STANDOUT PERFORMER

Wrestling Legend Known for Ric Flair Feud Dies at 77

The star was remembered for his larger-than-life career.

Siva Afi, whose wrestling career stretched from Japan to Hawaii before a memorable run in Vince McMahon’s World Wrestling Federation, has died at 77, his family announced Thursday. A cause of death was not disclosed. Afi, born Papali’itele Max Amata Taogaga, arrived in the WWF in 1986 under the nickname “Superfly” and was billed as Jimmy Snuka’s cousin, having previously competed in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Though his stint with the company was short-lived, he became one of Hawaii’s biggest wrestling stars, highlighted by a celebrated 60-minute draw against Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. His life later took a dramatic turn after he served prison time for his role in a 1996 robbery and kidnapping case before eventually returning to Samoa, where relatives said he dedicated himself to faith, community work, and rehabilitation programs. Following news of his death, tributes poured in from family members and wrestling historian Dave Meltzer, who remembered Afi as a standout performer whose legacy extended well beyond the ring.