Pre WWF/WWE

Solofa Fatu, Jr. started out in 1985 for International Wrestling in Montreal. He worked as Prince Alofa, a high flying babyface who often teamed with the territory’s top faces. After International Wrestling closed, Solofa signed with the World Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico and became The Samoan Swat Team (Samu & Fatu). They used the "Samoan savage" gimmick their relatives, The Wild Samoans succesfully used, working barefoot, never publicly speaking English and no-selling attacks to the head. They became the new WWC Caribbean Tag Team Champions on November 7 1987 when they beat Invader I and Invader III.

The Headshrinkers (1992-1995)

After Samu and Fatu joined the World Wrestling Federation, they were renamed The Headshrinkers, but their savage gimmick remained. The Headshrinker's first notable angle came when they interfered to help Money Inc. beat The Natural Disasters for the WWF World Tag Team Championship. Soon after, The Headshrinkers feuded with The Natural Disasters and the recently formed High Energy. Between 1992 and early 1994, The Headshrinkers occasionally challenged for the tag title and made sporadic PPV appearances, feuding with The Smoking Gunns and Men on a Mission. The Headshrinkers turned face and won the gold on the May 2 episode of Monday Night RAW. At King of the Ring on June 19, they successfully defended the title against Yokozuna and Crush.

Making a difference, and The Sultan (1995–1998)

Fatu became a singles wrestler in 1995. He was repackaged dropping the savage gimmick in favour of a more realistic one. He now spoke fluent English and came from San Francisco. He spoke in vignettes of his real-life experience growing up in the ghetto and being hit in a drive-by shooting (which left him clinically dead for three minutes and with a large scar on his abdomen). He often spoke of helping the community, and the gimmick became informally known as "Make a Difference" Fatu (after his catchphrase/slogan). Two men soon began showing up in the audience whenever Fatu was in the ring: Samu and his brother, Lloyd Anoaʻi, also known as "The Samoan Gangster Party". The two never got in the ring or confronted Fatu before he was repackaged and the whole angle was dropped. In 1996, he was repackaged as The Sultan, a masked sultan who never spoke, ostensibly because his tongue was cut out. He was managed by The Iron Sheik and Bob Backlund. He unsuccesfully challenged Rocky Maivia for the WWE Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 13. The Sultan vanished in 1998.

 

TBC...