History Main / WildSamoan

* Non-wrestling example (though it's not ''too'' far off): the recent revival of ''Series/AmericanGladiators'' included a Wild Samoan who went by "Toa" (the Samoan word for "warrior").
** And who coincidentally is a cousin of [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]], a decidedly non-Wild Samoan.

** A few kickboxers fit this trope as well: Mark Hunt, Ray Sefo and Mighty Mo (although, considering his [[GlassCannon susceptibility to knockouts]] he may count as a subversion).

** Averted by Troy Polamalu, who played his entire NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He is of Samoan descent (albeit born and raised in the US) and was every bit the warrior during the game. However, off the field, he is very soft-spoken, laid back and sweet-natured.

* Referenced in ''Film/FastAndFurious6'', where the character played by Creator/DwayneJohnson is referred to as "Samoan ComicBook/{{Thor}}" at one point.

* [[FatBastard King Hippo]] from the ''VideoGame/PunchOut'' series is described as coming from the fictional [[BananaRepublic Hippo Island]], and in his Wii incarnation talks exclusively in grunts and roars.

You probably don't need to be told this (what with all the {{Foreign Wrestling Heel}}s running around), but ProfessionalWrestling isn't very culturally sensitive. Nowhere is this more evident than the Wild Samoan [[TheGimmick gimmick]] (or Tongan, or Fijian, or Marquesan, [[LongList or...]]). Basically, in wrestling world, if you come from a small South Pacific island, you talk in grunts, groans, and gibberish, you devour raw fish on the way to the ring (not ''prepared'' raw fish like sushi either, just plain, whole, raw fish)... and [[WrestlingMonster you destroy everything in your path in the most brutal manner possible]]. Oh, and your head is [[HardHead hard enough to break concrete]]. Most fans know literally nothing about Samoa other than the absurd amounts of wrestlers (and absurd amounts of NFL players) who just seem to appear out of thin air. We have seen no proof that the entire island isn't just one very large wrestling school.

