Samoan Joe

This article is about the original Samoan Joe who wrestled in Australasia during the 1970s and early 1980s. For the American professional wrestler, see Samoa Joe.

Samoan Joe
Birth nameJoseph Afamasaga
Born(1949-01-02)2 January 1949
New Zealand
Died9 July 2015(2015-07-09) (aged 66)
Melbourne, Australia[1]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Samoan Joe
Billed height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Billed weight290 lb (130 kg)
Billed fromWestern Samoa
Debutc. 1976
Retiredc. 1989

Joseph Afamasaga[2] (2 January 1949 - 9 July 2015), better known by his ring name Samoan Joe, was a New Zealand professional wrestler who competed in the Australasian and South Pacific region during the 1970s and early 1980s.

He was a popular fan favourite while wrestling for Steve Rickard's All Star-Pro Wrestling and frequently appeared on the long-running wrestling television programme On the Mat. He later travelled to the United States where he had a brief stint in the American Wrestling Association before his retirement in 1989. In 2009, Afamasaga was ranked #10 by New Zealand Herald sports columnist Chris Rattue as one of his "Top 10" favourite wrestlers of all-time.[3]

  1. ^ "Samoan Joe". Fight Times Magazine. 16 July 2015. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  2. ^ Clarke, Chris (26 July 2006). "Ask 411 Wrestling 07.26.06: Joe, Reckless Youth, No Way Out, More..." Columns. 411mania.com. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Rattue was invoked but never defined (see the help page).