Roman to GOD: "You boys will Acknowledge me as your tribal chief. Is Tama Tonga related to WWE megastar Roman Reigns? [40][41] Tonga remained in CMLL until the end of the year. #theOC. He was eventually released from the WWF in April 2002. [15] Tonga was one of sixteen wrestlers who competed in the 2010 Best of the Super Juniors tournament. He later teamed with Idol Stevens, billed as The New American Family they briefly held the WWC World Tag Team Championship. 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]. He defeated Davey Richards and Nobuo Yoshihashi but lost to Fujita Hayato, Kenny Omega, Koji Kanemoto, Ryusuke Taguchi and Taiji Ishimori and ended up with just four points, second to last his group. By Gentleman Ian. [55] Tonga finished the tournament on August 12 with a record of four wins and five losses. Over the years, wrestlers like Tama Tonga have won way more titles than most fans realize. They defeated the teams of Togi Makabe/Tomoaki Honma,[23] and King Fale/Super Strong Machine,[24] but lost to the teams of Manabu Nakanishi/Strong Man,[25] Masato Tanaka/Tomohiro Ishii,[26] and Yuji Nagata/Wataru Inoue,[27] which meant they finished fourth in their group with four points. [36] On the October 21st episode of Impact!, Hikuleo and Bey faced off in a #1 contendership match for the Impact World Tag Team Championship, but the match ended in a no contest. His final TV taping was against Shawn Stasiak on a WWF Jakked taping in Buffalo, New York on 23 July 2001 which Stasiak won. The verbal sparring between Jay and Tama is passive-aggressive at best, but it exists nonetheless. Home; News; Reviews; Humor; Mechanics; You are here: Home / anoa'i family tree After the 2020 Pandemic, Guerrillas of Destiny would make their return to Japan as participants of the World Tag League. [19] In March of the following year, Hikuleo competed in the New Japan Cup USA tournament, defeating Jordan Clearwater to qualify for the tournament. The Firing Squad attempted to make peace with Cody, but Cody refused, and was also attacked. He attended Florida's Webber International University, majoring in sport management and playing basketball as a center for the Webber International Warriors. [39] On October 18, Tonga and Bucanero were stripped of the CMLL World Tag Team Championship when they were unable to defend the title against La Mscara and Rush due to Bucanero being sidelined with an injury. Tautuiaki Taula Koloamatangi (born February 7, 1991) is an American professional wrestler of Tongan descent. was a surprise hit anime series from the Fall 2022 anime season. On a match that aired on 8 June 1990 MSG Network, Hercules defeated Haku. More viewing suggestions and links to movie trailers can be found with this story online at inland360.com. Alipate Aloisio Leone[7] (born October 15, 1982) is a Tongan-American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Tama Tonga (Tama Tonga). [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. In that time, Anderson made successful defenses against former NJPW ace Hiroshi Tanahashi and rising star Hikuleo. The second night, Tama debuted the newest member to Bullet Club, Taiji Ishimori. Your login session has expired. So far, Tonga is leading 1-0 with his last jab at Reigns tendency to appear scripted on camera. Ahead of Wednesday's episode of AEW Dynamite, the Bullet Club original revealed that he was a free agent, fuelling speculation that he would appear for the US-promotion.As Tama Tonga's original tweet featured a 'misinformation' hashtag, many fans questioned whether . All positive for me. The duo has already established their place as one of the most successful tag teams in NJPW history. By fall, he would become listed as a member of the Impact roster,[34] and he, Chris Bey, and El Phantasmo established themselves as a U.S. based branch of Bullet Club in Impact Wrestling. [9], In early 1991 he formed a tag team shortly after this with fellow Heenan Family member The Barbarian. ", "La Copa Jr. 2012 es para La Sombra! 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. "Standing behind [The] Rock at Mania" - Wrestling fans react to Triple H reportedly bringing in WWE legend's adopted son. While speaking on the. [47] On March 3, Tonga scored the biggest singles win of his career by defeating former IWGP Heavyweight Champion and reigning IWGP Tag Team Champion Togi Makabe in the first round of the 2016 New Japan Cup. From then on, Tonga and his associates would be announced during their entrances as members of Bullet Club OG, while the rest would be known as Bullet Club Elite. February 21, 2022. For the Tongan god, see, "Taula Koloamatangi - 2012-13 Men's Basketball", "NJPW 'The New Beginning in Sapporo' 1.28.18 preview & predictions", "Guerrillas of Destiny, big in Japan, look for even more success", "9 wrestlers you didn't know were adopted and 6 who adopted children of their own", "Update on availability of New Japan New Zealand iPPV", "Kenny Omega injures knee, still set for Kobe Destruction show", "NJPW announces Omega to miss several dates with injury, latest MLW One Shot w/Ricochet and Strickland", "NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12 live results: Okada-Naito, Omega-Jericho", "Kitamura, Hikuleo out of New Japan Cup tour due to injuries", "Revolution Pro Wrestling's Ungovernable Card", https://www.njpw1972.com/tornament/79781?showResult=1, https://www.njpw.co.jp/tornament/286762?showResult=1, https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/results/njpw-strong-results-49-new-japan-cup-usa-first-round-action, https://www.f4wonline.com/news/new-japan/results/njpw-strong-results-new-japan-cup-usa-2021-semifinals-338961, https://www.forbes.com/sites/alfredkonuwa/2021/08/15/njpw-resurgence-results-winners-news-and-notes-as-will-ospreay-returns-is-medically-cleared/, https://www.f4wonline.com/news/new-japan/results/njpw-strong-results-jay-white-vs-hikuleo, https://www.f4wonline.com/news/new-japan/results/njpw-windy-city-riot-live-results-jon-moxley-vs-will-ospreay, https://www.wrestlezone.com/news/1295808-njpw-capital-collision-results-new-iwgp-united-states-heavyweight-champion-crowned-5-14, https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/hiromu-takahashi-aew-x-njpw-forbidden-door-due-fever, https://prowrestling.net/site/2022/06/26/aew-njpw-forbidden-door-results-powells-live-review-of-jon-moxley-vs-hiroshi-tanahashi-for-the-interim-aew-world-title-jay-white-vs-kazuchika-okada-vs-hangman-page-vs-adam-cole-for-the-iw/, https://www.njpw1972.com/tornament/123838?showResult=1, https://www.sportskeeda.com/aew/bullet-club-member-betrays-faction-leader-jay-white-aligns-12-time-champion, https://prowrestling.net/site/2021/07/21/7-21-aew-dynamite-results-barnetts-live-review-of-fyter-fest-night-two-with-jon-moxley-vs-lance-archer-in-a-texas-deathmatch-for-the-iwgp-u-s-championship-britt-baker-vs-nyla-rose-for-the/, https://prowrestling.net/site/2021/07/28/7-28-aew-dynamite-results-powells-live-review-of-fight-for-the-fallen-with-the-painmaker-chris-jericho-vs-nick-gage-in-a-no-dq-match-adam-page-and-dark-order-vs-the-elite-in-an-elimination-m/, https://www.cagesideseats.com/aew/2022/6/1/23148924/aew-dynamite-results-live-blog-june-1-2022-double-or-nothing-fallout-los-angeles-cm-punk, https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/results/impact-wrestling-presents-victory-road-results-live-coverage-christian-cage-vs-ace-austin, https://prowrestling.net/site/2021/10/23/10-23-moores-impact-wrestling-bound-for-glory-live-review-christian-cage-vs-josh-alexander-for-the-impact-world-championship-deonna-purrazzo-vs-mickie-james-for-the-knockouts-title-steve-maclin/, https://impactwrestling.com/2021/11/20/turning-point-2021-live-results/, https://impactwrestling.com/2022/08/12/emergence-2022-live-results/, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hikuleo_(wrestler)&oldid=1137090935, Expatriate professional wrestlers in Japan, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 2 February 2023, at 19:21. and our [8] Haku and Andr lost the titles at WrestleMania VI, when Demolition defeated the Colossal Connection to regain the titles. Fifita wrestled under the names Haku or Meng and was close to the Anoai Family, even forming a tag team with Rikishi. NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING 417K subscribers Subscribe 439 16K views 3 months ago #njpower IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Jay White vs. One week after Sin, Fifita returned to the WWF as Haku and made a surprise appearance at the 2001 Royal Rumble. At the same time, his brother Tevita was playing college football with the UTEP Miners. 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. So, you can see where Reigns connection to someone named Tama Tonga comes from. 330 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003, The Heartbreakers (Heartbreaker Apollo and Heartbreaker Adonis), The Wildcats (Mike Anthony and Dobby Gillies), The Starr Corporation (Bouncer Bruno and Victor the Bodyguard), The Huertas Brothers/The Invaders (Maelo Huertas and, Salt 'n' Pepper (Derrick King and Stan Lee), The Texas Outlaws (Todd Dean and Brian Gamble), D'Jour Twins (Dave D'Jour and David D'Jour), This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 15:13. [34] Haku ended the year mired in a lengthy losing streak. Archived post. In. Thank you so much to Tama Tonga for taking the time to chat with myself. After six long months, Karl Anderson's polarizing NEVER Openweight Title run came to an end against Tama Tonga today at Wrestle Kingdom 17. [57] They reached the final of the 2016 World Tag League but lost to Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma on December 10. PS. Meng's finishing maneuver was the Tongan Death Grip, a nerve grip on the Adam's apple applied to a standing victim who would drop into a supine position. 40. A week later, he left WCW just weeks before it was bought by WWF in March 2001. Then the fight started. Published Nov 22, 2016. However he would cement his position as king by successfully defending his crown against the returning Race in a match at the 1989 Royal Rumble at The Summit in Houston. Roman Reigns was born Leati Joseph Joe Anoaiand is a member of the Anoai family. See details. Privacy Policy. His last night as a bodyguard was at SuperBrawl V when Hacksaw Jim Duggan wrestled Bunkhouse Buck; after the match, Meng attacked Duggan. Here is what Tama Tonga wrote on Twitter: For months, Tama and Tanga (Guerrillas of Destiny) have been feuding with the Suzuki Gun duo of Zack Sabre Jr. and Taichi (Dangerous Tekkers). New Japan Pro-Wrestling has revealed the full lineup for its upcoming 51st Anniversary event to take place at the Ota Ward General Gymnasium on March 6th. This led to a main event WCW World Championship match with Bill Goldberg on 10 August edition of Monday Nitro. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Yujiro Takahashi and Chase Owens defeated Chaos members Yoshi-Hashi, Gedo, Rocky Romero, Yoh and Sho, after making Gedo submit to the Tongan Death Grip. On 28 July 2021, Haku made a surprise appearance at All Elite Wrestling's (AEW) Fight for the Fallen event where he accompanied his son Hikuleo to the ring for his IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship match, where he faced Lance Archer in a losing effort. [90] Due to knocking White out of the tournament, Tonga earned an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match on October 10 at Declaration of Power, however failed to capture the title from White at the event. pLive rock is the basis for most aquaria today. His debut match came as part of the 2010 Super Junior Tag Tournament, where he teamed up with Davey Richards, losing in the first round to El Samurai and Koji Kanemoto. would end up dropping the tag team titles at Wrestle Kingdom 13 to Sanada and EVIL in a 3 Way Match for the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship that also included The Young Bucks. [86] He lost the title to Karl Anderson at Dominion 6.12 in Osaka-jo Hall, ending his reign at 42 days. In the summer of 1990 Haku transitioned to an opening card wrestler on the house show circuit. [10][4], In January 2008, the brothers approached the Dudley Boyz to use the ring they had at the Team 3D Academy of Professional Wrestling and Sports Entertainment training school they operated in Kissimmee, Florida. For exclusive Tama's Island content please visit the Tama's Island Patreon page! He made his NJPW debut in May 2010 under the name "Tama Tonga". [23] Among Fifita's cousins are former New England Patriots defensive tackle Steve Fifita[24] and Australian Wallabies rugby international player Tatafu Polota-Nau. The four of them founded a new villainous stable named Bullet Club under Devitt's leadership.[36]. 15 Things You Didn't Know About The Anoa'i Family, 10 Wrestlers From The 1990s Who Are Only Remembered For One Storyline, 10 "So-Bad-They're-Good" WWE Storylines That Were Wildly Entertaining, 10 AEW Wrestlers We Hope Will Never Return To The Company, 10 Feel-Good WCW Stories That Made Fans Emotional, 10 Wrestlers Whose Ring Names Are Tributes (To Other Wrestlers), 5 Best WWE Tag Team Champions Of The Golden Era (& 5 Worst), 10 WCW Character Transformations That Made No Sense, 5 Wrestling Valets & Managers That Were Helpful (& 5 That Were Just Eye Candy). He also entered the 2011 G1 Tag League tournament, this time teaming up with Strong Man, calling themselves Muscle Pavilion. 88 talking about this. Later on, Meng had a short-lived feud with Sting and occasionally faced top stars like Lex Luger and WCW Champion Bret Hart. Goldberg won and retained his title that night and thus added another wrestler in his winning streak, making it 1600. Growing up on the main island of the South Pacific island-kingdom of Tonga, Fifita attended Tonga College, where he played rugby union. [59] On June 11 at Dominion 6.11 in Osaka-jo Hall, Tonga and Loa defeated War Machine to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship for the third time. [82][83][84] They lost the belts back to the Dangerous Tekkers on June 1. 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. The 40-year-old hails from a wrestling family, much like Reigns, as he is the adopted son. They were in the NJPW dojo at the same time and realised they were related when a relative commented on a photo Fale had posted on social media. You know. Hikuleo returned to AEW on the June 1 episode of AEW Dynamite teaming with Undisputed Elite members The Young Bucks and reDRagon to defeat the Jurassic Express, Christian Cage, Matt Hardy and Darby Allin in a ten-man tag-team match. He made his debut in November 1974 and reached the rank of Makushita 27. January 4, 2023. On November 13, Tonga and El Terrible won the CMLL World Tag Team Championship from Atlantis and Diamante Azul. I'll show you.' Tama Tonga has announced that he has signed a new deal with New Japan Pro Wrestling, after recently teasing an AEW debut. [65] They lost the title to Chaos (Beretta, Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano) in a five-team gauntlet match on January 4, 2018, at Wrestle Kingdom 12 in Tokyo Dome. So we went and sat in the other corner away from them. And we had a lot of spat, back and forth but he knows now I ain't one to back down. "It was fast and furious. He worked in Puerto Rico for the World Wrestling Council where he feuded with Invader 1 and won many titles such as the WWC North American Tag Team Championship with El Gran Apolo, The WWC World Tag Team Championship with Hercules Hernandez and the WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship.