Samuelu Fatu (October 11, 1965) is an American professional wrestler of Samoan descent. He is part of an extensive wrestling family that includes two brothers Rikishi, Umaga, uncles Afa and Sika, cousins Afa Jr., Black Pearl, LA Smooth, Rosey, Samu, The Rock, Yokozuna, Vale Anoai and nephews Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso.
Professional wrestling career[]
World Wrestling Federation (1983–1988)[]
Fatu debuted as a professional wrestler in 1983 after being trained by the Wild Samoans. Shortly after debuting he joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) as The Tonga Kid. Billed as the cousin of Superfly Jimmy Snuka, he entered into a feud with Snuka's rival Roddy Piper.
In late 1986, he teamed with Tonga Fifita, who was wrestling under the name King Tonga. Fatu was renamed Tama, while Fifita was renamed Haku. Together, they were christened The Islanders. After a long time of failing to gain the interest of fans, they became heels in April 1987 after attacking The Can-Am Connection (Rick Martel & Tom Zenk) during a match. They were now managed by Bobby Heenan.
In October, they began a feud with Strike Force (Rick Martel & Tito Santana), the WWF Tag Team Champions, but were unable to win the titles despite having several attempts. In early December 1987, the Islanders were disqualified from a match with the British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith & The Dynamite Kid) when they kidnapped the Bulldogs' dog, Matilda. The Islanders were indefinitely suspended in the storyline until Matilda was found. From late January 1988 until early February, the Islanders were consistently beaten by the British Bulldogs.
At a Saturday Night's Main Event on March 7, they beat the Killer Bees (Brian Blair & Jim Brunzell). At WrestleMania IV, the Islanders, with Bobby Heenan, defeated the Bulldogs and Koko B. Ware, with Matilda. On April 21, Heenan introduced Siva Afi as the newest member of the group, but Afi never made another appearance with the Islanders. Fatu then left the WWF.
World Wrestling Council[]
After leaving the WWF, Fatu began wrestling for the World Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico as Tama. On January 6, 1989, he and Dan Kroffat defeated The Batten Twins to win the WWC World Tag Team Championship. The Batten Twins regained the championship on March 4, 1989.
World Championship Wrestling (1989–1990)[]
In 1989, Fatu joined World Championship Wrestling (WCW) where he adopted the ring name The Samoan Savage and began teaming with his brother Fatu and his cousin Samu as the Samoan SWAT Team. The trio were managed by "The Big Kahuna" Oliver Humperdink. In late 1989, Samu withdrew from in-ring competition and The Samoan SWAT Team was renamed "The New Wild Samoans". At Starrcade in December 1989, The New Wild Samoans competed in the Iron Team round-robin tournament, placing third.
Later career[]
After leaving WCW, Fatu, (wrestling as The Samoan Savage) journeyed to Mexico to wrestle for the Universal Wrestling Association (UWA) along with his brother Fatu and his cousin The Great Kokina. Billed as The Hawaiian Beasts, the trio won the UWA World Trios Championship from Los Villanos on April 7, 1991. Los Villanos regained the championship on May 31, 1991.
Fatu competed on the independent circuit until retiring in 2011 including in 2005 and 2006 where he wrestled in Italy in Nu-Wrestling Evolution.
Wrestling facts[]
- Finishing Moves
- Nicknames
- "Samoan Savage"
- Tag teams and stables
- Great Samoans - with Fatu
- Heenan Family
- The Islanders
- Managers
- Bobby Heenan (WWF) (1987-1988)
- Sir Oliver Humperdink (NWA) (1989)
- Afa Anoa'i (WWF) (1984)
- Chicky Starr
- Jimmy Snuka (WWF) (1984)
- Wrestlers trained
Championships and accomplishments[]
- Universal Wrestling Association
- UWA World Trios Championship (1 time) - with Great Kokina & Fatu
- World Wrestling Council
- WWC Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Dan Kroffat
