However, Tonga did manage to defeat the IWGP United States Champion, Juice Robinson, as well as that year's B Block winner, Kota Ibushi. [8][9] He was raised in Kissimmee, Florida, attending Osceola High School. Jeff Sharp is a freelance writer from Parts Unknown. For exclusive Tama's Island content please visit the Tama's Island Patreon page! Afterwards, White, Chris Bey, and the Good Brothers all gave the 'too sweet' hand gesture in the middle of the ring signalling that Tonga and Loa had been kicked out of the group. He made his debut in November 1974 and reached the rank of Makushita 27. 402. We use cookies to improve user experience. Divisions: Makuuchi Jry Makushita Sandanme Jonidan Jonokuchi. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. In the summer of 1991 Haku began to appear in Super World Sports in Japan for joint WWF/SWS cards. So we went and sat in the other corner away from them. He would later lose the crown to Hacksaw Jim Duggan[7] who himself was crowned as "King Duggan". He has a half-brother, Tama Tonga, and is the cousin and adopted brother of Tanga Loa and Vika. I have no negativity with it. The team also had a classic feud with The British Bulldogs that was started when the Islanders, along with Bobby Heenan, kidnapped the Bulldogs' mascot, a bulldog named Matilda. Please logout and login again. Amid rumors of WWE potentially building a working relationship with New Japan Pro Wrestling, several NJPW talent took to social media to further tease the possibility of working with WWE. He attended Florida's Webber International University, majoring in sport management and playing basketball as a center for the Webber International Warriors. Few will understand the love and admiration I have for the country, fans and the people of Japan. The team's manager, Bobby Heenan, blamed Andr for the loss and even slapped the Giant, who retaliated by "paint-brushing" Heenan. [1][3], Koloamatangi was trained to wrestle by Bully Ray and Devon at the Team 3D Academy in Florida. Born in the South Pacific island which shares his first name, Tonga Uliuli Fifita was entrenched in athletic competition from an early age. In January 2021, Guerrillas of Destiny won the IWGP Tag Team Championships from Dangerous Tekkers. Home; News; Reviews; Humor; Mechanics; You are here: Home / anoa'i family tree [15] Tonga was one of sixteen wrestlers who competed in the 2010 Best of the Super Juniors tournament. You can check out the entire video interview below, read the full interview here, or read on for Tama Tonga's thoughts on Roman Reigns. In the spring of 1999, when Ric Flair was the (kayfabe) president on WCW programming, the barbaric Meng would often annihilate Flair's enemies per his instructions. [53] NJPW's most prestigious tournament, it entitles its winner to an IWGP Heavyweight Championship title match at the next Wrestle Kingdom., Tonga's participation in the G1 was seen as a major step-up. Tama Tonga has announced that he has signed a new deal with New Japan Pro Wrestling, after recently teasing an AEW debut. [32] Tonga next made it to the finals of the 2012 La Copa Junior Tournament, where, on December 14, he was defeated by La Sombra in the main event of CMLL's 2012 Sin Piedad ("No Mercy") show. Leone is the cousin of Bullet Club member Bad Luck Fale, they both spent their early childhoods in Mua, Tonga without meeting. NJPW star Tama Tonga returned to the ring this past week at NJPW Strong after a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to travel restrictions, but The Bullet Club OG has kept himself very busy by starting up his own podcast, Tama's Island, among others things. You know. The heel Tonga was managed by former wrestler Tarzan "The Boot" Tyler. Views. He also participated in matches for the newly introduced WCW Hardcore Championship toward the end of 1999. 94 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the, Ranked No. He was initially portrayed as the mysterious and intimidating bodyguard of Col. They are the fourth largest Pacific Islander American group while the Samoans are second in population. NJPW star Tama Tonga returned to the ring this past week at NJPW Strong after a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to travel restrictions, but The Bullet Club OG has kept himself very busy by. What do you think of being compared to Roman Reigns? January 4, 2023. The duo has already established their place as one of the most successful tag teams in NJPW history. [43], On 4 January 2016, at Wrestle Kingdom 10, Tonga teamed with Fale and Yujiro Takahashi to take part in a match to determine the inaugural NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions, they were defeated by Jay Briscoe, Mark Briscoe and Toru Yano when Jay pinned Tonga. He was promoted to the main roster in 2011, where he worked . Their feud ended after a 6-man tag team match at WrestleMania IV where The Islanders and Heenan (wearing an attack dog outfit) defeated the Bulldogs and Koko B. Ware when Heenan pinned Koko. But it's all good, we have that understanding. Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa are currently in their seventh reign as IWGP Tag Team Champions. Winless in these matches, he then became part of the Heenan Family feud against The Big Boss Man and participated in the 1990 Survivor Series. He was touted as being a former bodyguard to the Emperor of Japan and was initially called The Monster. While their banter is entertaining, wrestling fans cant help but notice how the two could really pass as brothers! However, in 1975 the stablemaster who recruited him died, and he and the other five Tongan wrestlers got entangled in a dispute with his successor, which led to him being forced to retire by the Japan Sumo Association in 1976.[4]. #theOC. