Papali’itele Max Amata Taogaga, who performed under many aliases including “Siva Afi,” died this week after his family confirmed the passing.
Taogaga’s passing was first announced by Steve Stasiak of Book Pro Wrestlers:
We are saddened to learn that Siva Afi has passed away, as confirmed by his family.
Born Papaliʻitele Max Amata Taogaga, Siva Afi made his mark around the world before many fans came to know him during his time in the WWF in the late 1980s. A gifted athlete and charismatic performer, he was known for his unforgettable Samoan presentation, his incredible fire knife dancing, and his natural presence both inside and outside the ring. Away from wrestling, he also worked as a stuntman and served as a bodyguard for actor Burt Reynolds.
Over the years, we’ve had the privilege of speaking with many of Siva Afi’s peers, and one thing was always consistent: they spoke of him with genuine respect and affection. He was remembered not only as a talented performer, but as a kind, humble man who left a positive impression on the people who knew him.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and everyone whose lives he touched. Rest in peace, Siva Afi. Thank you for the memories and for the legacy you leave behind.
He was born April 28, 1949, in Samoa, but it was New Zealand where he trained under promoter Steve Rickard and Peter Maivia before his debut in 1974.
Taogaga ventured to the U.S. around 1978 and became a strong babyface in 50th State Big Time Wrestling in Hawaii as Siva Afi (the translation of “Fire Dance”). He became its heavyweight champion on April 18 that year when he beat Karl von Steiger and would drop the belt to Ripper Collins. He held additional championships for the group, including becoming its Pacific International title holder in 1980, defeating “Mad Dog” Collins.
He had a cup of coffee in Stampede Wrestling, wrestling as “Duke Kono” in early 1979 and wrestling against Bret Hart very early in his career.
50th State went through various ownership changes from Ed Francis to Steve Rickard right as Taogaga arrived in the promotion. Francis ran the company for a year with a monthly show at the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena. He would sell the rights to the territory to Peter Maivia, who turned it into Polynesian Pro Wrestling.
His next major stop was Oregon to wrestle for Don Owen, and he would spend the next several years based in the state.
Perhaps Afi’s most famous match occurred on August 3, 1985, when Polynesian Pro (under Lia Maivia, who took over the promotion after her husband’s passing) booked Aloha Stadium. They headlined the card with Ric Flair defending the NWA Heavyweight Championship against Siva Afi in front of over 12,000. It was a loaded event with Antonio Inoki facing Bruiser Brody, Dusty Rhodes & Magnum T.A. taking on Nikita Koloff & Krusher Khrushchev, and matches involving Andre the Giant, Tatsumi Fujinami, and Jimmy Snuka.
Later that month, he was booked by New Japan Pro Wrestling to work with Inoki, Fujinami, Naoki Sano, Shiro Koshinaka, and young stars, Shinya Hashimoto and Keiji Muto, on the tour.
His most famous period occurred in the second half of the decade, joining the World Wrestling Federation at the start of 1986. Jimmy Snuka had left the promotion the previous summer, and they tried to replace him with “Superfly Afi” as the cousin of the departed star and rejected by the fanbase. He would become Sivi Afi and settle into an enhancement role that lasted several years.
The run included several team-ups with Haku and Afi becoming a makeshift member of The Islanders with Haku and Tama (Sam Fatu). He would undergo several identity changes, including “Toma” and “High Chief Afi”.
In December 1986, he wrestled the Honky Tonk Man at Madison Square Garden on the undercard of a Hulk Hogan vs. Kamala card. He was also part of a six-man tag with Haku and Bobby Heenan against The British Bulldogs & Koko B. Ware at MSG on May 27, 1988, in front of 16,000 fans underneath Randy Savage vs. Ted DiBiase for the WWF Championship.
In 1988, he left the WWF and headed to New Zealand to work with Steve Rickard’s new start-up group. He would wrestle as late as 1997 with a reduced schedule throughout the ’90s, limited to bookings for Otto Wanz’s Catch Wrestling Association as “Tattoo Samoa” and several independent shots throughout Ohio, according to Cagematch.
After wrestling, he was indicted by Cuyahoga County in Ohio, accused of acting as a getaway driver for a 1996 robbery and kidnapping. Taogaga would spend a decade behind bars after being found guilty in a 1998 trial of various counts of aggravated burglary, robbery, and kidnapping.
Taogaga was 77 years old when he died this past week, with no cause of death revealed yet.
Special thanks to David Bixenspan for help on this story
