Jey Uso Acknowledged 'Uncle Afa' After WWE SmackDown Went Off The Air

By Eric Mutter
Jey Uso sits Roy Rochlin/Getty Images

It hasn't been the easiest past month for the Anoa'i/Fatu wrestling dynasty. Less than two months ago, Sika Anoa'i, the father of WWE star Roman Reigns, passed away at 79 years old, after struggling with health issues over the last several years. This was followed this past weekend by Sika's brother, and Wild Samoans tag team partner, Afa, passing away at the age of 81, just hours before "WWE SmackDown" aired on Fox.

Though he didn't appear on the live show, Jey Uso, the nephew of both Afa and Sika, competed in a post-show dark match following "SmackDown's" conclusion. Afterward, Uso was given a chance to speak to the live audience, where he acknowledged his uncle's passing in a speech that was recorded by a fan in attendance.

"Bottom of my heart, though, we had some tough losses in my family," Uso said. "Tonight was one of them, you know. This morning, I found out Uncle Afa passed away. But, like, being in the center of this ring...still brings joy to each one of my family members that you saw perform tonight. We needed this night. We needed you guys tonight. So, from my family, thank you, thank you all."

In addition to Uso, Afa's nephews Reigns, Jacob Fatu, and Solo Sikoa were also on hand for "SmackDown," with Fatu returning for the first time since SummerSlam to help Sikoa get revenge on Reigns for costing Sikoa his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match against Cody Rhodes. While Afa was never addressed onscreen by his family members, Reigns was one of many in his family who paid tribute to his uncle with a social media post earlier in the day.

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