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. So that's all positive. He defeated Nobuo Yoshihashi,[16] and Akira,[17] but lost to Ryusuke Taguchi,[18] Fujita Hayato,[19] Kenny Omega,[20] Koji Kanemoto,[21] and Taiji Ishimori, ending with four points, second to last his group. [88] He finished with 10 points, defeating IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Jay White to advance to the semi-finals. He had less success than the previous year with a solitary victory over the team of King Fale/Yuji Nagata,[28] and losses against the other teams. [69], On February 23, 2019, they would regain the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Titles by defeating Sanada & Evil at Honor Rising 2019: Day 2, starting their fifth reign. [9], After graduating from Poinciana High School high-school, he joined the United States Air Force and was stationed for six years at Whiteman Air Force Base, serving as a B-2 Spirit mechanic. Fifita previously worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) under the ring name Micah and for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) under the name Camacho, the bodyguard and occasional tag team partner of Hunico, as well as occasionally . Fightful Select reports that WWE is interested in Tama Tonga, who recently competed at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 and defeated WWE's Karl Anderson. Tonga is the reigning NEVER Openweight Champion, winning the belt from Karl Anderson at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17. All it means is that WWE is much bigger than NJPW. This led to Hikuleo answering White's "U.S of Jay" open challenge at Mutiny in April 2022, however White defeated Hikuleo, who gave White the "too sweet" gesture post-match, confirming his loyalty to Bullet Club. Haku would later go on to form the tag team known as The Colossal Connection with Andr the Giant and win the WWF Tag Team Championship from Demolition on 30 December edition of Superstars (taped on 13 December). 40. Be the first one to comment on this story. [17] The following day, Haku teamed with his son and fellow Bullet Club members Doc Gallows, Karl Anderson and Yujiro Takahashi in a ten-man tag team match, where they defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Kushida, Satoshi Kojima, Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma. Heenan said that if he hadn't been there and seen it himself, he wouldn't believe it. He wrestles under the ring name Hikuleo[22] previously, Leo Tonga. Haku then delivered a piledriver to Omega onto a steel chair, leaving the Firing Squad standing tall at the end as they declared themselves to be the real Bullet Club. The latest Twitter feud stems from wrestling heavyweights Tama Tonga and Roman Reigns beefing online. The family also boasts a former wrestling champion, Sam Fatu, who went by several stage names. Tama Tonga (@Tama_Tonga) February 7, 2022 Tama has been with NJPW since 2010. [2][4][7], Koloamatangi and his elder brother Alipate were adopted by their maternal aunt, Dorothy Koloamatangi, and her husband Tonga Fifita, who brought them to the United States. Sullivan said that as they drove from the bar he saw police cars pulling into the parking lot, but authorities didn't pursue them and no charges were ever filed. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. [12][13] He joined the gaijin heel stable Bullet Club alongside his brothers Tanga Loa and Tama Tonga and his cousin Bad Luck Fale, substituting for the injured Kenny Omega. It was in Baltimore Airportme and Siva Afi went over and there were lots of babyfaces there at the bar. They finished at the bottom of their block with a record of three wins and four losses. Tama Tonga was one of 16 wrestlers that competed in the 2010 Best of the Super Juniors tournament. [30] His debut match for CMLL saw him participate in the 2012 edition of CMLL's Leyenda de Azul tournament. It isn't a diss to Tonga at all. Rhodes and Omega would feud in both ROH and New Japan for a chunk of 2018 before Tama Tonga led the charge against all members of The Elite. The fake wrestlers on TV?' Is Tama Tonga related to WWE megastar Roman Reigns? Haku is somehow related to the Rock and Romans branches of the family. The reigning IWGP Tag Team Champion put Roman Reigns and The Usos on notice in one of his latest tweets. [14] Alipate Aloisio Leone, popularly known as Tama Tonga, is often linked with WWE Champion Roman Reigns. What was that comparison like for you? All this made Bocchi the Rock!far more than the sum of its parts, and music lovers may want to know what kind of instruments . Tonga was under a 24-hour Twitter lockout, due to his recent posts having violated Twitters rules. With his finger now pointed firmly at Roman Reigns, the two have engaged in an online war. Just after WrestleMania, Haku became the first wrestler to challenge the new WWF champion, The Ultimate Warrior, but he lost the match. Meng appeared at Chikara's King of Trios 2012 tournament, held on 1416 September in Easton, Pennsylvania, teaming with The Barbarian and The Warlord under the team name the Faces of Pain. While Tama stayed neutral at Strong Style Evolved before a tag team match against Marty Scurll and Cody, Tama stated if he were to be on a team it wouldn't be Team Cody. Tama Tonga Looking to Prove He Can Win As a Singles Competitor A featured part of Bullet Club, Tama Tonga is a six-time IWGP tag champ. Fresh off his victory over El Phantasmo at NJPW The New Beginning in Osaka, Tama Tonga is ready for new challenges. Published Nov 22, 2016. One of the wrestlers who teased the idea of a dream match-up was Tama Tonga. In a shoot interview Bobby Heenan talked extensively about Meng and referred to him as the toughest man he has ever met. 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