The Bloodline. Roman Reigns, The Rock, The Usos, Solo Sikoa – they’re all related. But their roots run deep underground and far back in time, supporting a much larger, ancient, very complicated family tree.
They all belong to the Samoan Dynasty, which is made up of three main families:
The Anoa’i Family, The Maivia Family and the Fatu Family.
That’s why WWE’s Bloodline Saga is the perfect pro wrestling story – it blends the fictional clash of characters and championships with the real-life culture and tradition of the Isles of Samoa.
And to truly understand it, we have to go right back to the beginning…
CHAPTER 1: BLOOD BEGINNINGS
The Samoan Dynasty can be traced back to one man – Fanene Leifi Pita Maivia, better known to wrestling fans as ‘High Chief’ Peter Maivia.
Taking ‘living the gimmick’ one step further, ‘High Chief’ wasn’t just a wrestling nickname, where you can just say something and pretend it’s true.
Maivia’s tattoos that covered his stomach and legs were a symbol of his actual Samoan High Chief status.
We couldn’t find any official confirmation on that, we even looked up the royal family he was supposedly descended from and couldn’t find any mention of him – but he is frequently referred to as royalty by articles and in interviews.
Anyway – at 20 years old Maivia decided to leave American Samoa to begin a pro wrestling career in New Zealand. And he was pretty successful.
He went on to become a multiple-time champion in various NWA territories and the AWA, where he became close friends with Superstar Billy Graham.
In 1977, Maivia joined the WWWF where he would work main event programs with his friend Billy, and Bob Backlund – who he’d eventually turn heel on in 1978.
But Maivia wasn’t just a pro wrestler. Setting a trend his grandkid would later follow, he was also an actor…
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