Biography for
Rodney Anoai More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

2 October 1966, San Francisco, California, USA

Date of Death

22 October 2000, Liverpool, England, UK (heart attack)

Birth Name

Agatupu R Anoai

Nickname

Yokozuna
The Great Kokina

Height

6' 4" (1.93 m)

Mini Biography

The man who would eventually become known as Yokozuna was born in San Francisco on October 22, 1966. He came from a wrestling family, as his uncles were Afa Anoai and Sika Anoai. He was trained by his uncles and Sam Fatu as a teenager and wrestled in Alabama and the USWA under the name Kokina Anoai. He already weighed 400 pounds.

In Japan, he would work in main events against Big Van Vader (Leon White), and there he met a contingent of sumo wrestlers, which led to the gimmick which would get him the most over, the character Yokozuna, or sumo grand champion. Vince McMahon brought him into the WWF and gave him a monster push in 1992. He wasn't even knocked off his feet for months, until finally Jim Duggan finally pulled it off, and he still won the match. He later won the Royal Rumble (1993) (TV), which allowed him to challenge for the WWF Title at WrestleMania IX (1993) (V) against Bret Hart. Anoai won the match and the title, but immediately lost it at the same event to Hulk Hogan. Anoai won the title back at the King of the Ring (1993) (V) and kept it for over 10 months, an incredible amount of time for a 'heel' wrestler. He lost it back to Hart at WrestleMania X (1994) (TV).

His weight was becoming a huge issue, and multiple attempts to get Anoai to lose it were failures. The WWF kept him off TV for awhile, then brought him back in as a tag team partner for Owen Hart, with whom he won the Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania XI (1995) (TV). His weight gain continued, and at his final appearance in the WWF, during the _Survivor Series (1996) (V)_, he weighed almost 800 pounds. This would make him the heaviest pro wrestler in history, but he was never officially weighed.

He wrestled in the main event of the Heroes of Wrestling pay per view in 1999 and went on a European tour in October 2000. It was during this tour that he died of a heart attack in his hotel room in Liverpool, England. He was only 34.

IMDb Mini Biography By:

Spouse

Monica

(? - 22 October 2000) (his death) 2 children

Trade Mark

The Banzai Drop

Trivia

Became the first Samoan to win the WWF World Championship.

Is a descendant of an extensive family of Samoan professional wrestlers, including Dwayne Johnson (aka "The Rock"), Solofa Fatu Jr. (aka "Rikishi"), Afa, Sika, Samu & Matt Anoai (aka "Rosey").

Professional wrestler.

Former WWF World Champion & Tag Team Champion.

Weighed between 500-550 pounds during his prime, was rumored to top 700 lbs. at the time of his death.

Cousin of Solofa Fatu Jr. (Rikishi) and Dwayne Johnson.

Lost the WWF Championship only 2 minutes and 7 seconds after winning it.

Was revealed as Owen Hart's "mystery parter" for Hart's tag team match at WrestleMania XI (1995) (TV).

A parallel can be made from him to another famous Yoko, Yoko Ono. While many argue that she helped destroy Beatlemania, it has been argued that Yokozuna helped to destroy Hulkamania.

One day in the ring, he broke his leg in action. However, due to his weight a stretcher couldn't carry him out of the arena. They had to bring out a forklift to remove him from the arena.

Is the brother of former WWE superstar Rosey (Matt Anoai).

Was the first Royal Rumble Winner in 1993 to face the WWE Champion at Wrestlemania.

In the AWA, he wrestled as Kokina Maximus, managed by Adnan Al-Kaissy. In Japan he used the Great Kokina gimmick.

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