Before Rikishi became one of WWE’s recognisable stars, there was a period when simply keeping his new family home running had become a financial problem. According to the various online reports, he had put almost everything he had into a Florida property while wrestling as Fatu, leaving little money for an essential repair. At the same time, his cousin Rodney Anoa’i was enjoying a very different level of success as Yokozuna, having risen to the top of the WWF and become one of its biggest earners. When Rikishi found himself unable to afford a new heating system, Anoa’i offered help in a way that Rikishi would remember for decades.
Rikishi’s early WWF career came with a much smaller payday
Rikishi, whose real name is Solofa Fatu Jr., was already working in the WWF when his cousin Rodney Anoa’i was becoming a major attraction under the Yokozuna name. The two were members of the same wider wrestling family, but their positions on the roster and their earnings were far apart.Fatu was performing as one half of The Headshrinkers alongside Samu, while Yokozuna had moved into championship programmes and main-event matches. According to ITR Wrestling, by 1993, Yokozuna had become WWF Champion, putting him in a financial position that was very different from that of several relatives still working lower down the card.For Rikishi, the difference became particularly apparent after he moved his family into a new Florida home. He later recalled that he had put virtually everything he had into the property. There was a house, there were children to look after, but there was also a problem that could not simply be left alone.
Yokozuna gave Rikishi a blank cheque when his family needed help
The expense came at an awkward time. After paying for the home, Rikishi said he had nothing available to deal with the heating system. It was not a question of choosing between two home improvements or delaying a renovation. His account was that his family needed a functioning system and he did not have the money to install one.That was when Yokozuna stepped in. Rikishi later described his cousin not by his wrestling identity but by his given name, Rodney Anoa’i. According to his recollection, Anoa’i handed him a blank cheque, already signed, allowing him to use whatever amount was necessary to get the heating installed.The gesture meant that the family could stay in the house with working heat rather than having Rikishi try to find money he did not have.
Yokozuna’s WWF success brought opportunities Rikishi had yet to reach
The circumstances made sense within the rapidly changing fortunes of the Anoa’i and Fatu wrestling families. Yokozuna had arrived in the WWF as a huge physical presence managed by Mr Fuji and quickly moved towards the top of the promotion.His breakthrough came at WrestleMania IX, where he defeated Bret Hart for the WWF Championship. Although Hulk Hogan took the title from him almost immediately afterwards, Yokozuna returned to the championship picture later that year.He won the WWF Championship again at the King of the Ring in June 1993, before eventually losing it to Hart at WrestleMania X the following year. Those high-profile programmes came with a level of income that was not available to every member of the family working in wrestling. Rikishi’s career was progressing too, but he was still competing in a very different part of the WWF card.The contrast was particularly important when his personal finances became stretched.
The blank cheque became a story Rikishi carried with him
Rikishi spoke about the incident years later for the WWE Icons documentary focused on Yokozuna. By then, he had established himself as a major WWF and WWE performer in his own right and had become the father of Jimmy and Jey Uso.Looking back, he connected the episode to the way he remembered Yokozuna treating their wider family. In his telling, the money was not offered as a loan or presented as a business arrangement. It was simply help when a relative needed it.That distinction mattered to Rikishi. In an interview with WWEhe remembered the person behind the Yokozuna character, describing how Rodney Anoa’i had been there for him during a difficult period rather than presenting the story simply as something done by a wealthy wrestling star. The heating system was the immediate reason for the cheque. The memory, however, was tied to a much larger family relationship.
Yokozuna’s relationship with Rikishi’s family went beyond wrestling
Rikishi’s recollections were also supported by memories shared by his son Jey Uso in the same documentary. Jey described Yokozuna visiting the family home and being treated as an uncle rather than as a major wrestling celebrity.According to Wrestling.Inc,“He would come over to the house, my dad would always be like, ‘Hey Uncle Rodney’s (Yokozuna) coming through, you know, make sure you make his bed,” Jey Uso said. “‘Always bring him coffee.’ That’s a hundred dollars. Hey, he would give us a hundred.”There was a practical side to those visits. Jey recalled being told to make sure Yokozuna had his bed ready and to bring him coffee. He also remembered Yokozuna giving the children money when he visited.Those details provide a different picture of the relationship from the one seen on WWF television. On screen, Yokozuna was presented as an imposing champion and one of the promotion’s biggest stars. At home, the family relationship came first.For Rikishi, that distinction was particularly clear during the period when he was struggling financially.
From Junior Fatu to Rikishi
At the time of the heating incident, Rikishi was still known to wrestling audiences primarily as Fatu. His eventual transformation into Rikishi came later, after years spent working in tag teams and under different characters.His career would eventually take him into the WWF Intercontinental Championship picture, major storylines and a prominent place in the next generation of the Anoa’i family’s wrestling legacy.Yokozuna’s career followed a much shorter path. Born Rodney Agatupu Anoa’i, he became a two-time WWF Champion and one of the defining heavyweight performers of the early 1990s. His career was cut short by his death in 2000 at the age of 34.