By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Longtime pro wrestler Sivi Afi (Papali’itele Max Amata Taogaga) has died at age 77, according to Book Pro Wrestlers Twitter Page. The specific date and cause of death have not been revealed.
Powell’s POV: Afi was trained by Steve Rickard and Peter Maivia back in 1974. He worked in New Zealand to start and went on to wrestle around the world. Most of my exposure to him was during his run with the WWF, where he was billed as Jimmy Snuka’s cousin starting in 1986. The idea was to use Afi as a replacement for Snuka, who left the company in 1985 (and returned in 1989). Afi didn’t connect with the fans like Snuka did, and he finished with the company in 1988. Afi became a bodyguard for actor Burt Reynolds and did stunt work on the show B.L. Stryker, which ran for two seasons on ABC. He returned to the ring shortly thereafter and wrestled until his retirement in 1997. In that same year, he was convicted of one count of aggravated burglary, two counts of aggravated robbery, and seven counts of kidnapping, and sentenced to 15 to 40 years in prison for being the getaway driver for a robbery. He was released from prison in 2007 and deported to his native Samoa. My condolences to his family and friends.
We are saddened to learn that Siva Afi has passed away, as confirmed by his family.
From his memorable WWF run to his work as Burt Reynolds’ bodyguard and stuntman, Siva lived a remarkable life. More importantly, he earned the respect of those who shared a locker room with… pic.twitter.com/UavbcdoVIY
— Book Pro Wrestlers (@BookProWrestler) July 16, 2026
(Jason Powell, founder and editor of ProWrestling.net, has covered pro wrestling full-time dating back to 1997. He hosts a weekly podcast, Pro Wrestling Boom, and also appears regularly on the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast. Reach him via email at dotnetjason@gmail.com and on social media via @prowrestlingnet.bsky.social or x.com/prowrestlingnet. For his full bio and information on this website, click here.)
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