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On the May 27, 2019, episode of Raw, a new superstar made his debut for the brand in a one-on-one match with ‘The Best in the World’ Shane McMahon. Hailing from the Samoan Dynasty, the newcomer put on a decent show which saw him getting beaten up by Drew McIntyre so that Shane could score an easy victory.
Lance Anoa’i, the man who wrestled Shane, was chosen to compete against him so that Shane could send a message to Roman Reigns.
While many wrestlers would believe that this was a one-time effort for a jobber, Lance isn’t really a jobber and has a lot of wrestling history behind him.
Lance later took to Twitter to thank the WWE Universe and mentioned that this wasn’t the last time they would see him wrestle in WWE. Does that mean he will be teaming up with Roman Reigns for a few matches down the road?
In this article, we will take a look at 4 facts about the newcomer, and how that impacts his value as a wrestler.
#4 He is a member of the Anoaʻi family
While Lance himself might not be a household name, he belongs to one of the biggest and most prestigious wrestling families in the world.
Lance’s father is Samu, who competed in the World Wrestling Federation as a member of The Wild Samoans and The Headshrinkers.
Famous members of the family include Rikishi, Umaga, Yokozuna, Roman Reigns, The Usos and brothers Afa and Sika Anoaʻi, the Wild Samoans. Peter Maivia and his grandson Dwayne Johnson are considered honorary members.
The fact that he is related to Roman Reigns played a key role in Shane McMahon bringing him out to wrestle, as Shane is scheduled to take on The Big Dog at Super Showdown.
Apart from that, Trinity Fatu (known as Naomi) is part of the Anoa'i family through marriage to Jonathan Fatu (aka Jimmy Uso). Nia Jax is a part of the family as she is Dwayne Johnson's cousin.
This shows what a strong wrestling family and background Lance Anoa’i comes from.
#3 He’s tried out for WWE in the past
While his appearance on Raw against Shane McMahon might have been the first time we saw him on the flagship brand, he has appeared for WWE previously.
He first appeared on WWE SmackDown on January 2, 2015, as he teamed with Rhett Titus in a losing effort against The Ascension. WWE did not show much interest in the superstar then and sent him away as this match wasn’t part of his tryout, and he was just used as a jobber.
He returned for the company on February 1, 2017, and competed in a losing effort at a WWE NXT event against The Authors of Pain. This appearance was related to a tryout he was having with WWE.
Recently, Lance had another tryout for WWE in April 2019, which led to him becoming a part of the storyline involving Shane McMahon and Roman Reigns. He lost his match against Shane via submission, after Drew McIntyre attacked him. After the match, he received a beat down by McMahon and McIntyre before Roman Reigns made the save.
#2 He has a lot of wrestling experience
Lance Anoa’i may seem like a newbie on television, but he has been wrestling for some time now. Lance first started wrestling in 2010 and has now wrestled for almost a decade.
Lance debuted on April 3, 2010, in a winning effort for an event promoted by the National Wrestling League against Chrono Chris. He spent most of his initial years in World Xtreme Wrestling, which is owned by his grandfather, Afa Anoaʻi. He often was involved in matches with his relatives Samu, Afa Jr., and Sean Maluta.
He has been trained by his father Samu and uncle, L.A. Smooth. Overall he is a two-time WXW Ultimate Heavyweight and a two-time WXW Ultimate Hybrid Champion. Apart from that, he has featured in many other promotions such as MCW Pro (formerly Maryland Championship Wrestling), New York Wrestling Connection (NYWC), House of Hardcore, and others.
#1 He’s trying to raise funds for his father
Lance’s father, former WWE Superstar Samu, wrestled for the company for at least five years on separate occasions. Samu is now very ill with cancer and Lance is currently running fundraisers to help raise money to cover the care his father needs.
While this might not be directly related to his appearance on Raw this week, it could at least help him get some spotlight on the issue and help with the efforts.
Lance has also set up a GoFundMe Page where he has stated:
“In case you haven’t heard he is suffering from Stage IV liver cancer. He is in desperate need of a transplant and due to the fact as we are all well aware the pharmaceutical companies charge whatever they wish for medicine and that is not working in our favor.”
This has led to the wrestling promotion WXW, which is run by Wild Samoan Afa in Hazelton, Pennsylvania, to hold a fundraising event on May 29, 2019. The event will feature a host of Anoa’i family members and WXW regulars.
Apart from those superstars, WWE superstars Samoa Joe and Kassius Ohno will also take part in matches which will feature names like Gene Snitsky, Billy Kidman, Terri Runnels, ECW Legend Tommy Dreamer, and many others.
