Rikishi

Solofa Fatu Jr. is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his work in WWE as Rikishi and Fatu. He is a former WWE, World, and Intercontinental Champion. He is a WWE Hall of Famer and the father of The Usos.

Early Life

Rikishi was born in San Francisco, United States on October 11, 1965. Born to Solofa Fatu Sr. and Elevera Anoa'i Fatu, Rikishi is a member of the decorated Anoa'i family of wrestlers. The grandfather of The Rock and Rikishi were blood brothers while Roman Reigns and Rikishi share the same grandparents.

Rikishi grew up in the Sunnydale projects in the Visitacion Valley. He did his schooling at Balboa High School. In 1982, Rikishi was involved in an unfortunate incident, where he had a near-death experience due to drive-by-shooting. Following recovery, her mother sent her alongside Afa and Sika to train to become a professional wrestler like the Wild Samoans.

Professional Wrestling Career

Early Years (1985-1992)

In 1985, Faru began his wrestling career on the independent circuit. He and his cousin formed a tag team called The Samoan Swat Team. The team spent a few years on the independent circuit securing victories and winning championships before signing to Jim Crockett's promotion. The team added The Samoan Savage and became a formidable trio in the company. In 1990, the team left WCW and spent two years touring around before joining WWF.

WWF (1992-2004)

Various Gimmicks (1992-1999)

After The Samoan Swat Team joined World Wrestling Federation, they were renamed The Headshrinkers. The team stayed together for three years, where they won the WWF Tag Team Championship by defeating The Quebecers. After Samu left due to injuries, the team was disbanded, and they took Fatu off the television.

In 1995, they repackaged Fatu to a positive character who used his teachings from the ghetto to help others. Unfortunately, the character did not work. After a while, they repackaged him as The Sultan. At WrestleMania XIII, The Rock defeated The Sultan to keep his Intercontinental Championship.

Rikishi (1999-2004)

In 1999, Fatu was repackaged for the third time as Rikishi. Rikishi formed a popular alliance called Too Cool with Grand Master Saxay and Scotty 2 Hotty. Rikishi became popular and the move of Stink Face became synonymous with him. He became an entertaining superstar and started his climb to the top. In 2000, Rikishi defeated Chris Benoit to win the Intercontinental Championship.

After losing the title, Rikishi was inserted into the main event picture when he was revealed as the person who injured Stone Cold before Survivor Series. Rikishi turned heel when he attacked The Rock with a sledgehammer. At Survivor Series, THe Rock defeated Rikishi. At Armageddon, Rikishi was chokeslammed from the top of the cell by The Undertaker.

In 2001, Haku returned to WWF, which led them to form a tag team. The team disbanded by May. After the draft, he and Rico defeated Billy and Chuck to win the WWF Tag Team Championships. After 2002, Rikishi began appearing sporadically and feuded with several stars for a few weeks. In 2004, he formed a team with Scotty 2 Hotty and won the WWE Tag Team Championships. In July, they released him from the company.

Independent Circuit (2004-2019)

After being released, Rikishi changed his name to Kishi due to the naming rights owned by WWE. He spent the remaining years wrestling and managing various groups on different promotions.

WWE (2012-2020)

Rikishi made several sporadic appearances over the years as a legend in the industry. He has stink-faced several superstars during segments. He was last seen at Survivor Series 2020 during the retirement speech of The Undertaker.

Championships and Accomplishments

Rikishi Family

Rikishi is a member of the Anoa'i family. He is the twin brother of Tonga Kid and the older brother of Umaga. Umaga was a famous professional wrestler during his time with WWE, known for his finishing move Samoan Spike. Rikishi's uncles were Afa and Sika Anoa'i and the two also trained him to become a professional wrestler during Rikishi's late teens.

His cousins include world champions Yokozuna, The Rock, and Roman Reigns. Rikishi's father, unfortunately, passed away on October 4, 2020, due to COVID-19. Rikishi is married to Talisua Fuavai-Fatu. The couple have been happily married since 1985. The two are parents to five children including Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, and Solo Sikoa. The Usos have been one of the biggest teams in WWE for the past decade and are counted amongst the greatest tag teams to step foot inside the squared circle. His younger son Solo Sikoa has quickly established himself as a force to be reckoned with. He uses the Samoan Spike maneuver used by Rikishi's younger brother Umaga.

In January 2024, Rikishi took to his Instagram to share that her granddaughter Anahlaya Thavana Tuuhetoka had turned 2 months old.

Rikishi Net Worth

As per various online sources, former WWE Superstar Rikishi is worth in the range of $2 Million as of 2023.