Upon leaving the Marine Corps, Anoaʻi began training as a wrestler under family relatives Rocky Johnson (cousin) and Peter Maivia (uncle). He later received supplementary training from Kurt Von Steiger. He wrestled his first match in 1971 in Phoenix, Arizona. He then trained his brother Sika, and the siblings formed a tag team known best as The Wild Samoans.[6]
In 1979, The Wild Samoans joined the World Wrestling Federation, where they were managedbyLou Albano and referred to as "Albano's Wildmen". The "wild" nature of the brothers was conveyed through their unorthodox behavior (which included communicating only in unintelligible grunts and consuming unprepared rawfish, during interviews and while approaching the ring). While in the WWF, The Wild Samoans won the WWF World Tag Team Championship. Both members also challenged Bob Backlund for the WWF Heavyweight Championship on several occasions. They left the promotion in 1980.[8][9]
The Wild Samoans then wrestled in Mid-South Wrestling and Jim Crockett Promotions, before returning to the WWF (renamed from WWWF in 1979) in 1983 and regaining the WWF World Tag Team Championship. After Sika suffered an injury, the tag team was supplemented by Afa's son Samu (the relationship was not acknowledged on TV). The trio remained in the WWF until 1984.[10] According to Afa, he lost his job because he missed work to attend the birth of his son.[11]
Anoaʻi returned to the WWF for a third time in 1992, as the manager and occasional tag partner of The Headshrinkers (Samu and Anoai's nephew, Fatu). He wrestled his final match on May 22, 1994, teaming with The Headshrinkers to defeat The Quebecers and Johnny Polo at the Rosemont Horizon.[12] When Samu left WWF in 1994, he also managed Sionne. Anoaʻi left the WWF in mid-1995.
After leaving the WWF, he began training wrestlers at his Wild Samoan Training Facility, along with Sika.[13] On August 15, 1997, both men reunited for one night teaming with Disco Inferno, Gene Ligon, and the Big Cheese as they defeated Ken Timbs, George Love, Jay Love, Gary Royal, and Kane Adams at IWA Night Of The Legends in Kannapolis, North Carolina.
In 1999, Afa and Lynn Anoaʻi started the Usos Foundation, a non-profit organization aiming to turn youth away from drugs, gangs and poverty by providing scholarships to the Wild Samoans Training Center.[16]
^"Afa's Corner". WildSamoan.com. 2006. Archived from the original on March 24, 2008. Retrieved May 30, 2007. [Anoaʻi] was born and raised in the Island of Samoa, before moving with his family to San Francisco...Afa joined the Marines when he was only 17 years old.
^"The Wild Samoans". WWE. 2007. Archived from the original on May 20, 2007. Retrieved May 30, 2007. Arthur "Afa" Anoaʻi began his career being trained by his Uncle Peter Maivia and cousin Rocky Johnson after he left the United States Marine Corps. Afa would then train his brother, Leati "Sika" Anoaʻi, and the two would form a tag team.
^"The Wild Samoans". WWE. 2007. Archived from the original on May 20, 2007. Retrieved May 30, 2007. ...they debuted in WWE in 1979...The Wild Samoans joined with manager Captain Lou Albano as they ascended the tag division...[they] were two men of very few words, but of many quirks. They grunted, picked their noses, they ate raw fish...
^"The Wild Samoans". OnlineWorldOfWrestling.com. Archived from the original on July 12, 2007. Retrieved May 30, 2007. October, 1979: [The Wild Samoans] made their WWWF debut wrestling under the team name "Albano's Wildmen"...The Wild Samoans adopted a new, savage-like demeanor, which they never portrayed before joining the WWF...Around this time period [Afa challenged] WWF Champion Bob Backlund...
^"The Wild Samoans". OnlineWorldOfWrestling.com. Archived from the original on July 12, 2007. Retrieved May 30, 2007. 1981-82: The Wild Somoans wrestled in Bill Watt's Mid-South Wrestling...1982: The Wild Samoans had a brief stint in Jim Crockett's NWA: Mid Atlantic territory...1983: the Wild Samoans returned to the WWF...The Wild Samoans introduced [Samu], who temporarily replaced an injured Sika...
^"The Wild Samoans". WWE. 2007. Archived from the original on May 20, 2007. Retrieved May 30, 2007. Afa was not seen in WWE until returning in 1992 to manage The Headshrinkers...Samu is Afa's son, and partner Fatu is [his] nephew...The Headshrinkers terrorized WWE competition under the leadership of Afa, and captured the World Tag Team Championship on one occasion.
^"The Wild Samoans". WWE. 2007. Archived from the original on May 20, 2007. Retrieved May 30, 2007. Two more of their sons and trainees, Samula "Samu" Anoaʻi (Afa) and Matt "Rosey" Anoaʻi (Sika), inducted Afa [and] Sika into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007.
^Duncan, Royal; Will, Gary (2006) [2000.]. "(Memphis, Nashville) Tennessee: Southern Tag Team Title [Roy Welsch & Nick Gulas, Jerry Jarrett from 1977]". Wrestling title histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present. Waterloo, Ontario: Archeus Communications. pp. 185–189. ISBN0-9698161-5-4.
^Kapur, B. (March 6, 2006). "Body Slam a blast for Benedict". Canoe.ca. Archived from the original on January 1, 2013. Retrieved May 30, 2007. Korean banker's hired goons, for example, are played with a perfect air of comedic menace by the Wild Samoans, Sika and Afa.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)