Former WWE Recruit Lance Anoa'i Announces 2027 Retirement

After signing with WWE in 2024, Lance Anoa'i seemed poised to be yet another Anoa'i/Fatu family member that joined The Bloodline. Two years later, he's almost ready to leave wrestling behind. In a lengthy post on Instagram, Anoa'i announced his decision to retire from pro wrestling, albeit not right away. Instead, Anoa'i plans to wrestle until March of next year to achieve seventeen years in the business, at which point he will hang up his boots for good. Admitting it was a difficult decision, Anoa'i stated he made the call in order to be more involved with his immediate family.

"This journey has given me memories, friendships, battles, victories, losses, and experiences that I'll carry with me for the rest of my life, "Anoa'i said. "I'm incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported me, believed in me, shared a locker room with me, and helped me along the way. But now, it's time to start preparing for a new chapter. For so many years, wrestling has taken up my weekends, my time, and countless moments away from the people I love most. I've reached a point where I want to dedicate that time to my wife and my kids and be there for the moments that matter most. "

Anoa'i spent most of his career on the independent scene, working WWE dark matches in 2015, 2017, and 2019. He would find a home with MLW in 2018, spending five years with the promotion, including winning the MLW World Tag Team Championships with Samoan SWAT Team partner Juicy Finau. He would also briefly wrestle in Japan, competing in Pro Wrestling NOAH's N1 tournament in 2023. Despite signing with WWE a year later, Anoa'i wrestled no matches for the promotion before he was released in 2025.