Who is former WWE Superstar Manu and how is he related to Roman Reigns?
Roman Reigns is just one of the many names from the Anoa'i family that became a star in WWE. Unfortunately, some of them weren't as lucky, like Manu. Despite being paired with Randy Orton, the former superstar wasn't able to find much success in the promotion.
Born Afa Anoa'i Jr., he is one of the seven sons of wrestling legend Afa Anoa'i, one half of The Wild Samoans. Manu is the cousin of Roman Reigns since the former star's father Afa is the brother of Sika Anoa'i, the father of The Tribal Chief.
Manu began his wrestling career at World Xtreme Wrestling in 1998, joining his brothers Samu and Lloyd before he left in 2006 for a tryout for WWE.
He then started training at Deep South Wrestling and eventually signed with the company, later competing in Florida Championship Wrestling. The following year, he debuted in WWE under the name Mai Tai Anoa'i, but lost to Jim Duggan. After being suspended for violating the wellness policy, he was introduced as Manu in 2008.
He debuted at the Unforgiven event that year and aligned himself with Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr. Later on, Randy Orton offered to align himself with Manu and Rhodes; the group eventually became known as The Legacy.
Cracks within the faction started to show and the Samoan star eventually got kicked out after he was unable to defeat Matt Hardy to 'prove himself'. In 2009, he was released from the company and returned to WXW. He also made appearances for NWA and Pennsylvania Premiere Wrestling.
WWE legend opens up on why Roman Reigns' cousin Manu wasn't successful in the promotion
Roman Reigns has become The Tribal Chief and one of the most dominant stars in WWE history, but success is never guaranteed, even for a member of the Anoa'i family. A legend shared an interesting take on why Manu may not have been successful despite spending three years in WWE.
According to Jim Ross, the former superstar was still developing, but it just didn't work out. Jim added that he has a lot of respect for Afa and Sika, but it's possible that Afa Jr. was struggling to follow in his father's footsteps.
"I think he was still green and still developing and still trying to find his way. He kind of got stereotyped into the typical Samoan persona that had been seen a lot. It wasn’t new. He was a good kid. I’ll be frank. The company gave him plenty of opportunities as far time was concerned because he was there for like three years. He got a chance. It just didn’t work out. He wasn’t quite ready for that level. I got a lot of respect for Afa and Sika. It doesn’t mean your kid is going to be as good as you. A lot of kids that follow in their father’s footsteps find themselves in challenging positions."
Although Afa Anoa'i Jr. wasn't as successful as The Usos, Roman Reigns, or The Rock, he has still continued to wrestle in independent promotions.