WWE, PWI
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…
Click the next page button below for more
Trending
- WWE Cancels Friday, September 4 SmackDown In Cincinnati, OH
- Death Riders Not Looking To Recruit More Young AEW Stars Says Claudio Castagnoli: ‘I Kind Of Still Look At Wheeler Yuta & Daniel Garcia As Our Projects We Bring Up’
- Nattie Told Triple H She Wanted To Be Champion Again When She Signed Last WWE Contract: ‘I Would Love To Start A Fight With Sol Ruca… She Does Have Something I Want Very Much’
- Trey Miguel Re-Signs With TNA Wrestling: ‘This Coming October Will Make Eight Years, Let’s See If We Can Get To 10’
- Nattie Doesn’t Believe Any Current WWE Stars Will Break Her World Records: ‘I’m Not Going To Let Them If I Have My Way’
- Sami Callihan Opens Up On Phone Call Informing Him Of TNA Departure: ‘In My Mind I Think I’m Getting Added To Creative, I Kind Of Went Off’
- John Cena Addresses Current WWE Status: ‘It Would Take An Unfathomable Amount Of Financial Investment To Get Me Back In The Ring’
- Claudio Castagnoli Feels AEW Is On A ‘Huge Upswing’ Right Now: ‘I’m Confident We Can Hold That Momentum And Make It A Permanent Climb’
- ‘This Is Our Weekend, This Is The One’ – Lyra Valkyria Looks Ahead To Herself & Bayley’s WWE Women’s Tag Team Title Match On Raw
- TNA’s Matt Hardy Believes The Hardys & The Righteous Will Deliver Greatest Cinematic Match Of All-Time: ‘This Match Is Going To Be A Gateway That’s Going To Help Us Reinvent Our Characters’