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Lloyd Anoa’i, also known as LA Smooth, has been in the wrestling business for a long time now. The pro-wrestler has years of experience under his belt and at one point was one of the biggest stars in WWE’s roster. Recently, Lloyd shared his thoughts about making a return to WWE and the future plans for his wrestling journey.
In recent interview with Steve Fall, Lloyd opened up about various aspects of his wrestling journey and his future aspirations. As the son of the legendary Afa the Wild Samoan, Anoa’i shared his pride in seeing his family’s legacy showcased through storylines like The Bloodline in WWE.
“It’s wonderful…we’ve made such an impact on the wrestling industry from years ago with my dad and my uncle. From High Chief Peter Maivia, my other uncle and our generation, when we were there. It’s a blessing to see how our Bloodline is going. It hasn’t stopped yet. I don’t know how far it’s gonna go. I know the Anoa’i dynasty and the Fatu dynasty will be in the wrestling industry for many years to come.”
“Rikisi, he has both his kids in the business. Myself from my dad, there’s three of us. My brother Samu, Afa Jr. and myself. I got my brother, Samu’s son, Lance Anoa’i. That’s all third generation. Jacob Fatu, you got Journey Fatu, you got Zilla Fatu. There’s so many of us. We’re taking over the industry.”
Moving on in the discussion, Lloyd talked about his early days in WWE. He recalled plans for him, Rikishi, and his cousin Matt (Rosy) to debut as the New Age Samoans in 1997. However, these plans were ultimately derailed, leading to his eventual stint with ECW as part of the Samoan Gansta Party alongside Matty and his brother.
“We signed in 97. They put me, Kish (Rikishi) and my cousin Matt, which is Rosy. We were gonna go in as New Age Samoans. They had us on the road. We stayed home for a while. They had us stay home and get in shape and all that stuff. They had us on the road..we were just doing house shows and they were gonna debut us. As everybody knows in WWE, if they got something else planned, they’ll pull something back…we were on the road and we debuted in Boston one time. After that they kept us on the road and after that we were done. I was actually supposed to be in Three Minute Warning but at that time I wasn’t able to be there. Umaga at that time was there and they were in Pensacola and they went out there and tore the house down and became Three Minute Warning. I was happy that he was there and became what they were.”
On his ECW run:”It was me, Matty, and my brother. We were Samoan Gansta Party. We had great matches with the Ganstas, D’Von and Bubba. There were so many good times there as well.”
During the interview, he revealed that he is trying to make a big return to WWE as a Producer, highlighting his recent involvement in producing the SummerSlam video package featuring his family. He also explained why the Tribal Court segment that was planned last year was shelved.
“I was supposed to be there. They had us all coming in and one of us got sick. They wanted everybody there. They couldn’t get everybody there. They changed the plans and all that. I’m trying to go back as a producer with them. I actually did the package for SummerSlam with my family. That was a great opportunity. We’ll see what happens. Hopefully, somewhere down the line I can go back and be a producer and retire with that. I’m still wrestling but going on 37 years, I put in a lot of time.”
On what he did behind the scenes for the SummerSlam video package, he says, “They had the vision and I went and helped with my uncle. We went down to Pensacola, Florida. We went over there and did his thing about our Ula (red necklace). Who better to explain it than my dad and my uncle? I helped them with that, went there and did a thing with my dad and on the way there, we did something with Bianca Belair too. It was fun, it was interesting. It was something that was a little more experience for me to see that and help with it. I was honored.”
In the interview, Lloyd also discussed the match-up between Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns. He said that he doesn’t mean any disrespect to the Rhodes family but Cody’s story is “far from over.”
From his beginnings in WWE to his time in ECW, Lloyd’s dedication to the sport shines through. Now, as he considers a return to WWE as a Producer, his excitement is palpable. Through his insights on past events and his recent work on the SummerSlam video package, Lloyd’s commitment to wrestling’s legacy is clear. With over three decades in the industry, he continues to inspire and shape its future.
What’s your take on Lloyd’s comments? Do you think he’ll do a great job as a producer? Let us know in the comments!
February 22, 2024 12:38 pm
