{"id":173432,"date":"2026-04-23T01:51:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T01:51:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/173432\/"},"modified":"2026-04-23T01:51:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T01:51:08","slug":"allentowns-lance-anoai-cousin-of-roman-reigns-wins-power-slap-debut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/173432\/","title":{"rendered":"Allentown’s Lance Anoa’i, cousin of Roman Reigns, wins Power Slap debut"},"content":{"rendered":"

BETHLEHEM, Pa. \u2014 Allentown native Lance Anoa\u2019i<\/a> knocked out Amanpreet Singh in the second round of his Power Slap debut Friday, April 17, at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, on a card that ran the same weekend as WrestleMania 42.<\/p>\n

The 34-year-old third-generation professional wrestler joined the Dana White-led slap fighting promotion after what he said was a sports hernia and a torn shoulder that cut short his WWE run.<\/p>\n

Power Slap 19 marked the first bout under the promotion\u2019s new five-year residency with MGM Resorts International, which runs through 2030 and calls for four events per year, according to a joint announcement from the two companies<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Power Slap was founded in 2022 by White, Lorenzo Fertitta and Craig Piligian in partnership with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and is sanctioned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.<\/p>\n

Competitors take turns delivering open-handed strikes to the face, with no defense permitted. The promotion airs its content exclusively on YouTube.<\/p>\n

Anoa\u2019i lost the coin toss and had to absorb the first slap. He went down and got back up.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was the toughest thing,\u201d Anoa\u2019i said. \u201cAnd then I was kind of like, all right, now I got it out of me. Now I\u2019m ready to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anoa\u2019i closed the bout in the second round with a strike he said he wound up using the sidearm throwing motion from his baseball days in Allentown.<\/p>\n

Video: LAS VEGAS \u2014 Lance Anoa\u2019i, of Allentown, Pa., knocks out Amanpreet Singh in the second round of his Power Slap debut at Power Slap 19 on Friday, April 17, 2026, at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. (Power Slap)<\/p>\n

\u201cI was always a sidearm thrower \u2014 I just did my measurement right,\u201d Anoa\u2019i said. \u201cI just cocked back and went, and I made great contact and laid my opponent down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anoa\u2019i is the grandson of the late WWE Hall of Famer Afa Anoa\u2019i Sr. of The Wild Samoans and the son of former WWE wrestler Samu of The Headshrinkers.<\/p>\n

He is a cousin of Dwayne \u201cThe Rock\u201d Johnson and Roman Reigns, who defeated CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship in the main event of WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium on April 19, two nights after Anoa\u2019i\u2019s debut.<\/p>\n

Anoa\u2019i said his family settled in the Lehigh Valley because his grandfather and The Rock\u2019s father, Rocky Johnson, wrestled regularly at the Allentown Fairgrounds during television tapings for WWE\u2019s predecessor, and eventually relocated there to stop traveling. The Rock spent time in the area as a kid as a result, he said.<\/p>\n

\"powerLAS VEGAS \u2014 Lance Anoa\u2019i, in black, walks out ahead of his Power Slap debut against Amanpreet Singh, shown on the screen behind him, during Power Slap 19 on Friday, April 17, 2026, at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. (Mike Kirschbaum\/Schiaffo LLC via Power Slap)<\/p>\n

Anoa\u2019i said his family\u2019s wrestling history shaped his decision to take the fight.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy Samoan family is known for being real disciplined,\u201d he said. \u201cI did get hit as a kid, man \u2014 but not like that. We got hit hard when we got in trouble. And I\u2019ll say, if I used to take it for free, why not just go and do this and give it a try?\u201d<\/p>\n

Anoa\u2019i said he graduated from William Allen High School in 2010. He played baseball through high school before a torn knee ended his senior year, he said, and he made his professional wrestling debut the same year at Mountainville Memorial Hall in Allentown \u2014 the longtime home of World Xtreme Wrestling, the promotion his grandfather founded in 1996.<\/p>\n

