Yokozuna

Quick Facts

Full Name	Yokozuna
Occupation	Wrestler
Date Of Birth	Oct 2, 1966(1966-10-02)
Age	58
Date Of Death	Oct 23, 2000 (34 age)
Birthplace	San Francisco
Country	United States
Birth City	California
Horoscope	Libra

Yokozuna Biography

Yokozuna is one of the most popular and richest Wrestler who was born on October 2, 1966 in San Francisco, California, United States. Born Rodney Agatupu Anoaʻi, but known best for portraying the sumo champion character Yokozuna, he was a two-time champion in the WWF.

His cousin is wrestler turned actor Dwayne Johnson.

Anoaʻi’s career in professional wrestling began as he grew up in a family full of wrestlers, the Anoaʻi family. His uncles were The Wild Samoans, Afa and Sika, who trained him from an early age in the family business. Anoaʻi took on the name of the Great Kokina while wrestling overseas in Japan. He also spent some time in Mexico, learning the craft and gaining the experience necessary to be a star in the sport. He made a one-time appearance for Jim Crockett Promotions on August 12, 1987, when he faced Ron Simmons at a house show. His first major exposure in the United States came in the American Wrestling Association (AWA) as Kokina Maximus. Wrestling as a Samoan superstar, he was managed by Sheik Adnan El Kassey. In storyline, he was responsible for the breaking of Greg Gagne’s leg and ending his career. In 1991, when Anoaʻi was known as Kokina Maximus, he was billed as the biggest Samoan wrestler ever.

Managed by Mr. Fuji, Yokozuna debuted on the October 31, 1992 edition of Superstars and portrayed a sumo wrestler competing under the Japanese flag. He wore a sumo thong as part of his ring attire, but wore long tights underneath the thong, something that Vince McMahon and Yokozuna’s own cousin Rikishi later felt that wasn’t needed and that he should’ve worn the traditional sumo thong without the tights. (Something Rikishi himself would later do.) He made his pay-per-view debut at Survivor Series, easily defeating the much smaller Virgil with his huge weight advantage. Yokozuna’s career soon took off, and he headed into 1993’s Royal Rumble, where he was billed as a potential favorite. He eliminated Randy Savage to win the Royal Rumble match, cementing his movement towards main event status. Yokozuna was a competitor in the first- ever match in Monday Night Raw history, defeating the much smaller Koko B. Ware with his signature finisher, the Banzai Drop. Soon after, Yokozuna was challenged by American patriot “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, who aimed to be the first man who could knock Yokozuna off his feet (this was taped before Randy Savage knocked down Yokozuna at the Royal Rumble). On the February 6, 1993 airing of Superstars, Duggan succeeded in knocking Yokozuna down, only for Yokozuna to then sneak attack Duggan with a bucket of salt Mr. Fuji had brought to the ring, and crush him with four Banzai Drops, the fourth being with the American flag draped over Duggan. Afterwards, Duggan was suffering from (kayfabe) internal bleeding. On the May 10, 1993, edition of Monday Night Raw, Yokozuna served as one of the lumberjacks in a match between Duggan and Shawn Michaels for the Intercontinental Championship. Duggan, upon seeing Yokozuna, immediately charged at him and knocked him off his feet again; late in the match, after Bam Bam Bigelow distracted Duggan, Michaels attacked the challenger from behind and threw him out of the ring to where Yokozuna was standing. Yokozuna knocked Duggan to the floor and nailed him with a leg drop, then rolled his unconscious body back into the ring as payback for the earlier attack.

His uncles Afa and Sika were tag team champions and trained Rodney from a young age. He had two children.

Yokozuna Net Worth

Yokozuna is one of the richest Wrestler from United States. According to our analysis, Wikipedia, Forbes & Business Insider, Yokozuna 's net worth $5 Million. (Last Update: December 11, 2023)

He initially wrestled in Japan and Mexico before his career took off.

He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2012.