[[folder: Film]]
* Doctor Gonzo from ''Literature/FearAndLoathingInLasVegas'' is described as Samoan (though his real name was Oscar Zeta Acosta and he was Chicano). The charade carries over from the books, and was pretty much necessary to keep Acosta from being disbarred.
* Averted in ''Film/LandOfTheDead'' with [[TheBigGuy Pilsbury]], who remains calm and collected despite the ZombieApocalypse, even when his HotBlooded teammate makes a small jab at Samoans.
* Referenced in ''Film/FastAndFurious6'', where the character played by Creator/DwayneJohnson is referred to as "Samoan ComicBook/{{Thor}}" at one point.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Literature]]
* Amazing (and appalling) that it isn't discredited yet, as it was subverted as far back as ''Literature/MobyDick''. Queequeg is an "islander" from somewhere in the Pacific, and Ishmael initially fears him as a dangerous savage, but he turns out to be a basically civilized and decent fellow with some peculiar cultural mannerisms.
* The plot of the novel ''Bora Bora'' by Spanish author Alberto Vázquez-Figueroa revolves around a crew of Polynesian sailors from the eponymous island tracking down for revenge a crew of savage pirates from Micronesia who had robbed their island some time in the 1660s. The pirates play the trope as good as possible, being at the same time cruel, wild, uncivilised, horribly tattooed, [[RapePillageAndBurn with no respect for laws of humanity]] and [[ImAHumanitarian cannibals]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Live Action TV]]
* Non-wrestling example (though it's not ''too'' far off): the recent revival of ''Series/AmericanGladiators'' included a Wild Samoan who went by "Toa" (the Samoan word for "warrior").
** And who coincidentally is a cousin of [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]], a decidedly non-Wild Samoan.
* ''Series/ThePriceIsRight'''s Bob Barker was infamously wary of any Samoans (or anyone who looked like one) who got to Contestants Row, given their alleged tendency to pick him up in bear hugs out of jubilation.
* There was some game show on ''Series/BoyMeetsWorld'' where the losers were attacked by Samoans. Even in the home edition.
* The Māori are portrayed this way in ''Series/DeadliestWarrior''.
* On ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', Jadzia's bachelorette party included one of these, a crewman named Manuele Atoa.
* ''Wizard'' deckhand Freddy Maughtai on ''Series/DeadliestCatch'' embodies most of the stereotypes: his English is heavily accented (the show actually often captions his lines, though he's not that hard to understand), he will take fish out of the crab pots and begin to eat them raw (scales, bones and all), and most recently, when the ''Wizard'' spotted a walrus carcass (with valuable tusks) and tried to harvest it, they were having trouble getting a rope around it to haul it up. Freddy's solution was to strip down to his sweatpants and jump into the '''Bering Sea in January''', when the water temperature is around 35 degrees Fahrenheit (about 2 degrees Celsius) to fix the rope around it. Ship captain Keith Colburn and the rest of the crew almost went nuts, and they quickly fished him out. Keith was extremely frightened by Freddy's actions, but Freddy himself seemed to view it as no big deal. Of special note was that being in water that cold for one minute generally results in the beginning stages of hypothermia. Freddy was in the water for ''two'' minutes, and according to Keith, his skin didn't even feel cold. He was back working on deck within minutes, once he'd changed into dry clothes.
* ''Series/YoungRock'' depicts the actual Trope Namers, Afa and Sika, but is overall a deconstruction of the trope. All of the Samoans in the story are well-spoken and only use the gimmicks in the ring. The Wrestling/TheWildSamoans themselves are shown to be [[NiceGuy jovial and friendly]] in contrast to their {{Kayfabe}} personas. Of course, Dwayne Johnson himself is a subversion of the trope.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* [[FatBastard King Hippo]] from the ''VideoGame/PunchOut'' series is described as coming from the fictional [[BananaRepublic Hippo Island]], and in his Wii incarnation talks exclusively in grunts and roars.
* Despite hailing from the Dominican Republic, "Missing IQ" Gomes/[[DubNameChange "King" Rasta Mon]] was ''VideoGame/SaturdayNightSlamMasters''' tribute to this trope. He even had a monkey for a manager.
* Queequeg in ''VideoGame/CodenameSTEAM'' has this appearance.
* Averted with Hunter from ''VideoGame/StarlinkBattleForAtlas'', though he is still a capable soldier, pilot, and warrior whose talents focus on raw offense. He's basically the ''calmest'' playable character in the game.
* Floyd Iraia from ''VideoGame/{{Streets Of Rage}} 4'' is a towering [[MightyGlacier powerhouse]] of Maori heritage who throws enemies around like ragdolls. Some of his animations even pay homage to the Haka dance. [[DownplayedTrope That said]], when he's not fighting crooks, he's pretty relaxed.

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Heavyweight boxer David Tua certainly qualifies, at least early in his career. And yes, he is Samoan.
** A few kickboxers fit this trope as well: Mark Hunt, Ray Sefo and Mighty Mo (although, considering his [[GlassCannon susceptibility to knockouts]] he may count as a subversion).
* A disproportionate number of UsefulNotes/AmericanFootball players come from American Samoa. According to a ''Series/SixtyMinutes'' piece on the subject, it helps that they're taller on average than other Americans, have a strong warrior-culture influence, and spend a great part of their day from a young age in hard agricultural labor, as compared to the more sedate lifestyle in the US mainland.
** Averted by Troy Polamalu, who played his entire NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He is of Samoan descent (albeit born and raised in the US) and was every bit the warrior during the game. However, off the field, he is very soft-spoken, laid back and sweet-natured.
* Many top-class rugby players are Polynesian (which includes New Zealand's Māori). While things are improving, there's still a tendency to overemphasise their strength and agression instead of, say, tactical genius or discipline (and vice-versa with white players).
* The first non-Japanese wrestler to reach the second-highest rank in sumo (ozeki) was Konishiki Yasokichi (born Saleva'a Fuauli Atisano'e), a Hawaiian of Samoan descent. During his time in active competition, he was the heaviest man in sumo and dominated bouts with his sheer size and strength, and came close to being the first non-Japanese wrestler to achieve the highest rank of yokozuna. The second of two Americans who became yokozuna, Musashimaru, was also Samoan (the first, Akebono, was of native Hawaiian descent).

