1 00:00:04,979 --> 00:00:08,980 My father's name is very important, especially to me. 2 00:00:10,120 --> 00:00:13,200 I named my son after him. 3 00:00:14,260 --> 00:00:18,780 This is Rodney, named after his grandfather, Rodney Onowai. 4 00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:22,120 Yokozuna. 5 00:00:23,640 --> 00:00:24,640 Oh, 6 00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:26,759 look at that! 7 00:00:26,760 --> 00:00:28,020 Get ready for his defeat. 8 00:00:28,360 --> 00:00:30,480 You didn't have to groom him. He was already ready. 9 00:00:30,900 --> 00:00:32,560 Unbelievable! Wow! 10 00:00:34,820 --> 00:00:37,260 They don't come along every day like he'll come. 11 00:00:39,500 --> 00:00:41,940 Definitely one of the greatest big men ever. 12 00:00:43,900 --> 00:00:45,740 But he had that demon. 13 00:00:48,560 --> 00:00:49,720 It's hard to talk about. 14 00:00:54,680 --> 00:01:01,420 He was larger 15 00:01:01,420 --> 00:01:02,600 than life. 16 00:01:03,260 --> 00:01:05,440 But that is what ultimately took him out. 17 00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:07,780 Yokozuna looks like he's gotten even bigger. 18 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:09,720 He would never tell you that he's hurting. 19 00:01:10,100 --> 00:01:12,840 He would do everything with a smile and continue on. 20 00:01:13,660 --> 00:01:17,480 Stand up guy, give you the shirt off his back. 21 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:23,300 He took his platform and he helped people that he loved. He helped people 22 00:01:23,300 --> 00:01:24,300 were in need. 23 00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:28,140 That's the teachings of our culture of the Samoan dynasty. 24 00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:31,360 This was the Yokozuna that people didn't know. 25 00:01:32,310 --> 00:01:33,310 Rodney and the White. 26 00:01:53,050 --> 00:01:58,470 Where Rod grew up in L .A., it was a rough neighborhood, man. It was a rough 27 00:01:58,470 --> 00:01:59,470 neighborhood. 28 00:01:59,530 --> 00:02:03,590 There's a lot of gangbangers back in the day, the Bloods, the Crips, blah, blah, 29 00:02:03,610 --> 00:02:04,610 blah. 30 00:02:04,910 --> 00:02:10,330 But for him, you know, he comes from a father that was in the service in the 31 00:02:10,330 --> 00:02:11,329 Marines. 32 00:02:11,330 --> 00:02:13,970 And his father, he didn't play, man. 33 00:02:14,970 --> 00:02:19,170 If Rod stepped out what he wasn't supposed to be doing, you can rest 34 00:02:19,170 --> 00:02:20,710 he'd get his ass whipped by his dad. 35 00:02:21,650 --> 00:02:23,530 But in a good way, a soundboard way. 36 00:02:26,890 --> 00:02:28,130 He's always been a good kid. 37 00:02:29,020 --> 00:02:33,300 But my parents didn't know that, you know, he was skipping classes. 38 00:02:34,380 --> 00:02:39,300 You know, probably to some people, him skipping class wasn't, you know, a huge 39 00:02:39,300 --> 00:02:43,520 thing. You know, everybody does it. Everybody's kids does it. But to my 40 00:02:43,620 --> 00:02:44,620 it was a lot. 41 00:02:45,340 --> 00:02:48,980 You know, it got all the way to the month of graduation when they found out 42 00:02:48,980 --> 00:02:50,240 wasn't going to graduate from high school. 43 00:02:51,100 --> 00:02:55,180 He wasn't like one of those troubled kids, but my dad didn't want him sitting 44 00:02:55,180 --> 00:02:57,020 around not doing anything with his life either. 45 00:02:58,290 --> 00:03:00,910 So, you know, that's how he ended up with my uncle. 46 00:03:01,750 --> 00:03:06,410 Here comes the Wild Samoans heading out into this filled Madison Square Garden. 47 00:03:07,210 --> 00:03:11,250 Capacity's proud on their feet, giving a welcome to the Wild Samoans. 48 00:03:11,970 --> 00:03:17,970 Often, Sika the Wild Samoans were a legendary tag team in the 1970s and 49 00:03:17,970 --> 00:03:23,890 1980s. We just want to make money. We just want to beat people up and go home 50 00:03:23,890 --> 00:03:25,270 and be happy with my children. 51 00:03:25,870 --> 00:03:30,290 They also created the Wild Samoan Wrestling Academy with branches in 52 00:03:30,290 --> 00:03:31,690 Pennsylvania and Florida. 53 00:03:32,170 --> 00:03:36,930 And that's where a young Rodney and some of his cousins received their early 54 00:03:36,930 --> 00:03:38,190 training and seasoning. 55 00:03:39,390 --> 00:03:41,050 We're training in my backyard. 56 00:03:42,310 --> 00:03:46,590 And I told these kids, you got to work your butt off. 57 00:03:48,270 --> 00:03:51,970 This is how the game is, you know, you got to lay a man. 58 00:03:55,440 --> 00:04:00,420 During the time when we're all training, we all became very, very close. 59 00:04:01,480 --> 00:04:04,560 Uncle Alva and Sika no longer became Uncle Alva and Sika. 60 00:04:04,940 --> 00:04:07,080 They were like father figures to us. 61 00:04:07,680 --> 00:04:12,680 My parents would talk with my uncles a lot, you know, to see how Rob was doing 62 00:04:12,680 --> 00:04:14,320 and making sure he doesn't get out of line. 63 00:04:14,860 --> 00:04:17,560 And if he didn't like it, then he can always come back home. 64 00:04:18,519 --> 00:04:21,640 But he loved professional wrestling. 