The Rise and Fall of Yokozuna: From WWF Champion to Tragic End

Look Back at the Iconic Wrestling Career and Tragic Life of Rodney Anoa’i

In 1992, the landscape of the WWF changed forever with the debut of Yokozuna. He was a scary presence in the ring, and within a short time, he achieved milestones that some wrestlers could only ever dream of: winning the Royal Rumble match and quickly seizing the WWF Championship. Even more remarkable was his agility and athleticism for a man of his size. His ability to perform in the ring was awe-inspiring.

However, while his massive size started as an asset, it quickly became a liability.

Born into the Samoan Wrestling Dynasty

Born into the Samoan wrestling dynasty that is the Anoa’i family, Rodney grew up in a tough neighborhood. He found his true calling in life when his uncles, the Wild Samoans, took him under their wing. After he started skipping school, they were running their wrestling training camp in their backyard, and it was a grueling and exceptionally tough time for Rodney and his cousins as they learned the ropes. One of his cousins, Rikishi, later said that out of all of them, Rodney was the hardest worker and the quickest to learn.

At the age of 21, Rodney’s life changed forever when he and his girlfriend welcomed a son and then a daughter into the world. Now, wrestling wasn’t just a passion; it was a necessity. It was all he ever knew, and he was determined to make it in the WWF.

WWF road agent Jerry Brisco spotted Rodney and sent Bruce Prichard to go and scout him. The men knew he was something special from the moment they set eyes on him. The original plan was for him to debut as one half of the Headshrinkers tag team, but Rodney was suffering from a leg injury at the time, and he couldn’t fill the spot in the tag team. However, Rodney would still get a chance in the Federation. There was no way they were going to pass him up.

McMahon asked Sergeant Slaughter to come up with a new gimmick for Rodney. He quickly came back with a sumo wrestler gimmick and named him Yokozuna, which means “grand champion” in Japanese. When the Anoa’i family learned about this new gimmick, they were really proud because for the first time ever, a Samoan wrestler was being given a chance to portray a character that was beyond the stereotypical Polynesian savage gimmick. They all believed in Rodney and knew that he would be able to rise to the challenge of portraying this character.

To put the character over the top, he was paired with Mr. Fuji, who was an actual Japanese person. On an October 1992 episode of “Superstars,” Yokozuna made his impressive entrance, squashing a jobber in just a matter of seconds.

Yokozuna’s debut caught the attention of The Undertaker, who was unhappy at the time with the quality of opponents that he’d been given over the last few months. He saw Yoko as someone he would enjoy working with and went straight to Vince McMahon’s office to request a feud.

While McMahon noted The Undertaker’s request, he had bigger plans for the big man.

Yokozuna’s Dominance

Yokozuna showcased his skills on pay-per-view for the first time at the Survivor Series, where he leveraged his massive size advantage to defeat Virgil. The WWF was in a transitional period going into 1993; the golden era was over, and now there was a vacuum of talent at the top. McMahon wanted a monster champion at the very top of the card, and Yokozuna fit the bill perfectly.

At the Royal Rumble in January, Yoko entered at number 24, throwing out Bob Backlund and Randy Savage to be declared the winner. On the house show circuit, he dominated in matches against major names such as Savage, The Undertaker, and The Big Boss Man.

However, it was on the road that other wrestlers got to know what the real Rodney was like. Regardless of the stresses of the business and being away from his family, Rodney always seemed to be in a good mood and exuded happiness. He had an incredible appetite, especially for sushi, and could consume sushi fit for 20 people.

At WrestleMania 9, 200 of Rodney’s family and friends arrived in Las Vegas to support him. They were there to witness Yokozuna face Bret Hart for the WWF title in the main event. The original plan was for Yoko to win the match and hold the championship for the foreseeable future. However, that plan was changed at the last minute in some of the most blatant politics, with Hogan scheming to get the finish changed, ultimately becoming the newly crowned champion. This left Rodney and his family very disappointed.

The Peak of Yokozuna’s Career

WrestleMania 10 marked the end of an incredible year-long run for Yokozuna. On the night, he wrestled twice, first beating Lex Luger by DQ and then losing the championship in the main event to Bret Hart. This 12-month period in Rodney’s career would end up being the peak he would never reach again. The WWF had lost interest in him due to concerns about his rapidly increasing weight.

Vince McMahon was seriously concerned about

Rodney’s weight and the impact it was having on his health. By 1998, McMahon reached the end of his rope with Rodney and released him from his contract in May.

Yokozuna’s Decline

Yokozuna transitioned to the indie wrestling scene. Indie promoters couldn’t wait to feature a former WWF Champion on their events, but he proved to be almost useless to them when it came to the