Posted on 5/12/125 by Ite Lemalu
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FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION
Polynesian Legacy in the Ring: “Pro Wrestling’s Pacific
Bloodline” Highlights the Real Story Behind WWE’s Bloodline
Auckland, New Zealand – 13 May 2025
Since its April 30 launch, Pro Wrestling’s Pacific
Bloodline: Family Over Everything by Ite Lemalu has become
an essential read for fans, scholars, and cultural critics
interested in the deep legacy of Polynesian representation
in pro wrestling.
This is not a conventional wrestling biography. Told through
the lens of a New Zealand-born Samoan, Lemalu weaves a
narrative that spans generations; from Peter Maivia and King
Haku to The Rock and Roman Reigns, while challenging how
Pacific athletes have been portrayed in the ring and
remembered in history.
“This book isn’t just about The Bloodline, it’s about the
voices that came before them, and the stories still waiting
to be told,” says Lemalu, who serves as content writer and
media relations manager for NJPW TAMASHII and the NZ Dojo.
The book combines personal storytelling, media critique, and
cultural analysis, tracing the movement of Polynesian
wrestlers through the territories, WWE, NJPW, and beyond.
While the spotlight often shines on Dwayne “The Rock”
Johnson and the Anoa‘i dynasty, Pacific Bloodline also
uplifts those too often left out of the official narrative:
Ata Johnson, Sam Fatu, Siva Afi, and more.
Structured like a cultural va’a (canoe), the book moves non-
linearly, circling back, reframing earlier events, and
reconnecting generations, much like the television series
The Crown, but with Samoan flair and grit.
Steeped in fa‘asamoa, advocacy, and insider perspective,
this work amplifies a side of wrestling often silenced: the
South Pacific voice. It’s as much about healing and
reclamation as it is about suplexes and storytelling.