe Universal Wrestling Association was a Mexican Lucha Libre or professional wrestling promotion based in Naucalpan, Mexico State that operated from 1975 until 1995...
- UWA World Trios ChampionshipUWA World Trios ChampionshipThe UWA World Trios Championship is a tag team professional wrestling championship created by the Mexican Universal Wrestling Association and defended there until the UWA closed in 1995....
(1 time) – with FatuSolofa FatuSolofa F. Fatu, Jr. is an American professional wrestler, best known under the ring name Rikishi.-The Samoan Swat Team:...
and Samoan SavageSam FatuSamuel Larry Anoa'i Fatu is a professional wrestler best known under the name of The Tonga Kid, or Tama.-Professional wrestling career:...
- UWA World Trios Championship
- World Wrestling FederationWorld Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
- WWF ChampionshipWWE ChampionshipThe WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
(2 times) - WWF Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Owen HartOwen HartOwen James Hart was a Canadian professional and amateur wrestler who worked for several promotions including Stampede Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling , World Championship Wrestling , and most notably, the World Wrestling Federation , where he wrestled under both his own name, and ring name The...
- Royal RumbleRoyal RumbleThe Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view event, produced every January by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. The event was created in 1988, with its inaugural event taking place on January 24, 1988 at the Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario...
(1993Royal Rumble (1993)Royal Rumble was the sixth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on January 24, 1993 at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California. The main event was a Royal Rumble match, a battle royal in which two wrestlers...
)
- WWF Championship