65 00:04:22,270 --> 00:04:25,370 You know, I would think he's tired because he's the bigger one from up. 66 00:04:25,610 --> 00:04:26,610 He never quit. 67 00:04:27,270 --> 00:04:30,730 He wanted to keep going and keep going. And he wanted to be the best at it. 68 00:04:31,750 --> 00:04:37,790 Now, I'd like to go to the ring for this next match featuring the brother team 69 00:04:37,790 --> 00:04:43,510 of Kendall and Barry Windham against the great Coquina and Jimmy Beckham. 70 00:04:45,110 --> 00:04:49,310 He started to independent circles as Coquina Maximus. 71 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:54,740 Impressive, impressive wrestler. This guy goes about 375 pounds. 72 00:04:55,880 --> 00:04:59,800 And for as big as Rod was, he was a natural. 73 00:05:00,420 --> 00:05:04,640 And he's nasty, and he's mean, and he's everything that the Windhams don't want 74 00:05:04,640 --> 00:05:06,680 to see on a Saturday night. 75 00:05:07,540 --> 00:05:14,480 And I think, you know, as he kept going, you tend to see the birth 76 00:05:14,480 --> 00:05:17,960 of this big kid, you know, moving around lightning speed like that. 77 00:05:20,010 --> 00:05:26,790 I knew that he's very smart, he's very athletic, and with the 78 00:05:26,790 --> 00:05:32,210 proper discipline, we know that he could do it. 79 00:05:37,370 --> 00:05:44,370 I was very proud of him. I was proud 80 00:05:44,370 --> 00:05:46,250 that, you know, my brother wanted to do this. 81 00:05:47,010 --> 00:05:48,010 Coquina, welcome! 82 00:05:50,190 --> 00:05:54,510 He was accomplishing something with his life, and, you know, we were all proud 83 00:05:54,510 --> 00:05:55,510 of him. 84 00:05:58,210 --> 00:05:59,830 It's now 1987. 85 00:06:00,630 --> 00:06:02,390 Rodney, 21 years old. 86 00:06:03,190 --> 00:06:08,950 Him and his girlfriend have a daughter, Kaylani, and they have a son, Justin. 87 00:06:10,830 --> 00:06:13,030 As a father, he was one of the best. 88 00:06:14,410 --> 00:06:16,350 But the pressure was on. 89 00:06:17,750 --> 00:06:19,550 He's already got two children. 90 00:06:20,090 --> 00:06:21,090 A lot of pressure. 91 00:06:21,370 --> 00:06:25,930 And frankly, if he's not able to make it in the family business, what's he going 92 00:06:25,930 --> 00:06:26,930 to do? 93 00:06:27,370 --> 00:06:32,790 And so the Wild Samoans, you know, being family, they went to WWE and said, I 94 00:06:32,790 --> 00:06:39,430 got this big guy, really big guy. And at the time, we liked really big guys. 95 00:06:40,750 --> 00:06:46,370 Vince McMahon has a natural predisposition to big men. 96 00:06:52,570 --> 00:06:55,670 Wanting someone who looks like an attraction. 97 00:06:57,430 --> 00:07:03,770 So I had taken a trip and saw Coquina and thought, wow, 98 00:07:04,030 --> 00:07:06,710 this guy has it. 99 00:07:08,690 --> 00:07:14,770 He moved like a 200 pounder. He's so fast. I don't mean fast for a big man. 100 00:07:14,770 --> 00:07:15,770 is just fast. 101 00:07:16,650 --> 00:07:17,650 Amazing. 102 00:07:18,410 --> 00:07:24,250 We asked Rodney to come in and do a tryout, and how could you not be 103 00:07:25,470 --> 00:07:29,530 Welcome to an exciting evening with the superstar! 104 00:07:31,970 --> 00:07:36,850 When the WWE calls, you're not only going to take it, you're ecstatic. 105 00:07:36,850 --> 00:07:38,470 got an opportunity of a lifetime. 106 00:07:38,850 --> 00:07:40,050 So here's Rodney. 107 00:07:40,510 --> 00:07:42,750 He doesn't even have a high school diploma. 108 00:07:43,370 --> 00:07:44,630 He's got two kids. 109 00:07:45,450 --> 00:07:52,210 He's got to make this wrestling thing work. At 400 pounds, Coquina! 110 00:07:54,410 --> 00:08:00,610 Initially, he was Coquina the Wild Samoan, the giant Coquina. He was 111 00:08:00,610 --> 00:08:01,610 Maximus. 112 00:08:02,930 --> 00:08:04,730 Unfortunately, that wasn't working. 113 00:08:05,250 --> 00:08:06,810 How much does this man weigh? 114 00:08:07,710 --> 00:08:09,090 Does he speak English? 115 00:08:14,120 --> 00:08:16,620 So we knew that we wanted to do something with him. 116 00:08:17,480 --> 00:08:23,140 And Vince comes to me and he says, see that kid over there, Rodney? 117 00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:25,960 I said, yeah, what a talent. 118 00:08:26,420 --> 00:08:29,700 He said, yeah, I know. But I got seven Samoans now. 119 00:08:30,220 --> 00:08:32,100 What am I going to do with him? 120 00:08:32,600 --> 00:08:34,900 So my wheels started spinning. 121 00:08:37,380 --> 00:08:38,520 Two more wrestlers. 122 00:08:41,140 --> 00:08:42,140 Vince is like. 123 00:08:42,490 --> 00:08:43,650 Send the kids to my office. 124 00:08:44,110 --> 00:08:45,830 That's how exciting it was for me. 125 00:08:47,270 --> 00:08:51,510 He said, put his hair in a bun, you know, like one of those sumo wrestlers. 126 00:08:51,510 --> 00:08:57,830 name Yokozuna came from the number one sumo wrestler was the Yokozuna. 127 00:08:58,210 --> 00:09:01,670 So we had the greatest of all, the Yokozuna. 128 00:09:01,990 --> 00:09:03,450 Get ready for deceit. 129 00:09:04,550 --> 00:09:05,550 We're back. 130 00:09:12,240 --> 00:09:16,800 Sushi weighing 505 pounds. 