Rodney Agatupu Anoaʻi (October 2, 1966 – October 23, 2000) was an American professional wrestler best known for his time with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), where he wrestled under the ring name Yokozuna. The name was a reference to the highest rank in professional sumo wrestling in Japan.

Height, Weight & Body Measurements

Yokozuna height 6′ 4″ Yokozuna weight Not Known & body measurements will update soon.

Who is Yokozuna Dating?

According to our records, Yokozuna married to Monica Anoa'i (m. ?–2000). As of December 1, 2023, Yokozuna’s is not dating anyone.

Relationships Record : We have no records of past relationships for Yokozuna. You may help us to build the dating records for Yokozuna!

In the 1994 Royal Rumble match, the last two competitors, Lex Luger and Bret Hart, fought and eliminated each other simultaneously. Since the winner of the Royal Rumble was to become the number one contender to Yokozuna’s title, it was decided that both wrestlers would get a shot at the title at WrestleMania X. By virtue of winning a coin toss, Luger got to wrestle Yokozuna first at the event. The winner of that match would go on to face Bret Hart later in the evening with the title on the line. To obviate the risk of outside interference, both title matches were scheduled to have special guest referees. Mr. Perfect was the special guest referee for the Luger/Yokozuna bout. Luger seemed to have the match well in hand and had knocked out Yokozuna with a running forearm smash in the middle of the ring. He also knocked out Mr. Fuji and Jim Cornette, who tried to enter the ring. However, when Luger went for the pin, Perfect occupied himself with the unconscious Fuji and Cornette who were still lying on the ring apron. When Luger got angry and pushed Mr. Perfect, he was disqualified, thus making Yokozuna the first villainous champion to successfully defend the WWF World Heavyweight Championship at a WrestleMania. Later in the night, Yokozuna defended the championship again, this time against the former champion Bret “Hitman” Hart, who had lost earlier in the night to his brother Owen Hart. For this match, Roddy Piper was the special referee. When Cornette tried to interfere to break a pinfall, Piper decked him. At the end of the match, Yokozuna seemed ready to hit his finishing maneuver, the Banzai Drop, when he lost his balance and took a fall from the ropes. Hart got the pinfall victory, finally taking the title away from the long-running champion who reigned for 280 days. Afterwards on television, Cornette would blame the fall on a concussion suffered from Luger’s forearm plate.

Facts & Trivia

Yokozuna Ranked on the list of most popular Wrestler. Also ranked in the elit list of famous people born in United States. Yokozuna celebrates birthday on October 2 of every year.

In April 1995, Owen Hart began promising that he would have a great tag team partner to face off against The Smoking Gunns (Billy and Bart) at WrestleMania XI for the WWF Tag Team Championship. At the event, Yokozuna, now weighing in at 641 lb (291 kg), was revealed as his partner, and the team managed to defeat the Gunns and win the WWF Tag Team Championship. Following the match, Jim Cornette stated, “Michael Jordan’s back and so is Yokozuna”, in reference to Jordan’s first return to the NBA. The two would remain champions for several months, defending against teams like the Allied Powers (Lex Luger and Davey Boy Smith), the Smoking Gunns, and others.

What is the cause of yokozuna death?

Pulmonary edema

Who is yokozuna to Roman Reigns?

The great Yokozuna was the son of The Tribal Chief’s uncle Junior Anoa’i, making him Reigns’ first cousin. Several other superstars like The Rock, The Usos, and Umaga also belong to the same family. The Anoa’i family is one of the greatest families in pro-wrestling, to say the least.

How many pounds did yokozuna weigh?

Weighing close to 600 pounds , WWE Hall of Famer Yokozuna is the heaviest WWE Champion ever. Often advertised as weighing more than 800 pounds, Happy Humphrey was most likely the heaviest competitor ever.

What does yokozuna mean in Japan?

Yokozuna literally means “ horizontal rope ” and the name comes from the Shinto-style white rope they wear around their waist. There are two type of knots at the back of the rope and two corresponding styles of ring-entering ceremony. Those with a double-looped knot perform the Shiranui style.

Where is Yokozuna buried?

Green Hills, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA