Lance Anoa'i delivered an emphatic debut in Dana White's Power Slap promotion on Friday night, knocking out heavyweight opponent Amanpreet Singh at Power Slap 19 from The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas.
The third-generation wrestler, cousin to Roman Reigns, The Rock, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, Solo Sikoa, and Jacob Fatu, needed just one sit-down slap to finish the job. Power Slap's official account confirmed the finish on X, posting, "SAT HIM DOWN @LanceAnoai with the debut KO!"
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From WWE Release to Power Slap Debut
The 34-year-old is no stranger to combat, but this represents a dramatic career pivot. Anoa'i was released from WWE in October 2025 alongside Wes Lee and several other talents, ending a developmental run that never produced a single sanctioned match due to back-to-back injuries.
Anoa'i signed with WWE in the summer of 2024 and was assigned to NXT, but a sports hernia and torn shoulder shelved him for the duration of his deal. He was cleared in late September 2025 and released weeks later.
In December 2025, the former MLW World Tag Team Champion announced his Power Slap pivot at the promotion's Combine #4, telling Slap News his release was fueling the career change. He explained that wrestling had been in his family for generations, and stepping into Power Slap was about separating himself from sports entertainment to potentially knock someone out.
Carrying a Samoan Wrestling Legacy
Anoa'i made his pro wrestling debut in 2010 and built his reputation in Major League Wrestling, where he captured the MLW World Tag Team Championship with Juicy Finau in January 2023 as part of The Samoan SWAT Team. He also competed in Pro Wrestling NOAH's N-1 Victory 2023 tournament.
His father is Samu of The Headshrinkers, and his grandfather was the late WWE Hall of Famer Afa Anoa'i of The Wild Samoans. His most notable WWE television appearance came on the May 27, 2019 episode of Raw, when he faced Shane McMahon during Shane's feud with Roman Reigns.
Power Slap 19, headlined by Da Hawaiian Hitman vs. Makini Manu, streamed live and free on the promotion's YouTube channel.
