Wrestling as Kokina, he defeated Ron Neal. Kokina was set up to appear with Fatu and Samoan Savage, known as the Samoans (soon after, The Headshrinkers). Rodney Anoai was just 34 years old at the time of his death. Biography - A Short Wiki Sponsored contents planned and edited by JT Media Enterprise Division. Yokozuna married Monica Anoai and the couple gave birth to two children, Justin and Keilani. [29] Yokozuna then had to deal with the "rebirth" of the Undertaker, who immediately came after the foe who had taken him out of action. Yokozuna (left) and Mr. Fuji on the first episode of Monday Night Raw Managed by Mr. Fuji, Yokozuna debuted on the October 31, 1992 edition of Superstars with his then new gimmick of a stereotypical sumo wrestler, who competed under the Japanese flag; though the WWF tactfully acknowledged his Samoan roots. Jim Ross had stated on his podcast (h/t WrestlingInc.com) that this was partly due to Yokozunas weight, but also due to the potential heart issues that it could cause, especially after the passing of Brian Pillman not long before. He also had matching long arms and large hands; a handprint at the Shofukuji temple near Okayama, which is said to be of Raiden's hand, measures 24cm (9.4in) from the wrist to the tip of the middle finger. The original reports that the Yokozuna death was due to heart failure were incorrect. That was also the reason Angle didn't work for ECW and signed with WWE instead. Yokozuna was on his final tour of Europe when he died in Liverpool on October 23, 2000. He was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2012. [2], The next night on Raw, Yokozuna faced then WWF Champion Shawn Michaels for the title, teasing turning heel again. Yokozuna was a heavyweight wrestler; he was known for his size and strength. He actually died from pulmonary edema. So when we searched for the information, we got to know that Yokozuna Cause of Death was Pulmonary edema (The information was sourced from wikipedia). At one stage, both Yokozuna and Vader were reprimanded by WWE, and taken off TV to try and better their physique, though this ended up with them both sneaking off at times to eat fast food. While it appears he may have lost some weight, tragically, it was not enough to save his life. . The Japan Times LTD. All rights reserved. Yokozuna Birth name Agatupu Rodney Anoai Born October 2, 1966, San Francisco, California Died October 23, 2000 (aged 34) Liverpool, England Cause of death Pulmonary edema Professional wrestling stats Known as Yokozuna, Kokina Maximus, Great Kokina, Wild Samoan Kokina Height 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) Weight 589 lb (267 kg) Trained by Afa Anoa'i He has numerous scars on his belly (from testing his strength against the Sea Train, a task inspired by his comrade Franky's death-defying act). [2][46] For a second time, Yokozuna went to his home in Los Angeles to lose weight through exercise and dieting, being replaced by other wrestlers on a late November tour of the United Kingdom. [7] His first major exposure in the United States came in the American Wrestling Association (AWA) as "Kokina Maximus". Your email address will not be published. Your email address will not be published. Jim Ross later commented that Yokozuna knew the release was coming and that it was also due to potential heart issues related to his weight and, following the unexpected death of Brian Pillman seven months previously due to an undiagnosed heart issue, the WWF didn't want to take the liability of letting Yokozuna perform with heart issues. Despite using his big size, Yokozuna lost the match to Michaels. The surviving members of the group Il Divo Urs Buhler , Sebastien Izambard and David Miller announced on Dec. 19 that Marn died at the age of 53. Japan needs more than just new visa options to attract highly skilled workers, Japan to rename sex crime to highlight illegality of nonconsensual intercourse, 28-year-old woman picked to be astronaut by Japans space agency, With child care policy still in the works, Kishida aims to change parenting perceptions, Japan moves toward approving abortion pill in major shift. Rikishi's son, Jey Uso, recalled how well his family would treat Yokozuna whenever he came around. The cause of death was later revealed to be internal bleeding from blunt force trauma. Mr. Yokozuna was able to make it big after joining the WWF. The 35-year-old is one of WWE's biggest stars and is a three-time WWE and two-time Universal Champion. His real name was Agatupu Rodney Anoai, and Yokozuna was his ring name. In 1998, he wrestled for Maryland Championship Wrestling. Yokozuna: Bio. He defeated WWE Hall of Famers Bret Hart and Hulk Hogan, in consecutive pay-per-view victories in the main event of WrestleMania IX and the 1993 King of the Ring, to win his two WWF World Heavyweight Championships, and also headlined WrestleMania X against Hart. Though he wrestled as a representative of Japan, in real life he was a Samoan American and was accordingly billed as hailing from Polynesia. RELATED: The Tragic Death Of WWE Legend Bam Bam Bigelow, Explained. Pro Wrestling Illustrated, PWI 500 first edition, p.44. His success doesnt make the entire situation any less devastating though, as he was lost far too early. The Samoan food that he would fix was a pleasant change from the road menus we were used to receiving, and his hospitality was beyond compare. [1][2] Later in the night, Yokozuna defended the championship again, this time against the former champion Bret "Hitman" Hart, who had lost earlier in the night to his brother Owen Hart. Get the occasional email with the latest wrestling tributes and memorials, Search by ring name, real name, cause of death, organization, time period (2000s, etc) or specific year, WWE Hall of Famer Ravishing Rick Rude was an amazing individual in and out of the ring. Yokozuna is a giant frog with yellow-brown skin and black hair worn in a chonmage. Hart had the match won with Yokozuna about to submit to the Sharpshooter, when Mr. Fuji threw salt into the