Roman Reigns’ uncle, Afa Anoa’i, passes away at the age of 81

Following last month's demise of Sika, the Anoa'i family now mourns the passing of Afa. They lost them within a span of two months.

Roman Reigns’ uncle, Afa Anoa’i, passes away at the age of 81

Roman Reigns and Afa Anoa'i [via- WWE]

What a tragic time it is for the legendary Anoa’i family. This afternoon, one-half of The Wild Samoans and the uncle of Roman Reigns, Afa Anoa’i, passed away. It was made public by his daughter, Vale Anoa’i. She penned a lengthy note on X about how her father kept fighting until his last breath. She alluded to the fact that this had been months in the making.

It all began in January, when Afa sustained a couple of heart attacks. Then, in March, the Samoan-American wrestler broke his back and had to be put through surgery. Probably the news that shattered him from within was the one when his brother, Sika Anoa’i, died in June. The past 30 days or so were believed to have taken a toll on his health as he was put on hospice care.

YouTube video

Afa’s well-being deteriorated, and he grew fragile. At last, he passed out. And with that being said, the wrestling fraternity has now lost two torchbearers who, in unison, bequeathed their in-ring acumen to an entire generation of Samoan grapplers. Rest well, Afa and Sika. They made a rare appearance on WWE television in 2020.

FS Video

After Roman Reigns had beaten Jey Uso inside Hell in a Cell, the Wild Samoans came out to bestow the revered Ula Fala on him. It marked the beginning of Roman’s era as The Tribal Chief, which saw him rule atop the WWE Universe for almost four years. Like Reigns, the onus is on the rest of Anoa’i family members as well to carry the legacy forward. WWE is expected to acknowledge the Hall of Famer’s passing on this week’s SmackDown.

RELATED
“I heard him call me a b*tch,” Controversial former WWE star details real-life issues with Roman Reigns during his stay in WWE
Roman Reigns

Triple H reacts to Afa Anoa’i passing

As expected, WWE has extended its condolences to Afa Anoa’i. The Chief Content Officer, Triple H, took to X shortly after learning the news. He elucidated how dedicated Afa was to his family and keen on building the next generation of WWE Superstars.

Triple H
Triple H (via- Wrestling Inc.)

More names are expected to pour in their wishes for the Anoa’i family as they’re made cognizant of it. The deceased soul’s kids, who constitute The Bloodline, are involved in a red-hot story right now. Roman Reigns is back after being away for 118 days, and he wants a piece of Solo Sikoa.

The latter’s been pretending to be the new Tribal Chief since WrestleMania XL. His days might be numbered, considering Reigns is ticked off. Last week, The OTC laid waste to Sikoa and the Tongans. There seems to be a civil war brewing among these Samoans.

In case you missed it: