WWE Hall of Famer Sika Anoa'i, the father of pro wrestling's top star, Roman Reigns, has died, the organization announced Tuesday. Anoa'i was 79.
Anoa'i was a three-time WWE tag-team champion as one-half of The Wild Samoans alongside his brother, Afa. They were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007.
Following their in-ring career, the tag team trained wrestlers -- including Batista -- at The Wild Samoan Training Facility. They also trained their nephew, WWE Hall of Famer Yokozuna.
Anoa'i's family tree is among the greatest in wrestling history. WWE's long-running "Bloodline" storyline features Reigns as the leader of a faction comprised of Samoans who are family members and longtime family friends.
The Rock entered the "Bloodline" program in February ahead of a WrestleMania 40 tag-team main event in April alongside his close family friend, Reigns.
"My father had a profound impact on my entire family and we are forever grateful for the foundation he built for us," Reigns posted Tuesday on X. "There's no way to fill the void left by his passing but my sisters and I will do our best to represent him and his legacy."
My family and I thank everyone for the outpouring of support in the name of my father, Pola'ivao Leati Sika Anoa'i, who will forever be remembered as one half of The Wild Samoans tag team. My father had a profound impact on my entire family and we are forever grateful for the...
— Roman Reigns (@WWERomanReigns) June 26, 2024
Reigns hasn't appeared on WWE television since WrestleMania 40 in April, when he lost the WWE undisputed championship to Cody Rhodes. That ended Reigns' 1,316-day title reign, fourth longest in WWE history.