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The Anoa'i are making quite an impact in WWE now with Roman Reigns as Universal Champion, and his cousin Jey Uso joining forces with him last week on SmackDown. Jimmy Uso also looks set to join the fold. According to reports, WWE have big plans for Roman Reigns' new faction including new theme music. One member of the Anoa'i family who's WWE run is sometimes overlooked is Roman Reigns' cousin Manu.
WWE legend and current AEW commentator Jim Ross recently opened up about Manu's run in WWE on his podcast and discussed why he wasn't successful in the promotion:
I think he was still green and still developing and still trying to find his way. He kind of got stereotyped into the typical Samoan persona that had been seen a lot. It wasn’t new. He was a good kid. I’ll be frank. The company gave him plenty of opportunities as far time was concerned because he was there for like three years. He got a chance. It just didn’t work out. He wasn’t quite ready for that level. I got a lot of respect for Afa and Sika. It doesn’t mean your kid is going to be as good as you. A lot of kids that follow in their father’s footsteps find themselves in challenging positions. H/T: WrestlingNewsCo
A quick look at Manu's short WWE run
Manu is the son of the legendary Afa Anoa'i and is related to Roman Reigns, The Usos, Rikishi amongst others. Manu's father Afa Anoa'i is a 3-time Tag Team Champion in the WWF and was indicuted into the WWE Hall of Fame in2007.
Manu's run in WWE wasn't as successful unfortunately. His debut came at the Unforgiven PPV in 2008 where he came out as a member of Randy Orton's faction Legacy. However, he was only a member of Legacy for a few months and was then released by WWE in early 2009.
In an interview with WWE magazine, Randy Orton spoke about Manu's departure from Legacy and said that "Respect, that’s something that Manu, who had a chance to be part of Legacy, didn’t have."
You can check out Jim Ross' podcast HERE.
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