Afa Anoa’i underwent a successful procedure to replace his aortic valve earlier this week.
On Sunday, the World Xtreme Wrestling Facebook page reported that the 81-year-old WWE Hall of Famer had the operation on Thursday, May 9th. He was discharged from hospital on Saturday, May 11th.
World Xtreme Wrestling, based in Florida, was founded by Afa in 1996 and is now run by his son Afa Jr.
The Facebook post reads:
On Thursday, our beloved patriarch Afa the Wild Samoan had a successful TAVR procedure to replace his aortic valve. Yesterday afternoon he was discharged from the hospital! We’re all so grateful that this final hurdle has been passed! Now he has more back rehabilitation to do, but our Pops kicked out again and is one of the strongest human beings in the world! Thank you all for your prayers and concern!
A TAVR is a transcatheter aortic valve replacement. The Mayo Clinic describes it as a “minimally invasive” procedure to treat aortic valve stenosis, a condition in which the heart’s aortic valve thickens and becomes stiff and narrow.
In January, Afa was hospitalized after suffering two mild cardiac event and a bout with pneumonia.
Afa Anoa’i competed with his younger brother Sika as The Wild Samoans for decades, holding more than 20 tag team championships around the world. The pair were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007.
