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It was announced today on Monday Night Raw that a member of the legendary Anoi’a family will be entering this year’s WWE Hall of Fame Class. That man is Rikishi, who had a long run under various personas in the WWE, and is the father of current WWE Tag Team Champions, The Usos, and the uncle of Roman Reigns.
Born Solafa Fatu, Rikishi first gained recognition on a national level in a tag team with his cousin, Samu, as the Samoan SWAT Team, a duo that would have success in both World Class and WCW. The then named World Wrestling Federation caught notice and signed the team in 1992, where they would shortly after capture the Tag Team Championship. Following a departure by Samu and a brief run with Sionne (The Barbarian), Fatu would be repackaged for the first time, as a positive inner city role model from the streets of San Francisco, where he was really from, but the gimmick went nowhere and he would disappear for awhile and re-emerge with a different look and identity.
Now as the “Sultan”, Fatu had no a shaved head and a partial mask, and was managed by Bob Backlund and the Iron Sheik. He would have an Intercontinental Title Match against the Rock at Wrestlemania 13, but again it was a failed gimmick and he would fade away to come back another identity, though this time he was about to strike gold.
With bleach blonde hair, and a sumo type outfit exposing his ass cheeks, the now named Rikishi looked to be another bust, but this time he was able to make it work and was an instant hit with the fans, winning the Intercontinental Title and reaching the high end of the card. An ill-advised heel turn derailed his momentum but it was still the best run of his career and one that put him on the map.
We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Rikishi for what should be the ultimate accolade to his career.
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