Title History
- NWA Hawaii Heavyweight title defeating Luigi Macera (June 14, 1961);
- NWA Hawaii Tag Team titles w/Billy White Wolf defeating Ted Travis & Shoulders Newman (June 28, 1961);
- NWA Hawaii Tag Team titles w/James Blears defeating Ted Travis & Shoulders Newman (November 9, 1961);
- NWA Hawaii Tag Team titles w/James Blears defeating Ted Travis & Shoulders Newman (November 22, 1961);
- NWA Hawaii Heavyweight title defeating Masked Executioner (April 4, 1962);
- NWA Hawaii Tag Team titles w/James Blears defeating Tosh Togo & Curtis Iaukea (February 15, 1963);
- NWA Hawaii Heavyweight title defeating Gene LeBelle (April 24, 1963);
- NWA Hawaii Heavyweight title defeating Hardboiled Haggerty (April 8, 1964);
- NWA Hawaii Tag Team titles w/James Blears defeating Nikita Mulkovich & Mr. Moto (July 29, 1964);
- NWA Hawaii Heavyweight title defeating Gene Kiniski (August 27, 1964);
- NWA Hawaii Heavyweight title defeating Ripper Collins (August 24, 1966);
Career Highlights
- June 14, 1961: Neff Maivia defeated Luigi Macera to win the NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Title
- August 16, 1961: King Curtis Iaukea defeated Neff Maivia to win the NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Title
- November 9, 1961: Neff Maivia & James Blears beat Shoulders Newman & Ted Travis to win the NWA Hawaii Tag Team Titles
- November 11, 1961: Shoulders Newman & Ted Travis beat Neff Maivia & James Blears to regain the NWA Hawaii Tag Team Titles
- November 22, 1961: Neff Maivia & Lord James Blears beat Shoulders Newman & Ted Travis to recapture the NWA Tag Team Titles
- April 4, 1962: Neff Maivia defeated The Masked Executioner to win the NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Title
- September 12, 1962: Curtis Iaukea & Tosh Togo defeated Neff Maivia & Lord James Blears to win the NWA Hawaii Tag Team Titles
- February 15, 1963: Neff Maivia & Lord James Blears beat Curtis Iaukea & Tosh Togo to win back the NWA Hawaii Tag Team Titles
- February 15, 1963: Gene LeBelle defeated Neff Maivia to win the NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Title
- April 24, 1963: Neff Maivia defeated Gene LeBelle to regain the NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Title
- August 1, 1963: Curtis Iaukea & Cowboy Cassidy defeated Neff Maivia & Lord James Blears to win the NWA Hawaii Tag Team Title
- February 6, 1964: Hard Boiled Haggerty defeated Neff Maivia to win the NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Title
- April 8, 1964: Neff Maivia defeated Hard Boiled Haggerty to win the NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Title
- July 16, 1964: Gene Kiniski defeated Neff Maivia to win the NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Title
- July 29, 1964: Neff Maivia & Lord James Blears defeated Mr. Moto & Nikita Mulkovich to win the NWA Hawaii Tag Team Titles
- August 27. 1964: Neff Maivia defeated Gene Kiniski to regain the NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Title
- October 7, 1964: Johnny Barend defeated Neff Maivia to win the NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Title
- January 7, 1965: Curtis Iaukea & Mr. Fujiwara (Mr. Fuji) beat Neff Maivia & James Blears to win the NWA Hawaii Tag Team Titles
- June 24, 1966: Neff Maivia defeated Ripper Collins to win the NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Title
- Neff Maiava was known for walking on a bed of nails that they would bring into the ring and he would walk on it..
- Neff Maiava wrote a children’s book (Island Heritage) called “Da Grouchy Moocher Boogie Man.”According to the majority of wrestling record books and title histories, Neff Maiava’s surname was recorded as Maivia. Neff Maiava never used the Maivia name during his wrestling career. He has always gone by his family name Neff Maiava (Mai-ava) * Peter Maivia wrestled in Europe with the surname Anderson and when Maiava popularized the Samoan gimmick Maivia was sent to learn it from Maiava, thus he took the fake surname Maivia to be billed as Maiava’s cousin * Maivia’s quick rise to stardom led to the popularizing of the surname Maivia and non Samoan speakers often mixed up the two very similar names which is why Neff’s surname is sometimes recorded as Maivia instead of his true surname Maiava * Neff Maiava was born in American Samoa, and was moved to Hawaii at the age of 2 months old * Neff Maiava was one of the early pioneers for Polynesian wrestlers. Neff was also a pioneer in hardcore wrestling. * Neff Maiava broke boards over his head, he walked over legit boards of nails, and fans would put their cigarettes out on Neff’s feet. * Neff Maiava performed the fire and knife dances during shows also * In one of his early matches, Neff’s finisher the Headbutt was invented when both he and Bobo Brazil went criss-cross off the ropes and collided heads together in Madison Square Garden Maiava pinned Bobo * Neff’s manager, Coconut Wily would bang a drum while he entered the ringNeff Maiava once had an encounter with a bear at a wrestling show. A fellow wrestler had hired to wrestle the bear. The wrestler spent all day tormenting the animal as it was locked in a cage. When it came time for the man to wrestle the bear, the bear was furious, and it stood up a full 10 feet. The wrestler ran away, leaving Neff Maiava (who wasn’t even booked for the angle) to take matters into his own hands. Neff had his own honey which he ate to give him energy for his matches. Neff rubbed the honey all over his body, he entered the ring and lay down on the canvas. The bear licked Neff all up as the crowd watched in awe * Neff Maiava stayed in complete kayfabe when he toured around the Unites States. He never spoke a word of English when he travelled. Wrestling fans recognised Neff on the street and would help him cross the road believing that he didn’t know what the green and red lights symbolised. * When Neff was thrown out of the ring during his matches, he’d land next to the women and rub himself up against their legs because “he didn’t know better”. * Neff also had a liking for ties. He would play with the announcer’s tie during his interviews * A female fan told Neff that she almost missed giving birth in the hospital because her husband was busy watching one of his matches * While waiting for her husband in the car, she heard him scream “give him the headbutt” and immediately knew who’s match her husband was watching * Neff challenged Kowalski (who stood 6’5) to a contest to see who could jump the highest. Kowalski refused to at first, but eventually caved in due to Neff poking his chest — Kowalski jumped 4 feet high. Neff told Kowalski he can jump higher. Neff breathed in and out, pacing, and preparing himself for a massive jump. He puts all emotion into his face, and then jumps an inch off the ground. The effect was so funny to Killer that he broke into a laughing fit. * Neff Maiava was active in wrestling for 40 years * Neff Maiava is now an accomplished writer of children’s books, and composes songs
Neff Maiava’s daughter, Michele, contributed to the completion of this profile, and sent in these comments: He was known for his head butt, doing the fire knife dance, walking on a bed of nails that they would bring into the ring and he would walk on it. I remember that when I was small and how it was so sharp. He was also known to have the wild hair and if his opponant would put their hands into his hair, he would twist and cut their fingers. He was also known to have his hair tied to a rope and they would raise him up in the ring by his hair. There was so many funny things that my Dad did in the ring but the best story I remember was when he had to fight a grizzly bear in the ring. A whole bunch of wrestlers was in the ring and one by one they all ran away and then my Dad started to wrestle the bear and he brought the bear down on the mat and layed on him for the count. My father put honey all over his chest and the bear was licking him and layed down. That was funny.