5 things you need to know about WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi

It was announced via twitter by The Usos and then officially confirmed on Monday Night Raw, the newest inductee to the WWE 2015 Hall of Fame class is Solofa Fatu, Jr. better known to most as Rikishi. Let’s take a look at some important things that everyone should know about the newest Hall of Fame inductee.

#1 Family History

Rikishi is a part of a very special blood line belonging to the very famous professional wrestling family, the Anoa'i Family which features numerous accomplished wrestlers. Most closely related are the current WWE Tag Team Champions, Jimmy & Jey Uso, who are Rikishi’s twin sons.

Other notable stars who also belong to the famous Anoa’i Family include The Rock, Yokazuna, Roman Reigns, The Wild Samoans, Umaga and many more.

Rikishi was born with professional wrestling in his blood so it’s no surprise he’s gone on to have an amazing career but he didn’t start off with the name is branded with now.

#2 Fatu (The Early Days)

When Rikishi first debuted for WWE in the early 90’s, he performed under the ring name ‘Fatu’. He formed a tag team with his cousin Samu called the ‘Headshrinkers’. The team closely resembled their relatives The Wild Samoans.

The duo even managed to capture the Tag Team Championships on April 26, 1994, defeating the Quebecers. This would mark Rikishi’s first championship in WWE.

The duo possessed a lot of potential but never quite reached the heights they were destined for. Which leads us to an interesting character change that many may not be aware of.

#3 The Sultan

In 1996, Rikishi was repackaged as The Sultan. He was masked and never spoke supposably because his tongue had been cut out.

Despite being managed by both Bob Backlund and the Iron Sheik, the drastic shift in character was essentially a flop. His biggest moment came at Wrestlemania 13 when he challenged The Rock (then known as Rocky Malvia) for the Intercontinental championship. He lost the bout it what was a very poor match up.

However as we all know Rikishi was able to bounce back and make a name for himself.

#4 The Birth of Rikishi (Too Cool)

Rikishi returned in late 1999, and finally began wrestling under the ring name ‘Rikishi’.

However his breakout moment was forming an alliance with Too Cool (Scotty Too Hotty and Grandmaster Sexay). Rikishi’s teaming with Too Cool, along with his new funky dance moves & groovy attire, he became super popular with the fans. He also began using the stinkface finishing move.

Rikishi was even able to capture his first singles gold, winning the IC title in the summer of 2000.

Dancing alongside Too Cool was what sky rocketed Rikishi’s career into super stardom and cemented his legacy forever.

#5 Life After WWE

Rikishi was actually released from WWE in on July 16, 2004, because of repeated requests (that weren’t met) from WWE to lose weight.

He would however continue wrestling on the independent circuit under the ring name ‘Kishi’ due to legal issues. He won numerous different titles in numerous different promotions while on the Indies.

Rikishi would even go on to appear in TNA for a brief stint during 2007 under the ring name ‘Junior Fatu’.

He made a return to WWE in 2012, wrestling Heath Slater and paying tribute to his deceased brother Umaga by using the Samoan Spike. He has made some brief sporadic appearances in WWE since then, and has now officially been inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Rikishi, the king of the stinkface, was a truly captivating individual with his funky dance moves, incredible size and in ring prowess. He will surely be remembered for many years to come and deserves his place in the WWE 2015 Hall of Fame.