131 00:09:18,680 --> 00:09:20,200 Yuko Sushi. 132 00:09:22,980 --> 00:09:29,420 Where America was with its understanding of Japanese culture, sushi was 133 00:09:29,420 --> 00:09:34,140 literally just becoming a popular cuisine in the late 80s and early 90s. 134 00:09:34,140 --> 00:09:38,580 really didn't have a lot of experience, I think, with Japanese culture in this 135 00:09:38,580 --> 00:09:39,660 country at that time. 136 00:09:41,800 --> 00:09:43,960 Yokozuna jumped off the pain. 137 00:09:44,760 --> 00:09:48,140 Indeed, the pride of the rising sun for sure. 138 00:09:48,700 --> 00:09:54,740 And when Yoko took off the robe, the first time that he appeared in the 139 00:09:54,900 --> 00:09:58,740 Look at the size of this very, very, very impressive. 140 00:09:59,520 --> 00:10:03,060 It was an oh my God gasp. 141 00:10:04,320 --> 00:10:06,820 505 pounds. 142 00:10:07,640 --> 00:10:09,120 That's your holy moment. 143 00:10:11,050 --> 00:10:12,050 Kind of the aha. 144 00:10:13,730 --> 00:10:14,730 We've got it. 145 00:10:21,890 --> 00:10:26,450 When he first came in, he was truly amazing. 146 00:10:28,230 --> 00:10:29,630 I'd never seen anything like it. 147 00:10:30,610 --> 00:10:36,910 The way that guy can move, he was incredible. He was a big man, 148 00:10:37,070 --> 00:10:39,470 but he was an awesome big man. 149 00:10:40,490 --> 00:10:43,990 It is an understatement to say he has made quite an impression. 150 00:10:45,070 --> 00:10:46,070 Yokozuna. 151 00:10:46,970 --> 00:10:50,270 Watching him perform in the ring, I'm like, holy sh... Wow. 152 00:10:50,830 --> 00:10:54,330 He walked out, it was like a stegosaurus walking out to the ring. It's like, 153 00:10:54,390 --> 00:10:56,110 holy sh... Look at this guy, Al. 154 00:10:58,330 --> 00:11:00,590 As a fan, I was just like, wow. 155 00:11:00,910 --> 00:11:02,670 I love seeing the big guy. 156 00:11:04,010 --> 00:11:05,410 He represented me. 157 00:11:09,800 --> 00:11:13,360 He came along when the WWE desperately needed a monster heel. 158 00:11:14,720 --> 00:11:21,620 Like a big, giant heel like King Kong Bundy or 159 00:11:21,620 --> 00:11:23,420 Abdul the Butcher. 160 00:11:38,520 --> 00:11:42,940 Most fans recognize that not too many guys are going to mess with a guy like 161 00:11:42,940 --> 00:11:43,940 Yokozuna. 162 00:11:44,220 --> 00:11:46,000 That's what you could see coming out of him. 163 00:11:47,600 --> 00:11:49,120 That was the aura of him. 164 00:11:50,940 --> 00:11:54,920 Kind of like Andre the Giant in a way, Yokozuna became an attraction 165 00:11:54,920 --> 00:11:55,920 immediately. 166 00:11:56,300 --> 00:11:59,980 Just waiting to see the big guys like Yokozuna coming out to wrestle. 167 00:12:00,400 --> 00:12:01,500 Maybe cause a earthquake. 168 00:12:02,200 --> 00:12:04,520 And the arena just... 169 00:12:05,020 --> 00:12:08,820 reacted to every single thing Yoko did. 170 00:12:11,720 --> 00:12:16,460 Vince knew what he had. He had a rare killer heel. 171 00:12:19,220 --> 00:12:26,200 But Yokozuna backstage was 172 00:12:26,200 --> 00:12:29,920 totally different than what the fans saw on TV. 173 00:12:34,600 --> 00:12:36,320 He seemed like he was always in a good mood. 174 00:12:36,980 --> 00:12:41,720 You know, what I remember most was how much fun he was in the dressing room. 175 00:12:41,980 --> 00:12:44,580 He'd have the music going, he'd be singing in the shower. 176 00:12:45,700 --> 00:12:50,540 Watching Yokozuna eat was a sight in and of itself. 177 00:12:53,620 --> 00:13:00,580 We did a video one time with Yokozuna 178 00:13:00,580 --> 00:13:02,640 at a steakhouse. 179 00:13:03,510 --> 00:13:08,110 With the chef cooking up steak and lobster and shrimp and everything for 180 00:13:08,110 --> 00:13:10,750 noticed you cut up two steaks for Yoko. 181 00:13:11,270 --> 00:13:13,530 And boats of sushi. 182 00:13:13,890 --> 00:13:14,890 Oh, look at this. 183 00:13:15,050 --> 00:13:15,869 Oh, 184 00:13:15,870 --> 00:13:17,190 you've got to be kidding me. 185 00:13:17,790 --> 00:13:21,790 We cooked enough food, no kidding, for probably 20 people. 186 00:13:22,950 --> 00:13:24,450 And Yoko. 187 00:13:24,870 --> 00:13:26,330 Oh, my word. 188 00:13:27,170 --> 00:13:28,270 He ate the whole thing. 189 00:13:29,040 --> 00:13:32,160 Where's all the sushi you guys ate, man? Hey, you ate all the sushi. You ate 190 00:13:32,160 --> 00:13:34,600 them all. You guys ate all the damn sushi. We took it back. 191 00:13:37,460 --> 00:13:42,340 In the case of Yokozuna, I'm sure it became that much easier for him to eat 192 00:13:42,340 --> 00:13:48,000 freely because there's always a pressure for pro wrestlers to look the part. 193 00:13:48,240 --> 00:13:51,680 His look was incumbent on him being huge. 194 00:13:51,940 --> 00:13:55,080 So you wonder whether or not it was semi -intentional. 195 00:13:55,480 --> 00:13:58,340 And whether he thought, oh, let me just keep building to my size. 196 00:13:59,460 --> 00:14:04,940 Or if at some point, it just becomes an unfortunate part of your lifestyle. 197 00:14:06,120 --> 00:14:09,240 But at that time, it was working. 