WWE Alumnus Siva Afi Passes Away At 77

Siva Afi, who had a stint in WWE in the mid-to-late 1980s and was briefly part of The Islanders, has passed away. Book Pro Wrestlers announced on Thursday that Afi, real name Papali’itele Max Amata Taogaga, had passed. Details on Afi’s passing were not revealed; he was 77 years old.

The announcement read:

“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 him—so many of the wrestlers we’ve spoken with over the years remembered him as a genuinely kind and well-liked man.

Rest in peace, Siva Afi. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.”

Born in Samoa in 1949, Afi began his wrestling career in 1974 after training under Steve Rickard and Peter Maivia starting in 1972. He picked up a big win in his debut against Del Adams, one of New Zealand’s top light heavyweights, and worked in New Zealand for four years that included a reign as New Zealand Heavyweight Champion.

Afi then went to the US and split his time between there, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and Japan. His most prominent match at this time was a one-hour time limit draw against Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at NWA Polynesian Wrestling in August of 1985.

Afi then signed with WWF in January of 1986, where he debuted with a win at a Madison Square Garden Network show on January 27th. He was billed as the cousin of Jimmy Snuka, who had left the company in 1985, and was bit of a winning streak. However, fans rejected him as a replacement for Snuka. Renamed to Sivi Afi, he went on a losing streak in the back half of 1987 before going on hiatus, before returning with Haku as The Islanders under the name of High Chief Afi.

When Haku’s singles push was kicked off with his King Hake character, Afi was left behind and left the company in the late summer of 1988. Afi worked as a stuntman for Burt Reynolds before returning to New Zealand to wrestle, eventually retiring in 1997.

On behalf of 411, our condolences to the family, friends and fans of Siva Afi.

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