The Rock pays tribute to Afa Anoa’i: ‘Rest in Love Uncle Afa’
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has issued a public statement on the passing of his uncle and WWE Hall of Famer, Afa Anoa’i.
Afa Anoa’i passed away on Friday at the age of 81. His brother and his Wild Samoans tag team partner, Sika Anoa’i, passed away in June. The Rock took to Instagram on Sunday to say that Afa was finally at peace along with his brother.
Rock captioned his post with:
“Rest in Love Uncle Afa ❤️🕊️
Uncle Afa Anoa’i is finally at peace with his brother, Uncle Sika Anoa’i.
‘The Wild Samoans’ were trailblazers in the world of professional wrestling.
Multi-time @WWE tag team champions and eventually, bestowed their rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame.
The last picture is one of my all time favorites- it’s my uncles Afa and Sika with my grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia – and I believe that’s Professor Toru Tanaka.
What I love about this picture is you can SEE & FEEL the LOVE & MANA amongst these smiling, loving men.
You can also see and feel that this wasn’t a table you wanted to f*ck with 😂💪🏾
I love you uncle and I’ll never forget what you did for our family in ‘87. “Come to me”
Nashville to Bethlehem.
Give my grandpa and my dad a kiss and a hug from me.”
Roman Reigns also paid tribute to his uncle Afa shortly after his passing. He wrote:
“Our family has suffered another great loss with the passing of my uncle and WWE Hall of Famer, Gataivasā Afa Amituana’i Anoa’i,” he wrote. We thank everyone for their support and are comforted by the fact that he now rests in peace. Afa and my father, Pola’ivao Leati Sika Anoa’I were loving brothers, the greatest tag team of their generation, and now they’re reunited together in heaven. Rest in Power Wild Samoans.”
Afa’s daughter, Vale Anoa’i, responded to WWE’s tribute to Afa that aired on SmackDown, writing:
“Deeply touched and grateful for the absolutely beautiful tribute video @WWE put together for my Dad. That was perfect. My heart is full of love. Thank you so much”