* {{Subverted|Trope}} by the Samoano Brothers Samoano and Tonga of Lucha Liga Elite. They certainly act like Wild Samoans but they are in fact Mexicans wearing Polynesian war masks. The actual Pacific Islanders such as Tama Tonga tend to be less wild (which is saying something considering [[Wrestling/GuerrillasOfDestiny Tama Tonga]]'s [[ThisMeansWarPaint war paint]] extends to his [[BadassBeard beard]]).

* ''Series/YoungRock'' depicts the actual Trope Namers, Afa and Sika, but is overall a deconstruction of the trope. All of the Samoans in the story are well-spoken and only use the gimmicks in the ring. The Wrestling/WildSamoans themselves are shown to be [[NiceGuy jovial and friendly]] in contrast to their {{Kayfabe}} personas. Of course, Dwayne Johnson himself is a subversion of the trope.

* ''Series/YoungRock'' depicts the actual Trope Namers, Afa and Sika, but is overall a deconstruction of the trope. All of the Samoans in the story are well-spoken and only use the gimmicks in the ring. The ProfessionalWrestling/WildSamoans themselves are shown to be jovial and friendly in contrast to their {{Kayfabe}} personas. Dwayne Johnson himself is a subversion of the trope, even as a kid.

* ''Series/YoungRock'' depicts the actual Trope Namers, Afa and Sika, but is overall a deconstruction of the trope. All of the Samoans in the story are well-spoken [[NiceGuy nice people]] and only use the gimmicks in the ring. Dwayne Johnson himself is a subversion of the trope, even as a kid.

* '''[[{{Series}}/YoungRock Young Rock]]''' depicts the actual Trope Namers, Afa and Sika, but is overall a deconstruction of the trope. All of the Samoans in the story are well-spoken [[NiceGuy nice people]] and only use the gimmicks in the ring. Dwayne Johnson himself is a subversion of the trope, even as a kid.

[[folder: Professional Wrestling ]]

[[folder: Film ]]
* Doctor Gonzo from ''Literature/FearAndLoathingInLasVegas'' is described as Samoan (though his real name was Oscar Zeta Acosta and he was Chicano). The charade carries over from the books, and was pretty much necessary to keep Acosta from being disbarred.
* Averted in ''Film/LandOfTheDead'' with [[TheBigGuy Pilsbury]], who remains calm and collected despite the ZombieApocalypse, even when his HotBlooded teammate makes a small jab at Samoans.
* Referenced in ''Film/FastAndFurious6'', where the character played by Creator/DwayneJohnson is referred to as "Samoan ComicBook/{{Thor}}" at one point.

[[folder: Literature ]]
* Amazing (and appalling) that it isn't discredited yet, as it was subverted as far back as ''Literature/MobyDick''. Queequeg is an "islander" from somewhere in the Pacific, and Ishmael initially fears him as a dangerous savage, but he turns out to be a basically civilized and decent fellow with some peculiar cultural mannerisms.
* The plot of the novel ''Bora Bora'' by Spanish author Alberto Vázquez-Figueroa revolves around a crew of Polynesian sailors from the eponymous island tracking down for revenge a crew of savage pirates from Micronesia who had robbed their island some time in the 1660s. The pirates play the trope as good as possible, being at the same time cruel, wild, uncivilised, horribly tattooed, [[RapePillageAndBurn with no respect for laws of humanity]] and [[ImAHumanitarian cannibals]].

