WWE Hall of Famer Sika Anoa’i, who won multiple WWE tag team titles with his brother Afa and is the father of current WWE star Roman Reigns, died Tuesday. He was 79.

His death was announced by nephew Jahrus Anoa’i on Instagram.

Jahrus wrote: “It is with profound sadness that I share the news of the passing of Former Hall of Famer, Polaivao Leati Sika Anoa’i. He passed away peacefully on June 25th. He was many things: a hard working father, a caring brother, a supportive uncle, and a proud grandfather. He was a cherished friend to many, a loving family member whose warmth and kindness knew no bounds, and an inspiration to countless individuals. His legacy will continue to inspire and uplift future generations, reminding us of the impact one person’s life can have on so many. Rest in love Uncle Sika.”

Anoaʻi was born on the island of Tutuila in American Samoa on April 5, 1945. He and his family (he had 13 siblings) moved to San Francisco when he was 14 and he joined the Merchant Marines in 1963 before leaving in 1969 at the behest of Afa to become a pro wrestler.

Sika and Afa were known as “The Wild Samoans” and joined the WWE (then known as the WWWF), managed by Lou Albano, in 1980, winning the tag titles just four months after their debut by defeating Tito Santana and Ivan Putski. They lost, then won them again later in 1980, then again in 1983. He had limited success as a singles wrestler, but anyone who saw “The Wild Samoans,” with their wild hair, sarong and wrestling barefoot in the ring, will never forget them. They were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007.

Sika trained wrestlers after retiring and helped launch the careers of many, including Yokozuna, Virgil, Billy Kidman, Batista, Rikishi, Tonga Kid, Virgil, Michael P.S. Hayes and Snitsky.

Anoaʻi’s son, Joseph, better known as Roman Reigns, is the top star in WWE currently and members of his extended family make up the faction known as “The Bloodline,” which has led WWE to renewed success in recent years. Reigns headlined the last two WrestleManias, including the 2023 event at SoFi Stadium.

The Stanley Cup is back in Florida, as the Panthers won a thrilling Game 7 over the Edmonton Oilers, 2-1, on Monday night. 

The team wasted no time parading Lord Stanley’s Cup around South Florida, as Matthew Tkachuk, Aaron Ekblad and many others were spotted in Fort Lauderdale celebrating their victory less than 24 hours after defeating Edmonton. 

And since it is summer in Florida, what other way would you celebrate than by taking the Cup to the beach. 

Tkachuk, surrounded by teammates and fans alike, took the Cup across the street to the beach, where he decided to take it into the Atlantic Ocean. 

Think of it as a sort of baptism for the Cup, as it’s the first time in Panthers franchise history they have won the hardware. 

Panthers fans were screaming as Tkachuk, Ekblad and others held the Cup above their heads, giving it the customary kiss all while the waves came rolling in from the ocean. 

PANTHERS WIN STANLEY CUP IN THRILLING GAME 7 OVER OILERS

Tkachuk said after the victory to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan that winning the Cup was no longer a dream – it’s reality. And it was a grueling two years for the Panthers – they lost in the Final to the Vegas Golden Knights last season in five games – to finally get that inaugural trophy in the team building. 

So, this celebration is a culmination of tons of hard work, and the Panthers are clearly letting loose now that their names will forever be etched on the precious metal. 

Panthers players share champagne after beating the Edmonton Oilers at the Amerant Bank Arena on June 24, 2024, in Sunrise, Florida. (Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images)

Through the Panthers’ 24 games in these playoffs, Tkachuk posted 22 points (six goals, 16 assists) to help Florida get the job done. 

He joined the Panthers last season after the Calgary Flames traded him following six seasons with the squad that drafted him sixth overall in 2016. 

Tkachuk posted a 109-point season in 2023, and though he would have 88 this past regular season, every Panthers fan knows the importance he makes at left wing for this hockey club. 

Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers lifts the Stanley Cup after beating the Edmonton Oilers at Amerant Bank Arena on June 24, 2024. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

The celebration has only begun for Tkachuk and the rest of his Florida teammates, who will have their team parade on Sunday.  

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Ronda Rousey couldn’t sleep.

It’s not that she wasn’t tired.

She was exhausted after shattering a knuckle at WrestleMania 35. Finally in her hotel bed after surgery, Rousey had a cross-country flight to Los Angeles in five hours.

Then inspiration struck. The former UFC champion and then-WWE superstar had been trying to work on a screenplay, but had only come up with a one-line synopsis: “Two wanted assassins with an unwanted pregnancy learn that giving life is harder than taking it.”

“Do you ever get an idea in your head and you’re laying in bed and then you won’t let yourself go to sleep and you keep repeating it in your head over and over so you don’t forget it by the morning?” Rousey said during a phone interview with The Times.

Sleep never came for Rousey, who typed all five hours in her hotel room and continued on the flight.

Five years later, that screenplay idea is now set to be a graphic novel. A Kickstarter campaign launches July 25 for “Expecting the Unexpected,” a Rousey-written 160-page book with illustrations by award-winning comic artist Michael Deodato slated to be published next year by Artists Writers and Artisans.

Through the Kickstarter campaign, fans will have 30 days to order the book, with access to a variety of special offerings, including limited and signed editions, variant artwork, bonus pages and the opportunity of being drawn into the novel as a character.

The story revolves around a notorious hitwoman who goes by the code name Mom, because she wears a fake baby bump filled with weapons. After she sleeps with a fellow assassin, however, Mom becomes pregnant for real and has to come to terms with the notion of becoming a parent … with a bounty on her head.

In an early look at the novel, provided by AWA, one thing becomes clear upon first view of Mom, with her long hair pulled back in a tight ponytail, muscular arms, white tank top and some very familiar-looking facial expressions:

Mom is Rousey.

“I’m particularly pleased with how I captured Ronda’s essence in the Mom character — her mannerisms, personality, and even her laughter,” Deodato said.

The lead male character’s name is Hapa, the nickname of Rousey’s husband, former UFC fighter Travis Browne. Their first child together, La’akea Browne, was born in 2021.

“It really is our story — even though it didn’t really happen,” Rousey said, adding with a laugh, “ I didn’t really go on a spree of fighting all these people.”

Ronda Rousey and Travis Browne attend the Kids’ Choice Sports Awards on July 19, 2018, at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica.

(Willy Sanjuan / Invision / Associated Press)

She explained: “The whole story is just the story of me and my husband. Our journey trying to get pregnant, having a baby, our becoming parents — you know, the process from when you become pregnant to when you accept the task of being a parent. … When you actually come to that realization and live up to it is I think a process that isn’t really covered in anything I’ve really seen so far. That was kind of a personal journey that was really important to us.”

Rousey was 21 when she became the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in judo, taking home bronze from the 2008 Beijing Games. She became a superstar as a mixed martial artist, winning six UFC women’s bantamweight title bouts before retiring from MMA in 2016. Rousey remained in the spotlight as a professional wrestler, becoming a WWE triple-crown winner before retiring last year.

By 2019, Rousey had appeared in numerous movies and TV shows, but never a leading role. She wrote ‘Expecting the Unexpected” hoping to be the star, but realized she was too unproven.

That’s when she landed upon the idea of a graphic novel, a literary form she had become “a closet nerd” for as an adult.

Writing the script was just the start. .

“This has a lot of action sequences in it,” she said, “I wrote all the choreography for it in the script and I actually had to film them and perform the choreography with a couple of friends of mine in a wrestling ring.”

Deodato, the comic artist, then turns it into illustrations.

It’s a lot of work, but Rousey said she’s enjoying the process.

“I originally intended on this being a movie, but I really think that this is the way it was always meant to be, as a graphic novel. Maybe that’s the path that I was meant for more, to be a graphic novelist,” Rousey said.

Ronda Rousey works out July 15, 2015, at Glendale Fighting Club in Glendale, Calif.

(Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)

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All that said, if presented with the opportunity, would Rousey be willing to turn her graphic novel back into a screenplay?

“Twist my arm and I’ll do it,” she laughed.

“But I’m also so happy with where I’m at. I don’t see this as a stepping stone, I see this as a new path that I never dreamed would be available to me, and I’m enjoying the scenery more than I ever thought was possible.”