Roman Reigns and The Rock are not related by blood. However, they are considered cousins after Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, and Roman Reigns’ grandfather, Reverend Amituanaʻi Anoaʻi, became blood brothers in Samoan tradition.
Maivia was the grandfather of Johnson via adoption.
In a 2014 interview with WrestlingInc, Reigns referred to Johnson as “second cousin.”
In 2019, The Rock tweeted, “Proud of my cousin @WWERomanReigns’ performance. Even more proud of his perseverance & strength as he takes one day at a time to recover from leukemia.”
They starred in Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw together
In 2019, Reigns appeared alongside The Rock in “Hobbs & Shaw,” a spinoff of the “Fast and Furious” franchise. Jason Statham also stars in Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.
Jason Statham and Dwayne Johnson at CinemaCon 2019 Universal Picture – @Getty
Funny note – Johnson and Statham have contracts that stipulate they can’t lose in fight scenes.
Roman played Mateo, the brother of Johnson’s character, Luke Hobbs.
Roman Reigns poses in the Green Room at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Sports 2018 at Barker Hangar – @Getty
“I cannot thank my family, friends, and my new FAST & FURIOUS FAMILY enough for all the love and support I have received while on this exciting HOBBS & SHAW project,” Reigns posted on Instagram. “The time I‘ve spent with my cousin on this wonderful island has truly been a healing grace.”
Dwayne also wrote on Insta about Roman playing in the Hobbs and Shaw.
@Getty
“For the biggest showdown the FAST & FURIOUS franchise has ever seen, I wanted to cast my legit family to play my brothers. Proud of my cuz @romanreigns in his acting debut – awesome job.“
The Anoa’i Wrestling Family
The Anoaʻi family is a legendary family of professional wrestlers originating from the Samoan Islands.
It began with two men, “High Chief” Peter Maivia (1936-1982) and Rev. Amituanaʻi Anoaʻi (1914-1994).
Maivia made his debut in 1960 at the age of 23. He won numerous championships in Hawaii and the South Pacific.
In 1977, he moved east to the WWE, known then as the WWWF. Maivia also performed in the fifth James Bond film, You Only Live Twice.
Maivia died on June 13, 1982. He was 45.
In 2008, Peter was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
“My grandfather’s integrity in this business was unparalleled,” The Rock said at the time.
@Getty
Rev. Amituanaʻi Anoaʻi was not a wrestler. However, he and Maivia became blood brothers. Basically, they are not part of the extended family or ʻaiga, which means family in the Samoan language.
This interrelatedness continued with Reverend Amituanaʻi’s sons Sika and Afa, who called Peter Maivia their uncle.
So, the most famous members of the Anoa’i wrestling family are Leati Joseph “Roman Reigns” Anoaʻi and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. They are not related by blood but via “ʻaiga.”
Roman Reigns arrives at the WWE’s First-Ever Emmy “For Your Consideration” Event at Saban Media Center on June 6, 2018 in North Hollywood – @Getty
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I am Bulgarea Candin Stefan, and I founded FamousPeopleToday.com in 2018. I’m using my bachelor’s degree in economics and 9 years of experience in blogging to guide millions of people through the incredibly complex world of celebrity net worths.