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]
* Non-wrestling example (though it's not ''too'' far off): the recent revival of ''Series/AmericanGladiators'' included a Wild Samoan who went by "Toa" (the Samoan word for "warrior").
** And who coincidentally is a cousin of [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]], a decidedly non-Wild Samoan.
* ''Series/ThePriceIsRight'''s Bob Barker was infamously wary of any Samoans (or anyone who looked like one) who got to Contestants Row, given their alleged tendency to pick him up in bear hugs out of jubilation.
* There was some game show on ''Series/BoyMeetsWorld'' where the losers were attacked by Samoans. Even in the home edition.
* The Māori are portrayed this way in ''Series/DeadliestWarrior''.
* On ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', Jadzia's bachelorette party included one of these, a crewman named Manuele Atoa.
* ''Wizard'' deckhand Freddy Maughtai on ''Series/DeadliestCatch'' embodies most of the stereotypes: his English is heavily accented (the show actually often captions his lines, though he's not that hard to understand), he will take fish out of the crab pots and begin to eat them raw (scales, bones and all), and most recently, when the ''Wizard'' spotted a walrus carcass (with valuable tusks) and tried to harvest it, they were having trouble getting a rope around it to haul it up. Freddy's solution was to strip down to his sweatpants and jump into the '''Bering Sea in January''', when the water temperature is around 35 degrees Fahrenheit (about 2 degrees Celsius) to fix the rope around it. Ship captain Keith Colburn and the rest of the crew almost went nuts, and they quickly fished him out. Keith was extremely frightened by Freddy's actions, but Freddy himself seemed to view it as no big deal. Of special note was that being in water that cold for one minute generally results in the beginning stages of hypothermia. Freddy was in the water for ''two'' minutes, and according to Keith, his skin didn't even feel cold. He was back working on deck within minutes, once he'd changed into dry clothes.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* [[FatBastard King Hippo]] from the ''VideoGame/PunchOut'' series is described as coming from the fictional [[BananaRepublic Hippo Island]], and in his Wii incarnation talks exclusively in grunts and roars.
* Despite hailing from the Dominican Republic, "Missing IQ" Gomes/[[DubNameChange "King" Rasta Mon]] was ''VideoGame/SaturdayNightSlamMasters''' tribute to this trope. He even had a monkey for a manager.
* Queequeg in ''VideoGame/CodenameSTEAM'' has this appearance.
* Averted with Hunter from ''VideoGame/StarlinkBattleForAtlas'', though he is still a capable soldier, pilot, and warrior whose talents focus on raw offense. He's basically the ''calmest'' playable character in the game.
* Floyd Iraia from ''VideoGame/{{Streets Of Rage}} 4'' is a towering [[MightyGlacier powerhouse]] of Maori heritage who throws enemies around like ragdolls. Some of his animations even pay homage to the Haka dance. [[DownplayedTrope That said]], when he's not fighting crooks, he's pretty relaxed.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Heavyweight boxer David Tua certainly qualifies, at least early in his career. And yes, he is Samoan.
** A few kickboxers fit this trope as well: Mark Hunt, Ray Sefo and Mighty Mo (although, considering his [[GlassCannon susceptibility to knockouts]] he may count as a subversion).
* A disproportionate number of UsefulNotes/AmericanFootball players come from American Samoa. According to a ''Series/SixtyMinutes'' piece on the subject, it helps that they're taller on average than other Americans, have a strong warrior-culture influence, and spend a great part of their day from a young age in hard agricultural labor, as compared to the more sedate lifestyle in the US mainland.
** Averted by Troy Polamalu, who played his entire NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He is of Samoan descent (albeit born and raised in the US) and was every bit the warrior during the game. However, off the field, he is very soft-spoken, laid back and sweet-natured.
* Many top-class rugby players are Polynesian (which includes New Zealand's Māori). While things are improving, there's still a tendency to overemphasise their strength and agression instead of, say, tactical genius or discipline (and vice-versa with white players).
* The first non-Japanese wrestler to reach the second-highest rank in sumo (ozeki) was Konishiki Yasokichi (born Saleva'a Fuauli Atisano'e), a Hawaiian of Samoan descent. During his time in active competition, he was the heaviest man in sumo and dominated bouts with his sheer size and strength, and came close to being the first non-Japanese wrestler to achieve the highest rank of yokozuna. The second of two Americans who became yokozuna, Musashimaru, was also Samoan (the first, Akebono, was of native Hawaiian descent).
[[/folder]]