198 00:14:24,540 --> 00:14:25,960 They were giving him the big push. 199 00:14:28,440 --> 00:14:32,280 Then liked the reaction he was getting. That's what everything was based on. So 200 00:14:32,280 --> 00:14:35,260 obviously he was strong. That's how they moved you along the card. 201 00:14:41,800 --> 00:14:42,240 To 202 00:14:42,240 --> 00:14:50,420 get 203 00:14:50,420 --> 00:14:53,560 a push like that that early was... 204 00:14:54,030 --> 00:14:55,630 A phenomenal opportunity for him. 205 00:14:56,250 --> 00:15:02,150 Our whole family was like, we could see it become reality. 206 00:15:05,170 --> 00:15:09,410 Yokozuna from introduction to get to that point. 207 00:15:10,590 --> 00:15:14,770 I think it was kind of a hell of a fairytale ride for Yoko. 208 00:15:16,490 --> 00:15:19,670 And Yoko kind of went through it even keel. 209 00:15:20,690 --> 00:15:25,550 but there was a bit of that kid from Kansas in New York City, a little bit 210 00:15:25,550 --> 00:15:30,490 awestruck and looking around going, wow, I'm here. I don't think that he saw 211 00:15:30,490 --> 00:15:32,510 himself doing that. 212 00:15:32,790 --> 00:15:34,510 The Daily News wants to wrestle you. 213 00:15:37,850 --> 00:15:41,750 So much happening here, and of course, the big one we're looking forward to 214 00:15:41,750 --> 00:15:46,410 features the World Wrestling Federation champion, Bret the Hitman Hart. 215 00:15:46,780 --> 00:15:51,940 Squaring off against the 505 -pound challenger from Japan, Yokozuna. 216 00:15:52,340 --> 00:15:56,160 You're going in there and you're a main eventer. Nothing prepares you for that. 217 00:15:56,340 --> 00:15:57,660 That's a lot of pressure. 218 00:15:58,620 --> 00:16:04,560 As far as Yoko went, him being the main event kind of guy, most wrestlers, I 219 00:16:04,560 --> 00:16:05,560 think, thought he was ready. 220 00:16:06,960 --> 00:16:11,100 But in WrestleMania, he was a real pro in the ring. 221 00:16:17,770 --> 00:16:20,970 The place was already electric, you know, it was like we dropped a bomb in 222 00:16:20,970 --> 00:16:21,970 ring. 223 00:16:22,710 --> 00:16:28,330 To be on that card with the legend Hulk Hogan, I don't think that Vince would 224 00:16:28,330 --> 00:16:34,030 have given that opportunity to Rod or anybody if Vince didn't trust the 225 00:16:36,330 --> 00:16:40,730 And knew that he can handle the pressure. 226 00:16:47,560 --> 00:16:51,700 Then all of a sudden, your boy and Hulk was traveling all over the world 227 00:16:51,700 --> 00:16:52,700 together. 228 00:16:53,920 --> 00:16:57,060 And that set up the championship match at King of the Ring. 229 00:17:01,100 --> 00:17:02,100 It was another. 230 00:17:16,720 --> 00:17:18,700 Moment that touches my heart. 231 00:17:20,339 --> 00:17:26,020 How proud I am to see one of our kids was blessed for this opportunity. 232 00:17:27,680 --> 00:17:32,520 And it brings me back to what we have always drilled in them about 233 00:17:32,620 --> 00:17:34,500 You know, nothing's going to hand it to you. 234 00:17:34,840 --> 00:17:37,680 Yokozuna, obviously to me, is a grand champion. 235 00:17:38,920 --> 00:17:44,100 I know when he became champion, he broke down. 236 00:17:46,030 --> 00:17:47,290 He was just happy. 237 00:17:48,990 --> 00:17:51,250 You know, he made it. 238 00:17:54,530 --> 00:17:59,950 You know 239 00:17:59,950 --> 00:18:04,310 who that is, baby? 240 00:18:05,150 --> 00:18:06,150 Who is that? 241 00:18:06,230 --> 00:18:07,230 Who's that? 242 00:18:07,290 --> 00:18:13,710 He gave me a birthday. 243 00:18:15,370 --> 00:18:17,750 As a kid, you know, just breaking things or whatever. 244 00:18:17,950 --> 00:18:24,890 So when I watched his matches and he would do the bonsai, he would yell 245 00:18:24,890 --> 00:18:25,669 my name. 246 00:18:25,670 --> 00:18:27,710 He would just yell, Busty! 247 00:18:32,010 --> 00:18:37,430 I did hear that. 248 00:18:39,810 --> 00:18:43,730 It's so shocking, too, just that he shouted my name out like that. 249 00:18:44,520 --> 00:18:47,920 Yeah, he just won the biggest of them all. It's just, yeah. 250 00:18:51,480 --> 00:18:56,620 Yokozuna has defeated Hulk Hogan to win the WWF Championship. 251 00:18:58,600 --> 00:19:02,240 To work with him, you know, it was just a pleasure. 252 00:19:03,240 --> 00:19:08,400 And hopefully it gave him a platform to get to the next level. 253 00:19:09,420 --> 00:19:12,920 But he was already ready, you know, for the spot. 254 00:19:15,020 --> 00:19:19,700 I mean, that was it. For him to beat Hogan that way, when you beat the Golden 255 00:19:19,700 --> 00:19:24,340 Goose, right, and you beat him in that fashion, that means you've arrived. 256 00:19:28,880 --> 00:19:33,540 All right, here he is, Yokozuna, and his advisor, Jim Poinette. 257 00:19:34,080 --> 00:19:35,600 That set him on his way, man. 258 00:19:37,380 --> 00:19:40,360 From there on, he became the big star that he was. 259 00:19:45,740 --> 00:19:46,840 He wasn't overwhelming. 260 00:19:47,060 --> 00:19:54,000 He wasn't, like, full of himself, as a lot of the good ones are. He was just 261 00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:55,000 one of the boys. 262 00:19:55,620 --> 00:20:02,340 This big, mega, mega, mega superstar in the industry never let the 263 00:20:02,340 --> 00:20:03,480 industry change him. 264 00:20:04,600 --> 00:20:09,500 He took his platform, and he shared, and he helped people that he loved. 