champion's face. Afa, Sika, Yokozuna, Rousey, Tonga Kid, Umaga, Rikishi, The Usos, are names that WWE fans will . Heres a quick look back on the career of Rodney Anoai, better known as Yokozuna. When Raiden was 17, the Urakaze-beya stablemaster noticed him when he came through the area while on jungy (regional tour) with his wrestlers. It was the only way to move a man of Yokozuna's size. Manage Settings His position as a top star did dwindle over the years, but much of this was down to his health and physique, which unfortunately played a role when looking at his passing. Your email address will not be published. Of the 35 tournaments in which he participated (there were only two basho a year at the time), Raiden had the best record in no fewer than 28. And the vibe was Hakuho was already going to retire after the Olympics in 2020, possibly postponed to 2021 now. Among those is Yokozuna a American professional wrestler. Former yokozuna and 31-time champion Chiyonofuji died Sunday in Tokyo due to pancreatic cancer, a sumo source said. Stay connected on our page for lot more updates. Most of the time internet deceives the audience by passing news about a healthy person as if they are dead. The cause of death was one which was uncertain at first, with many debating about whether it had been a heart attack. However, it was revealed that the cause of death was from pulmonary edema, where the fluid around his body became blocked, leading to fluid building up in his lungs, which was further brought on by his weight. Perfect was the special guest referee for the Luger/Yokozuna bout. His father was a professional wrestler, and almost all the member of his family were involved in wrestling. Commentator Bobby Heenan claimed Luger's move was a hiptoss, not a bodyslam, as Yokozuna was running at Luger, but the slam was ruled legitimate. Between November 1793 and April 1800, Raiden finished with the best record in all tournaments he participated in, ahead of the other great fighters of his time, Tanikaze and Onogawa. In 1994 he lost a casket match to the Undertaker. The character of Kokina appeared in a single (untelevised) match on September 1, 1992, hence the gimmickwas quickly scrapped. Yokozuna was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2012 by Rikishi and The Usos. Carlos Marn. Salem for obvious reasons. 23rd October 2000 saw the death of one of the most famous wrestlers of the WWF era - Yokozuna. He would go on tolosethe title to Bret Hart. [43] He appeared at Free for All just before SummerSlam, facing off against Stone Cold Steve Austin. (CNN) -- Wrestler Edward Fatu, better known as the hulking, tattooed WWE superstar "Umaga," died Friday of a heart attack in a Houston, Texas, hospital, a family friend said. Kitanoumi was promoted to yokozuna at age 21, becoming the youngest ever t o achieve sumo's top rank, and he remained a yokozuna for a record 63 tournaments. [2] Although Yokozunas death may have been foreshadowed by his massive stature, he still remains one of the most recognized wrestlers of theearly 90s. The cause of death was one which was uncertain at first, with many debating about whether it had been a heart attack. On November 29, 2001, World Xtreme Wrestling held the Yokozuna Memorial Show in Allentown, Pennsylvania in order to celebrate the former WWF World Heavyweight Champion. His ring name for the appearance was Kokina. Required fields are marked *. GLOW: The Story of The Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling . Yokozuna was initially reported to have died from heart failure, before the actual cause of death was revealed. How did he die? Anoai took on the name of the "Great Kokina" while wrestling overseas in Japan. But Exmouth is such an old building that we have had to make extra efforts to ensure it is all right. [39], Yokozuna returned at In Your House 8: Beware of Dog to wrestle Vader. photo: wwe.com. Vince McMahon has always been a fan of big wrestlers and very few wrestlers in history were bigger than two-time WWE champion Yokozuna. Sure, there were ups and downs to his time in WWE, with his position on the card dropping as time went on, but he was presented as the number one heel in the company in the main event of two consecutive WrestleManias, and he is a member of the lucrative list of performers who have been crowned as the WWE Champion, holding the belt twice by beating Bret Hart and Hulk Hogan. Some people will also be remembered after their death; in that list, Yokozuna is also the one we remember till our lifetime. [2][26] Afterwards on television, Cornette would blame the fall on a concussion suffered from Luger's forearm plate. Sorry, but your browser needs Javascript to use this site. On March 31, 2012, Yokozuna was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by his cousins, The Usos and Rikishi.[54]. However, he was managed by the Japanese character Mr. Fuji (in reality a Japanese American) who would follow Anoai to the ring with a wooden bucket of salt while waving a Japanese flag.[1]. The wrestling world is mourning the loss of Rodney Anoai, better known as two-time WWF world champion Yokozuna, who was found dead in a Liverpool, England, hotel last Monday. The Tragic Death of WWE Legend The Ultimate Warrior. Yokozuna continued to wrestle briefly before taking some time off to increase his already huge weight advantage.[2][30]. They were both eliminated by double-count-out. As Yokozuna thought that there would be no one left to challenge him, Lex Luger flew in by helicopter, stepped forward, and slammed him on the deck. Share in the comments section below. [17] At King of the Ring, Yokozuna, whose weight had already increased from 505lb (229kg) to 550lb (250kg), challenged Hogan for the title. Duggan, upon seeing Yokozuna, immediately charged at him and knocked him off his feet again; late in the match, after Bam Bam Bigelow distracted Duggan, Michaels attacked the challenger from behind and threw him out of the ring to where Yokozuna was standing. 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