Personal Information
Full Name | Rodney Agatupu Anoaʻi |
Date of Birth | October 2, 1966 |
Nationality | USA |
Birth Place | San Francisco, California |
Height | 6'4" |
Weight | 589 lb (267 kg) |
Theme Song | "Sumo" |
Debut | September 6, 1985 |
Nickname | The Samoan Wrecking Machine |
Family | Monica Anoa'i (m. ?–2000) |
Yokozuna: A Brief Biography
Agatupu Rodney Anoaʻi was an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his work with WWF as Yokozuna. He is a former WWF Champion and Royal Rumble winner.
Professional Wrestling Career
Early Years (1984-1992)
Anoaʻi' is a part of the famous Anoaʻi' wrestling family which comprises The Rock, Rikishi, Umaga, The Wild Samoans, and The Usos. He began his wrestling career on the independent circuit before moving to bigger promotions.
WWF (1992-1998)
In 1992, Anoaʻi joined WWF. He was repackaged as Yokozuna and defeated Virgil. In 1993, he eliminated Randy Savage and won the royal rumble. At WrestleMania IX, he defeated Bret Hart to win the WWF Championship. However, he lost the title to Hogan a few minutes later. At King of the Ring, he defeated Hogan to win his second WWF Championship. At WrestleMania X, he defeated Lex Luger in the opening match and lost the title to Bret Hart in the main event.
After losing the championship, he began working as a mid-carder rather than a main eventer. He began working with Crash and Earthquake. Yokozuna took some time off due to his weight issues. In 1995, Yokozuna returned as Owen Hart's mystery partner and won the WWF Tag Team Championship. Hart and Yokozuna won the WWF Tag Team Championship the second time in September.
Yokozuna spent the rest of his time in various feuds and matches. He became very limited in the ring due to his weight issues. His final feud was with Vader before leaving the company. Vince McMahon made this decision due to his weight and heart issues. After his WWF career ended, Yokozuna ended up as the heaviest person in the world and made a few appearances on the independent circuit before passing away. In 2012, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Championships and Accomplishments
Championship | Number of Times |
UWA World Trios Championship | 1 |
WWF Championship | 2 |
WWF Tag Team Championship | 2 |
Royal Rumble | 1 |
WWE Hall of Fame | 1 |