Anoa\u2019i signed with WWE in 2024 and was released in October 2025 after he said he suffered a bilateral sports hernia and a torn shoulder that kept him out of action. Power Slap contacted him roughly a month later, he said, and invited him to its combine, where the organization signed him to a contract.<\/p>\n

\u201cPolynesian culture \u2014 we could hit hard and we could take a hit,\u201d Anoa\u2019i said of the pitch.<\/p>\n

Training for Power Slap required a different approach than wrestling, he said. In addition to full-body workouts, he focused on neck and trap strength, hip mobility and jaw conditioning.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want a very strong neck for this sport,\u201d Anoa\u2019i said. \u201cYou need a very strong jaw to be able to take a hit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Power Slap non-title bouts run up to three rounds, with winners determined by knockout, technical knockout or judges\u2019 decision under the same scoring system used in UFC.<\/p>\n

The sport has drawn criticism from medical experts since its 2023 debut. Neurologists and brain-injury specialists have raised concerns about repeated open-handed strikes to the head, and at least one state, Alabama, has moved against the practice.<\/p>\n

White has defended the promotion, arguing that adults have the right to choose to participate in combat sports and pointing to medical safeguards built into Power Slap\u2019s rule set.<\/p>\n

Singh, a 35-year-old Indian wrestler who performs as Mahabali Shera, has a background in professional wrestling that includes a run with TNA\/Impact Wrestling and a brief stint in WWE\u2019s developmental system in 2018. Anoa\u2019i said he expected the fight to go the full three rounds.<\/p>\n

\u201cI definitely thought we might have went three rounds to a decision,\u201d Anoa\u2019i said. \u201cI\u2019m happy I got the knockout.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anoa\u2019i said he now lives in Orlando, Fla., but still travels to the Lehigh Valley every month for wrestling dates. He said he will appear at the Allentown Fair on Sept. 3 as part of the \u201cStars, Stripes & Slams\u201d card.<\/p>\n

The fair said it will be the first professional wrestling event to headline the grandstand in 32 years. Though not yet officially listed, Anoa\u2019i said he would be there.<\/p>\n

Anoa\u2019i holds the Battlefield Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Championship, according to Power Slap promotional materials, and said he plans to continue wrestling between Power Slap dates.<\/p>\n

\u201cI ain\u2019t stopping Power Slap now,\u201d Anoa\u2019i said. \u201cI\u2019m in there, I\u2019m ready to go. I don\u2019t care who it\u2019s against.\u201d<\/p>\n

Power Slap 19 was headlined by Dayne \u201cDa Hawaiian Hitman\u201d Viernes, who retained his Super Heavyweight Title over Makini \u201cBig Mak\u201d Manu by split decision, according to the official Power Slap results<\/a>. Anoa\u2019i\u2019s bout does not appear in Power Slap\u2019s published results for the card.<\/p>\n

Anoa\u2019i said it was a preliminary fight recorded for later release. The full fight is scheduled to be posted on Power Slap\u2019s YouTube channel<\/a> at 9 a.m. Thursday, April 23.<\/p>\n

Asked what he would tell young people in the Lehigh Valley hoping to follow a similar path, Anoa\u2019i said the answer was the same for any field.<\/p>\n

\u201cLock in,\u201d he said. \u201cIf this is something you really want to do \u2014 whether wrestling, sports, any kind, anything you want to do in life \u2014 you just want to make that your main focus. Get good grades in school, and just focus. Give it your all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n This is the part where we ask.\n <\/p>\n

\n No billionaire owner. No paywall. Just you keeping local news free.\n <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

$5 keeps us going
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

\n 100% funds local journalism.\n <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Jai <\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Jai Smith is the founder and editor of Lehigh Daily, covering local government and community across Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton. He built the site from scratch in June 2024 and runs it daily \u2014 reporting, photography, video, and development. A full-stack developer by trade, Jai has appeared on Lenfest panels on creator journalism and the evolving news landscape, participated in Knight Media Forum events, appeared on WHYY, and works with Free Press on state legislation to fund local news. He lives in Bethlehem with his family.<\/p>\n