The professional wrestling industry often brings with it a lot of sadness, tragedy, and devastating moments. Over the years, there have unfortunately been many examples of wrestlers being arrested far too early and too young, and this can sometimes even affect those in the most prominent families. The Anoa’i family, home to the legacy of some of the greatest wrestlers of all time, is all too familiar with this. The tastes of WWE wrestlers such as Yokozuna and Umaga are each mentioned as one of the most tragic early deaths of wrestling stars, and each comes from the Anoa’i lineage. Another is former undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns’ brother Matt Anoa’i, better known to WWE fans as Rosey.
UPDATED: 2024/08/10 5:00 PM EST BY ANDREW KELLY
Matt Anoa’i was best known for his time in WWE under the name “Rosey”, with many fans fondly remembering his time in groups like 3-Minute Warning and as The Hurricane’s partner. It’s very easy to forget, however, that Rosey, like other professional wrestlers, left part of his legacy outside of the number one promotion. We’ll look at not only his time in WWE, but also his time on the independent scene, in AJPW, and more, before his untimely and tragic passing in 2017. He spent over a decade away from WWE after his death. release, so there’s a lot to cover.
UPDATED: 2024/12/16 11:00 AM EST BY ANDREW KELLY
Matt Anoa’i or “Rosey” is part of the iconic Anoa’i family, who ruled today’s WWE under The Bloodline faction, the legendary family boasting many major stars. Before his tragic passing, he spoke about his family’s impact on WWE nearly a decade ago and he made a stunning prediction that ultimately came true. We’ll examine the words spoken by the generational superstar and how they’ve come true in the modern landscape of professional wrestling and WWE. It’s always interesting to see predictions come true, and this is certainly no different.
Rosey had popular gimmicks during her WWE run
Matt Anoa’i has shown great versatility in his WWE career
- Matt Anoa’i signed with WWE in 2001.
- Rosey was on a 3 minute warning with the future Umaga.
- Matt Anoa’i was a superhero in training with Hurricane.
After training alongside his family members and wrestling on the independent scene, Rosey first rose to prominence when he signed with WWE in 2001. After some time developing, he debuted on the main roster alongside her own cousin Fatu (who would eventually become better known as Umaga to WWE fans). They worked alongside Eric Bischoff as enforcers on the 3 Minute Warning Team, who would beat anyone Bischoff deemed deserving. Their list of victims includes wrestlers, presenters like Lillian Garcia, and even legends like Mae Young. They had some notable feuds, such as with Billy & Chuck, but the duo ended when Fatu was fired from the company.
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Rosey wasn’t done there though, as he entered a storyline alongside fan favorite act The Hurricane. While this has been done before and was clearly something Vince McMahon found hilarious, it was an entertaining dynamic to see a different, comedic side of the former monster heel in Rosey. The Hurricane said he could see a hero inside Rosey, and the pair embarked on superhero training, with Rosey being nicknamed the “Super Hero In Training”, which was shortened to the initials , making some fans laugh. The pair would even go on to become World Tag Team Champions, but their time as a couple ended when The Hurricane lost his superhero persona and became a heel. Rosey had little direction until his eventual release, where he would continue to fight elsewhere until his untimely death.
Rosey competed outside of WWE for several years
Matt Anoa’i’s legacy extends further than WWE
- Rosey was released by WWE in 2006.
- Matt Anoa’i was RO-Z in AJPW.
- Matt Anoa’i helped run Epic Championship Wrestling with his father, Sika.
In 2006, Rosey’s tenure with WWE ended as the promotion had nothing for him creatively and decided to let him go. However, he did not stray away from the world of professional wrestling, instead joining the AJPW promotion under the name RO-Z. During his time in the promotion, he feuded with Minoru Suzuki, wrestled at the Tokyo Dome, and fought for several titles. He also competed on the independent wrestling scene and wrestled sporadically in WWE in dark matches and in OVW, but he did not re-sign with the promotion.
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His schedule became less and less frequent, wrestling only a few times in 2009, 2010 and 2011. He took an extended break from the ring, but returned for two matches in 2016, with his final match being alongside The Hurricane . During this time, he also worked with his father, Sika, to run the Epic Championship Wrestling promotion in their home state of Florida.
Rosey died tragically due to heart problems
Matt Anoa’i was only 47 when he died
|
Date of birth |
Date of death |
Age |
|---|---|---|
|
April 7, 1970 |
April 17, 2017 |
47 |
Rosey competed on the independent scene and in companies such as AJPW after her time in WWE, but as the years went by her appearances diminished. This was largely due to chronic knee issues, which would also cause him several other issues, from a physical standpoint. Unfortunately, during his prolonged stay on the shelves and lack of mobility, he was gaining weight, which led to catastrophic problems within his body.
PWInsider noted that “Anoa’i suffered from congestive heart failure in recent years”, which was ultimately believed to play a role in his death on April 17, 2017. He had been hospitalized earlier that year due to heart failure congestive heart disease and atrial fibrillation, and after a few months he unfortunately died. PWINder also shared the statement left by his family:
The Anoa’i family is mourning the loss of Sika’s son, Matt aka Rosey, due to an untimely death. We want to let his fans know that he loved them and the wrestling world so much. When he passed away, he left three beautiful young children and a heartbroken family. Please respect the privacy of his children and family as they mourn the loss of this kind, loving and gentle man, who was a father, son, brother and superhero to us all. Our family appreciates your prayers and continued support during this very difficult time.
Rosey left a strong legacy in professional wrestling
Rosey is part of the famous Anoa’i family
- Rosey is the brother of Roman Reigns.
- Rosey was both a monster heel and a comedic character.
- Roman Reigns attempts to represent his brother in wrestling.
Rosey is someone who, even though he didn’t spend the most time wrestling in WWE, left a memorable legacy. He was able to show several sides of his personality, working as both a monster enforcer and a comedy character, and his ability to do both is a testament to his talents.
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Rosey’s legacy lives on within her family and with her brother Roman Reigns, who shared his emotions and feelings in an interview on WWE.com.
“My only hope now is that I can continue to represent my family, represent my brother and continue our legacy. He was my number one fan. He never missed a match, he never missed what I was doing in the ring, he always gave me good advice and always contacted me to talk.
These words are powerful and they show what a wonderful human being Rosey was.
Rosey predicted the rise of the bloodline
Rosey made a wrestling prediction before his passing that came true
- The Bloodline saga has dominated WWE programming for years.
- Rosey talked about all the younger members of her family.
- He rightly assumed that the Anoa’i family would take over WWE.
Rosey’s stupid gadgets did not reflect his actual wisdom and intelligence, and in 2015 he spoke in an interview on the Two-man wrestling trip podcast and talked about her family, predicting that no other family would have such an impact on the business based on the rising stars she had in her family.
“To be honest with you, I really don’t think there will be another family that will surpass the number of WWE professional wrestlers associated with or linked to the same last name. We have produced a lot of family members. In coming into WWE, it’s not going to slow down. We have young men on the rise as we speak and we’re watching because they’ll get there one day. (H/T Fight zone)
When looking at the current WWE landscape, Roman Reigns, Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu dominate the company, with Lance Anoa’i and Zilla Fatu also on the rise, not to mention the treadmill of others names that the family seems to continue to spit out. The words Rosey spoke nearly a decade ago ring true today, demonstrating the intellectual insight he had into the business and the natural talents of his family members. The Bloodline storyline has been the centerpiece of WWE programming since 2020, dominating the main stage on Friday Night SmackDown and premium WWE live events.
