Tama Tonga

Tongan professional wrestler

Alipate Aloisio Leone[8] (born October 15, 1982), better known by his ring name Tama Tonga (Japanese: タマ・トンガ), is a Tongan professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand as a member of The Bloodline.

Tama Tonga
Tonga in 2023
Birth nameAlipate Aloisio Leone
Born (1982-10-15) October 15, 1982 (age 42)[1]
Nukuʻalofa, Tonga[2]
FamilyHaku (uncle/adoptive father)
Hikuleo (brother)
Tanga Loa (cousin/adoptive brother)
Bad Luck Fale (cousin)
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Kava
King Tonga Jr.[3]
Pate Fifita
Tama Tonga
Tonga Strong Machine[4]
Billed height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[2]
Billed weight95 kg (209 lb)[2]
Trained byThe Dudley Boyz[2]
Ricky Santana[5]
Haku[5]
Jado[6]
Karl Anderson[7]
Debut2008

Tonga previously wrestled in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) from 2010 to 2024, where he was a founding member of Bullet Club and Guerrillas of Destiny (G.O.D.). He and his brother Tanga Loa won the IWGP Tag Team Championship seven times, the 2020 edition of the World Tag League tournament and the ROH World Tag Team Championship once. As a singles wrestler, he won the NEVER Openweight Championship four times.

On the April 12, 2024 episode of SmackDown, Tonga made his debut for WWE, and joined the Bloodline stable.[9] He had his first WWE TV match at Backlash France on May 4, where he and Solo Sikoa defeated Kevin Owens and Randy Orton.[10] Tonga is a former one-time WWE Tag Team Champion.

His uncle and adoptive father also worked for WWE (then WWF) under the ring name Haku.

Championships and accomplishments

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  1. On the August 23 episode of SmackDown, the Bloodline's leader Solo Sikoa forced Fatu to give up his half the title in order to become Sikoa's personal enforcer. The title was then given to Loa.[23]

References

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  1. "Tama Tonga". The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 タマ・トンガ. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Archived from the original on July 12, 2013. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Puerto Rico Heavyweight Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved 2014-01-02.
  4. "「J Sports Crown」 ~無差別級6人タッグトーナメント~". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved July 3, 2013.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Oliver, Greg (April 24, 2016). "Tama Tonga finally getting a shot in North America with ROH". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on November 26, 2016. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  6. "Tama's Island: Tama's Time As A Young Boy At The NJPW Dojo on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
  7. NJPW. "Seven in the chamber: Tama Tonga on BULLET CLUB's 7 years (1/2) | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING". NJPW. Archived from the original on 2021-07-28. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
  8. "Tama Tonga - Trademark Details". Justia Trademarks. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  9. Barnett, Jake (April 12, 2024). "WWE Friday Night Smackdown results (4/12): Barnett's review of the appearances of new champs Cody Rhodes and Bayley, Triple Threats for a shot at the WWE Universal Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  10. Powell, Jason (May 4, 2024). "WWE Backlash France results: Powell's live review of Cody Rhodes vs. AJ Styles for the WWE Championship, Damian Priest vs. Jey Uso for the World Hvt. Title, Bayley vs. Naomi vs. Tiffany Stratton for the WWE Women's Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  11. "JCW 06/13/15 Six Flags Event Results". Archived from the original on June 16, 2015. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  12. Kreikenbohm, Philip (April 10, 2016). "IWGP Tag Team Championship". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  13. Kreikenbohm, Philip (June 12, 2022). "NEVER Openweight Championship". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  14. Kreikenbohm, Philip (December 17, 2017). "NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  15. "Peachstate Wrestling Alliance". www.facebook.com.
  16. "Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2019 - the Internet Wrestling Database".
  17. Middleton, Marc (November 18, 2020). "FTR Takes Top Spot On The Inaugural PWI Tag Team 50 List". Wrestling Inc. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  18. Kreikenbohm, Philip (April 6, 2019). "ROH World Tag Team Championship". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  19. "WXW Television Championship « Titles Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net.
  20. "WC Big Top Tag Team Championship « Titles Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database". www.cagematch.net.
  21. "02/19/2017 - WrestleCircus Presents: Taking Center Stage". WrestleCircus. Archived from the original on August 8, 2017. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  22. Meltzer, Dave (February 20, 2017). "Daily Update: The Rock at Raw, Pete Dunne, Payback". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  23. Powell, Jason (August 23, 2024). "WWE Friday Night Smackdown results (8/23): Barnett's review of Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga vs. The Street Profits for the WWE Tag Team Titles, LA Knight vs. Santos Escobar for the U.S. Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  24. "The Bloodline Wins WWE Tag Team Titles On 8/2 WWE SmackDown | Fightful News". www.fightful.com. Retrieved August 3, 2024.

Other websites

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