265 00:20:09,700 --> 00:20:11,640 He helped people that were in need. 266 00:20:12,160 --> 00:20:14,940 Every time, when I say, I'm talking about our whole clan. 267 00:20:17,160 --> 00:20:20,820 Everything changed for everybody because of Yoko. 268 00:20:21,660 --> 00:20:22,720 Because of Yoko. 269 00:20:27,220 --> 00:20:31,660 When he was making the money, he just wanted to make sure everybody was always 270 00:20:31,660 --> 00:20:32,660 taken care of. 271 00:20:32,700 --> 00:20:35,980 He would always pay for everything out of love. 272 00:20:40,040 --> 00:20:44,860 Back in the day when I was a head shrinker, Yoko was making a lot of 273 00:20:46,430 --> 00:20:49,110 and we were kind of doing so -so, you know. 274 00:20:49,410 --> 00:20:54,470 I just moved into this home, pretty much dumped everything that I have into this 275 00:20:54,470 --> 00:20:56,790 home, and I needed heat in my home. 276 00:20:57,770 --> 00:21:00,730 I had no money and rot. 277 00:21:02,890 --> 00:21:09,890 He gave me a blank check, and he signed it, and I came home and put a 278 00:21:09,890 --> 00:21:10,890 new system in the home. 279 00:21:12,030 --> 00:21:14,810 My family and my kids, we had heat. 280 00:21:15,340 --> 00:21:21,640 And I was... And he was around during the hard times and 281 00:21:21,640 --> 00:21:23,100 bad times. 282 00:21:26,180 --> 00:21:28,280 And Iraq is going to always be there for me. 283 00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:31,160 And I will ever love him for that. 284 00:21:32,140 --> 00:21:33,140 Sorry. 285 00:21:35,600 --> 00:21:36,600 That's culture. 286 00:21:37,660 --> 00:21:41,800 You know, that's just the way the island people are. I think that's the way we 287 00:21:41,800 --> 00:21:42,800 were raised. 288 00:21:43,400 --> 00:21:44,400 Once you... 289 00:21:44,760 --> 00:21:50,260 are taught these values of Samoan culture, you know, you carry it with you 290 00:21:50,260 --> 00:21:51,540 through the rest of your life. 291 00:21:52,160 --> 00:21:55,940 And you pass it on to your kids and your family as well. 292 00:22:00,080 --> 00:22:01,600 He was a really good dad. 293 00:22:02,180 --> 00:22:05,360 All he ever wanted to do was just make sure his kids were okay. 294 00:22:06,560 --> 00:22:07,560 He was awesome. 295 00:22:08,240 --> 00:22:09,900 He really was my best friend. 296 00:22:11,760 --> 00:22:13,500 When he couldn't drop us off at school, 297 00:22:14,510 --> 00:22:15,530 He was in the limo. 298 00:22:17,210 --> 00:22:19,070 All the kids were like, oh, who's this, who's this? 299 00:22:19,690 --> 00:22:23,170 It was a little too much, but then it was like, man, you know, that's how Pops 300 00:22:23,170 --> 00:22:24,170 was. 301 00:22:24,950 --> 00:22:27,930 When Rodney come home, he was that rocky. 302 00:22:29,550 --> 00:22:33,510 But when it came time to be Yokozuna, that's where you see this face come. 303 00:22:41,710 --> 00:22:45,810 Well, you want to talk about champions? Let's talk about the 568 -pound, maybe 304 00:22:45,810 --> 00:22:49,890 600 -pound, by the time the bell rings, Yokozuna. You know, when I think of 305 00:22:49,890 --> 00:22:54,470 Yokozuna as being the WWE champion at the time, he was very believable. As a 306 00:22:54,470 --> 00:22:58,270 matter of fact, he was so believable, if you think, who's going to beat somebody 307 00:22:58,270 --> 00:22:59,270 like Yokozuna? 308 00:22:59,470 --> 00:23:00,470 Here we go! 309 00:23:01,310 --> 00:23:08,030 Can you believe it? In the modern WWE era, Yokozuna is the 310 00:23:08,030 --> 00:23:10,850 only heel in that period of time that was dominant. 311 00:23:11,950 --> 00:23:16,790 Then, the fact that he was the main event in WrestleMania two years in a row 312 00:23:16,790 --> 00:23:17,790 phenomenal. 313 00:23:41,690 --> 00:23:48,490 many more other WrestleManias, but the question was, could he 314 00:23:48,490 --> 00:23:49,490 keep up? 315 00:23:51,870 --> 00:23:56,210 Let me ask you, how much is Yokozuna weighing right now? 316 00:23:58,830 --> 00:24:00,990 569 and a half pounds. 317 00:24:04,250 --> 00:24:09,490 There was a point where you just started to notice that Yokozuna was getting 318 00:24:09,490 --> 00:24:10,490 bigger. 319 00:24:19,340 --> 00:24:24,820 Then you started to see he's a step behind in the ring. He's a little bit 320 00:24:24,820 --> 00:24:25,820 slower. 321 00:24:28,800 --> 00:24:35,800 And then you start watching and going, hmm, 322 00:24:36,340 --> 00:24:38,000 he's not... 323 00:24:39,770 --> 00:24:40,770 Doing well. 324 00:24:41,430 --> 00:24:42,490 Yoko liked food. 325 00:24:43,110 --> 00:24:46,870 And the weight issue, it was obvious. 326 00:24:47,570 --> 00:24:49,490 What do you like the best about wrestling? 327 00:24:50,110 --> 00:24:53,210 The business itself, in and out of the ring, in front of the crowd. 328 00:24:53,930 --> 00:24:56,430 What's the worst part about wrestling? What do you, like, hate? 329 00:24:57,170 --> 00:24:58,170 To traveling. 330 00:25:00,450 --> 00:25:04,950 As his size increased, it became increasingly difficult to travel. 