Person Biography:
Born on October 22, 1966, in San Francisco, the man who would become known as Yokozuna was part of a wrestling family, with his uncles Afa Anoai and Sika Anoai being prominent figures in the industry. He was trained by his uncles and Sam Fatu as a teenager, and began his wrestling career in Alabama and the USWA under the name Kokina Anoai, weighing an impressive 400 pounds from a young age.
As he entered the Japanese sumo wrestling scene, he met a group of sumo wrestlers and adopted the gimmick of Yokozuna, or sumo grand champion, which would become his most iconic character. His massive size and impressive skills in the ring earned him a monster push in the WWF in 1992, with Vince McMahon giving him a prominent role in the company.
Throughout his career, Yokozuna had many notable matches, including a Royal Rumble victory in 1993, which allowed him to challenge for the WWF Title at WrestleMania IX against Bret Hart. He won the match and the title, but lost it to Hulk Hogan at the same event. He later won the title back at the King of the Ring and held it for over 10 months, a remarkable feat for a heel wrestler.
However, his weight became a growing concern, with multiple attempts to get him to lose weight failing. He was eventually taken off TV and brought back as a tag team partner for Owen Hart, with whom he won the Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania XI.
Despite his struggles with weight, Yokozuna continued to wrestle, including a main event appearance at the Heroes of Wrestling pay-per-view in 1999 and a European tour in October 2000. Tragically, he died of a heart attack in his hotel room in Liverpool, England, on October 23, 2000, at the age of 34.
