[1][2][3] Mokuahi grew up in Honolulu, attending President Theodore Roosevelt High School, where he played multiple sports.

[1][4] Steamboat began his career with the Honolulu-based promotion 50th State Big Time Wrestling.

On January 25, 1961, Steamboat defeated Dick Hutton to win the NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Championship.

In the early 1960s, Steamboat relocated to the contiguous United States, where he competed for the Los Angeles, California–based promotion Worldwide Wrestling Associates.

[1] Fellow professional wrestler Ricky Steamboat took his ring name from Mokuahi due to their resemblance and was briefly billed as his younger brother, son or nephew.