Lance Anoa'i

Lance Sterling Anoa'i is an American professional wrestler of Samoan descent. He is signed with WWE and competes on its developmental brand, Evolve. Before stepping into the WWE ring, he was best known for his stints with Major League Wrestling (MLW) and Maryland Championship Wrestling (MCW Pro).

Professional Wrestling Career

Independent Promotions

Anoaʻi made his professional wrestling debut on April 3, 2010, defeating Chrono Chris at a National Wrestling League event in Martinsburg, West Virginia. He soon became a regular in World Xtreme Wrestling, the promotion run by his grandfather, Afa Anoaʻi, where he often teamed with or competed against family members like Samu, Afa Jr., and Sean Maluta.

By 2012, he expanded his reach by wrestling for Maryland Championship Wrestling (MCW) and making his debut for Pro Wrestling Syndicate (PWS). His career gained further momentum in 2013 with appearances in House of Hardcore (HOH), marking the beginning of a long-running presence in the promotion. At PWS, he competed in high-profile matches, including a battle royal at Supercard 2013 and a Six-Way Match for the Tri-State Championship. That same year, he also reached the semi-finals of the Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup by facing Luke Hawx. In April 2019, he added another milestone by winning the East Coast Wrestling Association (ECWA) Super 8 Tournament.

Major League Wrestling (MLW)

Anoaʻi made his Major League Wrestling (MLW) debut on March 3, 2018, at Spring Break, where he lost to MJF (Maxwell Jacob Friedman). A few months later, he entered the first-ever Battle Riot in July but fell short as Tom Lawlor claimed victory. By October, he began teaming with his father Samu, forming The Samoan Island Tribe. In early 2019, he feuded with Rich Swann and suffered multiple losses in both singles as well as in tag team matches. He also competed in the second Battle Riot that April but once again came up short.

On January 7, 2023, at MLW Blood and Thunder, Anoa'i and Juicy Finau defeated Hustle & Power (EJ Nduka and Calvin Tankman) to capture the MLW World Tag Team Championships as The Samoan SWAT Team. Their reign lasted 182 days before they lost the titles to The Calling (Akira and Rickey Shane Page) at Never Say Never on July 8. On October 29, Anoa'i announced on X that he had been granted his release from MLW.

Pro Wrestling Noah

On July 15, 2023, Anoaʻi made his Pro Wrestling NOAH debut at NOAH One Night Dream, teaming up in a winning effort against Daiki Inaba, Manabu Soya, Masa Kitamiya, and Yoshiki Inamura. Two weeks later, he competed in his first singles match, securing a victory over Shuhei Taniguchi. On August 5, he entered the N-1 Victory 2023 tournament. His final appearance for NOAH came in September when he teamed with Kenoh to defeat Adam Brooks and Katsuhiko Nakajima.

WWE

On the January 2, 2015, episode of WWE SmackDown, Anoaʻi made his WWE debut as an enhancement talent by teaming with Rhett Titus in a losing effort against The Ascension. He suffered another loss on February 1, 2017 in a tag team match alongside his tag team partner Titus against The Authors of Pain. After another tryout in April 2019, he appeared on the May 27 episode of Raw, where he lost to Shane McMahon by submission following interference from Drew McIntyre. As the match ended, McMahon and McIntyre continued their assault until Anoaʻi’s cousin, Roman Reigns, stepped in to make the save.

Evolve (2025–present)

Anoa'i signed with WWE in the summer of 2024 and was assigned to NXT but has yet to debut due to injury. As of March 2025, he is listed as a WWE ID talent and has joined the WWE Evolve roster.

Lance Anoa'i Family

Lance Anoa'i born to his parents Samuel Fred Anoaʻi and Melissa Fritz on February 15, 1992. He is part of the Anoa'i family, which has a history in professional wrestling. His father, Samuel Fred Anoaʻiand his uncles, Afa Jr., Gary Albright, Roman Reigns, Yokozuna, Rosey, Sika, Dwayne Johnson, Rocky Johnson, Peter Maivia, Lia Maivia, and Umaga have made their name in the world of professional wrestling. His cousins Ava, Jacob Fatu, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa, are also wrestlers. Additionally, his grandfather Arthur Anoa'i Sr., was a professional wrestler best known by his nickname, "The Wild Samoan."

Championship Won