331 00:25:07,760 --> 00:25:11,220 We had first business class seats, first class seats, but he was so big that he 332 00:25:11,220 --> 00:25:14,160 still didn't, he couldn't sit in the seats. 333 00:25:15,300 --> 00:25:20,080 One night we were in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and poor Yokozuna went 334 00:25:20,080 --> 00:25:26,940 bathroom, and he sat on the toilet, and the toilet just came 335 00:25:26,940 --> 00:25:27,940 off the wall. 336 00:25:28,020 --> 00:25:31,540 I came around the corner, and we heard this big explosion. 337 00:25:31,760 --> 00:25:34,380 I thought someone flushed a hand grenade down the toilet. 338 00:25:35,440 --> 00:25:37,000 And I was like... 339 00:25:37,240 --> 00:25:38,320 Like, I didn't know what to do. 340 00:25:38,540 --> 00:25:42,660 He actually cut his butt cheek on some of the broken porcelain. I remember it 341 00:25:42,660 --> 00:25:44,100 was, it wasn't any fun. 342 00:25:45,500 --> 00:25:52,400 I remember being exposed to turkey ass with Yoko having a barrel of 343 00:25:52,400 --> 00:25:58,800 oil and cooking turkey ass and taking the turkey ass out, dipping it in 344 00:25:58,800 --> 00:26:04,200 mayonnaise and eating, like, 75 turkey ass. 345 00:26:07,600 --> 00:26:11,320 It's hard to tell somebody like, hey, you know, because Yoko's always been big 346 00:26:11,320 --> 00:26:12,320 like that. 347 00:26:13,120 --> 00:26:15,280 It's hard to tell them, hey, you need to back off. 348 00:26:17,480 --> 00:26:22,200 The first time that I got to meet him, I ended up being the Yoko go -get -it 349 00:26:22,200 --> 00:26:25,820 guy. Hey, Mark, go get me a bucket of chicken. 350 00:26:26,600 --> 00:26:29,520 What am I going to say? Yoko, man, you're 600 pounds. 351 00:26:29,760 --> 00:26:31,380 You should be around 400. 352 00:26:33,400 --> 00:26:34,480 Like, I was... 353 00:26:34,860 --> 00:26:36,700 you know, eating a half a bucket of chicken myself. 354 00:26:38,540 --> 00:26:43,020 But he got to the point where, you know, we're like, hey, yo, dog, man, you 355 00:26:43,020 --> 00:26:45,840 know, maybe it's time to lose some weight. 356 00:26:48,300 --> 00:26:49,580 You know, we had that conversation. 357 00:26:50,960 --> 00:26:53,340 You got to, you know, focus on yourself right now. 358 00:26:55,260 --> 00:26:57,340 It's okay for you to take care of you now, Rod. 359 00:26:58,500 --> 00:27:01,520 Rod being Rod, there ain't nothing wrong with me. I can still go. 360 00:27:04,060 --> 00:27:05,380 What do you eat for breakfast? 361 00:27:07,820 --> 00:27:09,180 Let's say more than you do. 362 00:27:13,580 --> 00:27:16,780 I'm sure he was in denial about it. 363 00:27:17,080 --> 00:27:18,580 You must have taken two seats in the frame. 364 00:27:18,780 --> 00:27:19,780 Oh, yeah, every day. 365 00:27:20,620 --> 00:27:25,120 You know, he really wouldn't want to engage in it. You know, everything's 366 00:27:25,260 --> 00:27:26,720 Everything's going to be, you know, everything's good. 367 00:27:27,360 --> 00:27:29,020 And what is your current weight? 368 00:27:29,540 --> 00:27:30,980 I know, 6 .1. 369 00:27:32,560 --> 00:27:38,300 Then we had to send him to, like, a loading dock where they weighed crates 370 00:27:38,300 --> 00:27:40,480 things like that to weigh him. 371 00:27:41,100 --> 00:27:44,320 And that was a slap in the face. That was a big, like, holy. 372 00:27:47,420 --> 00:27:48,920 You've got to drop some weight. 373 00:27:49,920 --> 00:27:56,600 So the next step was to take Yoko, and we looked into Duke University. And Duke 374 00:27:56,600 --> 00:28:00,140 University had a weight loss program. 375 00:28:02,060 --> 00:28:05,880 Yoko didn't want to move to North Carolina or wherever it is that Duke 376 00:28:05,880 --> 00:28:06,880 University was. 377 00:28:07,320 --> 00:28:11,360 So Yoko said, I'll do the program, but I'll do it at home. 378 00:28:19,980 --> 00:28:25,100 Yoko was off for whatever it was, maybe three months. 379 00:28:27,200 --> 00:28:28,320 Maybe even longer. 380 00:28:37,390 --> 00:28:39,190 and came back bigger than ever. 381 00:28:44,950 --> 00:28:48,850 And I think that's when it got worse, and that's when I really started getting 382 00:28:48,850 --> 00:28:49,850 worried about him. 383 00:28:51,990 --> 00:28:57,770 I start to notice, you know, I could be having a conversation with him, and next 384 00:28:57,770 --> 00:29:02,210 thing you know, I see he's just, you know, in a deep sleep, or I notice while 385 00:29:02,210 --> 00:29:03,210 we're in the locker room. 386 00:29:04,240 --> 00:29:07,240 I'm talking to him, and he nods off, falling asleep. 387 00:29:08,940 --> 00:29:10,400 He was sleeping. 388 00:29:10,680 --> 00:29:16,280 You know, one time he scared me. And he's, like, jumping, like, looking for 389 00:29:16,600 --> 00:29:18,440 And I just went and jumped on him. Hey! 390 00:29:19,180 --> 00:29:21,300 He woke me up, and he cursed at me. 391 00:29:22,240 --> 00:29:23,240 What the hell? 392 00:29:23,420 --> 00:29:24,419 You're not breathing. 393 00:29:24,420 --> 00:29:25,680 And he come back again. 394 00:29:26,680 --> 00:29:30,420 Sleep. And he started, like, choking, looking for air again. 