16-Time Champion Snubs Roman Reigns in Favor of 62-Year-Old Legend as “The Real Tribal Chief”

Roman Reigns‘s Tribal Chief persona took the WWE by storm. Turning heel and talking over his Samoan Anoa’i family as the Head of the Table, The Bloodline has established itself as a stable for the history books. But did you know that the Tribal Chief persona was done in the eighties? One former 16-time champion recognizes the ‘Real Tribal Chief’ over Reigns.

The real Samoan bloodline in the WWE runs deep, with previous generations forming the foundation and legacy of the Anoa’i family. Today, the family has a stranglehold in the WWE, with new members having to live up to the previous generation’s name. So who does Reigns have to live up to? Who is the ‘Real Tribal Chief?’

Ric Flair encounters the Real Tribal Chief, King Haku

In the 80s and 90s, the Anoa’i family was setting up a legacy in the WWE. King Haku, a persona played by Samonan wrestler Tonga Fifita was a massive part of this foundation. Today, he can be related to Reigns, not by blood but by legacy. Haku belonged to the same island as another massive Samonan wrestler, ‘High Chief’ Peter Maivia. Haku came from the same area Dwayne The Rock Johnson‘s grandfather hailed from.

Recently, Ric Flair took to social media to post a heartwarming picture. This was an encounter between Flair and King Haku. Flair captioned the image with “The REAL Tribal Chief! I Don’t Think @romanreigns Will Argue With That! WOOOOO!”

This was to acknowledge that Haku was the Tribal Chief before Reigns took over the persona. Haku is known to be the founding member of the Samoan reputation that Reigns is now keeping alive. 

Fifita started his career as a Sumo wrestler at the age of 15. He began his career in 1974 but retired from Sumo wrestling in 1976. He moved on to All Japan Pro Wrestling and worked as a referee. It was in the 1980s that he adopted the ring name of King Tonga and began wrestling. He joined WCW in the early 80s and won multiple titles. 

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In 1986 he joined the WWE under the name Haku and started his claim to fame. As one-half of “The Islanders” with Tama, they soon became a fan favorite. In 1988 he adopted the King Haku persona and went on with a feud with Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage. He teamed up with Andre the Giant in 1989 to become the team Colossal Connection.’ He left the WWE in 1992 and moved to Japan, followed by Mexico to continue wrestling. From 1994 to 2001, he joined WCW before returning to the WWE for a year till 2002. 

Haku was one of the most feared wrestlers 

A reputation that Haku could retain throughout his career was his reputation for being one of the toughest men in pro wrestling. He quickly established himself as a fearsome wrestler of his time. Even Andre the Giant feared Haku while working as half of the tag team with him. There was a time when Flair compared a young Haku to the MMA fighters of today. Ted DiBiase recalled an incident in St. Louis about how Haku was arrested for breaking up a fight while intoxicated and snapped the handcuffs placed on him. 

During his time in WCW, Eric Bischoff claimed he feared firing Haku. This reputation cemented the Samoan family legacy in pro wrestling.  Today, The Rock, Reigns, Solo Sikao, and The Usos keep the legacy alive and well. In conclusion, though Reigns is the new Tribal Chief, we should never forget the original leaders of the Anoa’i family. 

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