The Headshrinkers

Samu and Fatu first appeared as a tag team in World Class Championship Wrestling as **The Samoan SWAT Team**. The storyline was that Buddy Roberts brought the team in to fight his fights against the Von Erich Family and former Fabulous Freebirds partner Michael Hayes. The team was presented as an unstoppable force, and even allowed to beat hometown heroes Kerry and Kevin Von Erich for the WCCW Tag Team Titles on August 12, 1988. The Samoans remained undefeated in WCCW until they came up against Roberts’ former partner Michael Hayes and Hayes new partner, "Do It To It" Steve Cox on September 12. The duo recaptured the titles four days later. Hayes and Cox would beat the Samoan SWAT Team for the titles once again on October 15, 1988, but lost it back two days later. On September 12, 1988, The Samoan SWAT Team become double champions as they beat "Hollywood" John Tatum and Jimmy Jack Funk. The Samoan SWAT Team made their pay-per-view debut at AWA SuperClash III, the first (and only) pay-per-view that the American Wrestling Association ever presented. The Samoans successfully defended their WCCW Tag Team titles against Michael Hayes and Steve Cox. In the beginning of 1989, the Samoans left WCCW, forcing both tag-team titles to be vacated due to the sudden departure.

The Samoan SWAT Team then signed with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and was brought in as manager Paul E. Dangerously's replacements for the "Original" Midnight Express who had left the promotion. The Samoans also took over the "Original" Midnight Express’ feud with the Midnight Express, beating the team at *Clash of the Champions VI* on April 2, 1989. At the 1989 Great American Bash, the Samoans teamed with former rival Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy and Jimmy Garvin, losing a WarGames match to The Road Warriors, the Midnight Express and Steve Williams. In the fall of 1989, Paul E. Dangerously was phased out and the Samoans were given a new manager: "The Big Kahuna" Oliver Humperdink. Their ranks were also bolstered by the addition of The Samoan Savage. The Samoans started to lose more and more matches as 1989 drew to a close, but their fortunes appeared to be changing due to the injury to Sid Vicious. Because Vicious was injured, The Skyscrapers had to pull out of the "Iron Team Tournament" at Starrcade 1989. The Samoan SWAT Team, now using the name **The New Wild Samoans** (a reference to the "original" Wild Samoans) were chosen to be their replacements – Fatu and the Samoan Savage, with no explanation of why the more experienced Samu was not chosen. For the remainder of the Samoan SWAT Team's time in WCW, Fatu and the Samoan Savage competed under the name the New Wild Samoans, while Samu made a few singles appearances.

In 1992, Samu and Fatu signed with the World Wrestling Federation, managed by Samu's father Afa. The team changed their name to "**the Headshrinkers**" but their gimmick remained the same, Samoan wildmen. The team debuted on an edition of *Prime Time Wrestling*, defeating local jobbers. As The Headshrinkers, they first made their presence known when they helped Money Inc. beat the Natural Disasters to win the WWF World Tag Team Championships. Early in their run with the WWF, the Headshrinkers feuded with the Natural Disasters and the recently formed High Energy.

Between 1992 and the early parts of 1994, the Headshrinkers maintained a position in the middle of the tag team division, occasionally challenging for the titles and making sporadic pay-per-view appearances feuding with teams like The Smokin' Gunns and Men on a Mission. The Headshrinkers assisted their relative Yokozuna in a casket match against The Undertaker at the 1994 Royal Rumble. In March 1994, the Headshrinkers turned face and challenged then-tag team champions The Quebecers, and with the addition of manager Lou Albano the team won the gold on May 2, 1994. At King of the Ring 1994, on June 19, the Headshrinkers successfully defended their tag team titles against Yokozuna and Crush. Their run with the titles came to a surprising end on an untelevised card on August 28, where they lost the titles to Shawn Michaels and Diesel. The title change happened just one day before they were scheduled to defend against Irwin R. Schyster and Bam Bam Bigelow. Soon after the title change, Samu left the WWF to recover from injuries and was replaced by Sione.

The new combination made only one pay-per-view appearance as a team which was at the 1994 Survivor Series, where they were quickly eliminated. The only other notable appearance of Fatu and Sione was as part of the tournament to crown new WWF Tag Team Champions in late 1994. The Headshrinkers lost to Bam Bam Bigelow and Tatanka in the semifinals. By July, the Headshrinkers dissolved, as Sione left the WWF for WCW. By this time, the team was used to put over new teams such as The Blu Brothers.