395 00:29:31,880 --> 00:29:33,680 And now you're stuck with... 396 00:29:40,590 --> 00:29:41,590 He's going to die. 397 00:29:50,290 --> 00:29:57,190 In 1997, his 398 00:29:57,190 --> 00:30:02,650 weight had ballooned to, I'd say, in excess of 600 pounds, maybe even more. 399 00:30:02,990 --> 00:30:08,710 And the New York State Athletic Commission forced him to take a 400 00:30:08,710 --> 00:30:09,830 actually failed. 401 00:30:11,310 --> 00:30:15,210 It really left the company with no choice but to release him. 402 00:30:15,950 --> 00:30:21,810 I just want to let everybody know the big man comes back. 403 00:30:23,350 --> 00:30:26,390 He's going to kill every one of them jabronis out there. 404 00:30:27,530 --> 00:30:30,810 I think they really feared for his health at that stage. 405 00:30:32,230 --> 00:30:37,530 And so here you have Rodney. Now he has to figure out a way to support his 406 00:30:37,530 --> 00:30:44,320 family. And so he ends up working on the independent circuit, sometimes in front 407 00:30:44,320 --> 00:30:48,700 of, you know, 100 or 200 fans and not for a lot of money. 408 00:30:49,440 --> 00:30:50,440 Yokozuna! 409 00:30:52,240 --> 00:30:55,960 Yokozuna, the largest athlete in the sport of professional wrestling. 410 00:30:56,720 --> 00:30:58,880 Wow, what a massive individual. 411 00:31:00,440 --> 00:31:05,600 It would be hard on anybody going from selling out Madison Square Garden or any 412 00:31:05,600 --> 00:31:09,440 kind of arena and then working independent shows where you only have 413 00:31:09,440 --> 00:31:10,440 there. 414 00:31:16,620 --> 00:31:23,480 I don't think him working in a lower level means that much other 415 00:31:23,480 --> 00:31:28,440 than, you know, he 416 00:31:28,440 --> 00:31:32,740 felt like he let us down. 417 00:31:36,180 --> 00:31:41,620 And then a sort of depression might have set in. 418 00:31:43,520 --> 00:31:44,620 That's why it was hard. 419 00:31:48,170 --> 00:31:54,390 because we loved him regardless he didn't have to um at 420 00:31:54,390 --> 00:32:04,170 the 421 00:32:04,170 --> 00:32:10,850 time he also had a wrestling school out there in las vegas so he uh 422 00:32:10,850 --> 00:32:17,300 he taught brother why are you here The reason why I'm here in Las Vegas is to 423 00:32:17,300 --> 00:32:21,120 come out here and fulfill everybody's dream, and that is to become a 424 00:32:21,120 --> 00:32:22,120 professional wrestler. 425 00:32:22,240 --> 00:32:29,140 Anybody out there that's got the heart... He was taking in people, kids 426 00:32:29,140 --> 00:32:31,460 know, didn't have a place to go. 427 00:32:32,960 --> 00:32:35,500 He, you know, was mentoring them. 428 00:32:36,400 --> 00:32:40,480 He just couldn't see them on the street, so he took them in. 429 00:32:43,400 --> 00:32:46,420 I've always looked up to him for doing something like that for other kids. 430 00:32:48,100 --> 00:32:49,420 He's always been like that. 431 00:32:55,460 --> 00:33:02,280 In the year 2000, the all -star promotion in the UK called him to 432 00:33:02,280 --> 00:33:04,260 come over for a month -long tour. 433 00:33:04,520 --> 00:33:09,160 Right now, he's one of the most recognizable stars of the mighty world 434 00:33:09,160 --> 00:33:11,780 wrestling. The big man himself, Yokozuna! 435 00:33:17,100 --> 00:33:21,800 He was doing what he loved, and whether it was in WWE or not. 436 00:33:24,960 --> 00:33:31,520 Rod was really passionate about wrestling, and 437 00:33:31,520 --> 00:33:36,560 it was his life, and that's all, you know, he loved to do. 438 00:33:39,240 --> 00:33:45,800 We were there for a month, and we bonded. 439 00:33:46,540 --> 00:33:51,580 In a month like that, I mean, we became blood brothers. We were that close. 440 00:33:52,800 --> 00:33:54,340 This guy was a gem. 441 00:33:56,140 --> 00:34:02,800 At the end of our tour, we wrestled. 442 00:34:03,020 --> 00:34:05,440 Then we went back to the hotel. 443 00:34:09,580 --> 00:34:12,520 And everybody said goodnight, went to our rooms. 444 00:34:14,670 --> 00:34:16,030 He just finished the show. 445 00:34:16,429 --> 00:34:17,429 We called home. 446 00:34:17,870 --> 00:34:19,790 And then he said he was really, really tired. 447 00:34:20,810 --> 00:34:23,290 But it was weird. I guess he had called a couple of people. 448 00:34:23,929 --> 00:34:27,750 I don't know if he knew that he was not well or whatever. 449 00:34:28,389 --> 00:34:30,190 But, yeah, 450 00:34:31,929 --> 00:34:33,449 he just said he was really, really tired. 451 00:34:35,230 --> 00:34:36,610 And everybody said, go to sleep. 452 00:34:42,030 --> 00:34:43,090 He called us. 453 00:34:44,739 --> 00:34:46,940 And just, you know, saying goodnight. 454 00:34:57,139 --> 00:35:02,220 And one of the last thing I tell him was he needed to take care of himself. 455 00:35:03,580 --> 00:35:10,460 And then, you know, the phone call come like 456 00:35:10,460 --> 00:35:12,860 24 hours later. 457 00:35:13,930 --> 00:35:14,790 It was... 458 00:35:14,790 --> 00:35:25,590 It's 459 00:35:25,590 --> 00:35:27,310 October 23rd, 2000. 460 00:35:28,470 --> 00:35:32,790 Rodney is in the UK. He's on this month -long wrestling tour. 461 00:35:33,790 --> 00:35:38,590 So he calls home just to check in, say hey to his family. 