"He is certainly gonna be missed" - WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long pays tribute to Roman Reigns' father Sika Anoa'i (Exclusive)
WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long has spoken about the demise of Roman Reigns' father, Sika Anoa'i. The veteran was known for his time in the Stamford-based company as one-half of the Wild Samoans alongside Afa Anoa'i.
Earlier this week, Sika Anoa'i passed away at the age of 79. His nephew, Jahrus Anoa'i, broke the news, which shocked the wrestling community. During his career, the Hall of Famer touched a number of lives, with Teddy Long being one of his admirers.
Speaking in a recent episode of Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Time Machine hosted by Mac Davis, the WWE Hall of Famer recalled the time he had met Afa and Sika:
"They were great men, especially Afa, what a nice man. I had a chance to go down to Pensacola when they all lived in Pensacola, when they had the camp down there. At that particular time, the Usos, which [sic] are grown men now, they were little bitty babies, so I had a chance to go down and see them, you know, back then when I first started breaking into the business, so... He is certainly gonna be missed," Long said. [6:00 onwards]
Bill Apter also shared his thoughts on the WWE legend
Veteran journalist Bill Apter also had his fair share of interactions with Sika Anoa'i, even before he and Afa came to be known as the Wild Samoans.
On the same episode of The Wrestling Time Machine, Bill Apter talked about when he met Afa and Sika in Toronto.
"I first met Afa and Sika up in Toronto in the late 70s, and they weren't even called the Wild Samoans at that point. They were The Islanders. They were so, they did that head moment then they'd go ish ish ish ish ish, and they hit their stride when they got in WWF back then, and then they added Captain Lou Albano to the equation. And brother it was some of the wildest times and believable. Even though they did this crazy shtick, there was no reason to believe that they weren't really untamed animals from Samoa," Apter recalled. [4:46 onwards]
We at Sportskeeda extend our condolences to the friends and family of Sika Anoa'i as the WWE community mourns the unfortunate demise.
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