462 00:35:39,690 --> 00:35:40,850 Then he goes to bed. 463 00:35:45,420 --> 00:35:51,700 The next morning, I'm waiting to get picked up to do a show, and he won't 464 00:35:51,700 --> 00:35:52,700 his phone. 465 00:35:52,820 --> 00:35:55,140 And they finally went in. 466 00:35:57,140 --> 00:36:01,280 He was sitting up, and he had a remote, TV remote there. 467 00:36:02,180 --> 00:36:03,180 He was gone. 468 00:36:09,760 --> 00:36:13,460 I remember getting the call from my dad. 469 00:36:14,820 --> 00:36:21,500 And he broke down and told me that, you know, 470 00:36:21,560 --> 00:36:22,560 Rod passed away. 471 00:36:25,040 --> 00:36:26,260 I was in shock. 472 00:36:27,700 --> 00:36:32,260 We were very close, and that call I'll never forget. 473 00:36:35,000 --> 00:36:36,400 It was devastating. 474 00:36:37,440 --> 00:36:40,220 You know, I just dropped the phone. 475 00:36:51,440 --> 00:36:52,440 I wish I was there. 476 00:36:59,100 --> 00:37:00,720 Yeah, it's my fault. 477 00:37:03,040 --> 00:37:06,840 I told my brother that I was going to take care of his son. 478 00:37:12,420 --> 00:37:19,340 I'm sorry, brother, that things didn't go the way that we planned for the 479 00:37:19,340 --> 00:37:20,340 good of our kids. 480 00:37:29,070 --> 00:37:35,250 His cause of death was pulmonary edema, where fluid overflows your lungs. 481 00:37:37,330 --> 00:37:40,510 His heart was, man, just blessed, you know. 482 00:37:41,330 --> 00:37:45,310 And then his big heart stopped that night. 483 00:38:07,020 --> 00:38:08,260 It was tough. 484 00:38:08,500 --> 00:38:11,340 It was tough on all of us. 485 00:38:14,820 --> 00:38:15,940 He's a good dude, man. 486 00:38:17,860 --> 00:38:19,360 That's a brother. That's a brother. 487 00:38:20,080 --> 00:38:24,260 It's like, man, why we have to lose people like that? 488 00:38:28,880 --> 00:38:30,400 Yoko was too young to die. 489 00:38:32,340 --> 00:38:34,300 But it was tragic in that. 490 00:38:34,810 --> 00:38:40,250 Yoko was a larger -than -life character in that he was larger than life. 491 00:38:41,530 --> 00:38:44,370 But that is what ultimately took him out. 492 00:38:46,010 --> 00:38:47,150 And that was that. 493 00:38:55,050 --> 00:39:01,870 Rodney, just know that not a day goes by that we don't think about 494 00:39:01,870 --> 00:39:03,670 you. All your good deeds, your... 495 00:39:04,660 --> 00:39:08,940 your fatherhood, your kids miss you, your siblings, your whole family. 496 00:39:09,680 --> 00:39:11,920 Thank you for leaving your mark in this family. 497 00:39:12,620 --> 00:39:16,140 We'll continue to make you proud and move through. Thank you. 498 00:39:23,320 --> 00:39:27,440 When you look at that Samoan legacy, obviously you've got Appa and Fika. 499 00:39:29,980 --> 00:39:32,680 In their time, they were it. 500 00:39:39,400 --> 00:39:44,540 They have had such an influence and have contributed to the business with their 501 00:39:44,540 --> 00:39:46,540 offspring and their offspring's offspring. 502 00:39:46,960 --> 00:39:50,560 Three men, one bloodline, four championships. 503 00:39:51,020 --> 00:39:56,440 Roman reigns at the Usos. This is what greatness looks like. 504 00:39:57,720 --> 00:40:04,300 But as far as who people remember and who they look at as 505 00:40:04,300 --> 00:40:08,500 megastars, Yoko is right up there in that top echelon. 506 00:40:12,400 --> 00:40:19,220 He's our first top guy, first title bearer that held the responsibility 507 00:40:19,220 --> 00:40:24,600 in a global product, professional wrestling, sports entertainment ring. 508 00:40:25,820 --> 00:40:29,960 He will be the most massive presence that our family ever puts out there. 509 00:40:34,000 --> 00:40:39,400 Definitely one of the greatest big men ever. 510 00:40:45,930 --> 00:40:50,550 loved what he became and what he did for the wrestling industry and being an 511 00:40:50,550 --> 00:40:56,990 icon and everything. But for us, we miss him as just a loving 512 00:40:56,990 --> 00:41:01,550 family member, cousin, uncle, dad. 513 00:41:07,350 --> 00:41:13,570 His heart was full of love, full of caring, you know, full of giving. 514 00:41:14,350 --> 00:41:18,650 But this is the type of family that he comes because all this starts within our 515 00:41:18,650 --> 00:41:23,290 living room. And it's the teachings of our culture. It's the teachings of love. 516 00:41:23,490 --> 00:41:28,530 It's the teachings of our faith. It's the teachings of who we are as the Anoa 517 00:41:28,530 --> 00:41:29,530 family. 518 00:41:30,910 --> 00:41:32,350 You live through your kids. 519 00:41:33,370 --> 00:41:37,130 But now you're going to live even stronger through your grandkids. 520 00:41:38,590 --> 00:41:42,250 You got one of your grandkids named after you, Rodney. 521 00:41:43,090 --> 00:41:44,090 Wow. 522 00:41:48,400 --> 00:41:52,160 This was the Yokozuna that people didn't know. 523 00:41:52,940 --> 00:41:55,700 This is the Rodney that's behind the scenes. 524 00:41:56,340 --> 00:42:02,540 That I only wish that, you know, one day that, you know, everybody can know the 525 00:42:02,540 --> 00:42:06,840 person, the man, the legend, the icon. 526 00:42:11,740 --> 00:42:12,800 Rodney Anoa 'i. 527 00:42:14,720 --> 00:42:15,720 Yokozuna.