Tama Tonga is heading to WWE.
Back in January of 2023, it was reported that WWE was heavily interested in signing NJPW star Tama Tonga to a contract. At the time, it was unclear how interested he was in working with the sports entertainment giant. There’s an emotional story to be told there as he could follow in his adoptive Father and former superstar Haku’s footsteps and capture WWE Tag Team gold.
Now, Dave Meltzer reports in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Tonga is indeed WWE-bound according to sources within the company. The report notes:
“This Tama Tonga had said publicly that after spending so much time away from his family on long tours, as his own father did, that he wanted to sign with a U.S. company and spend more time with the family. Tonga had been in talks with WWE last year after his New Japan contract expired, but ended up signing for another year in Japan.”
Also mentioned in the report is the fact that Tonga’s NJPW contract expires at the end of February. His last NJPW bout took place on February 24th, where he and brother Tanga Loa were defeated by Hikuleo and El Phantasmo.
Tama Tonga Confirmed WWE Interest In Early 2023
Speaking in a February 2023 interview with Tokyo Sports, Tonga confirmed that WWE was “knocking hard” at his door while declaring himself one of the best in the world.
“I’m always the guy at the top. Look what I have accomplished in my short career in Japan. I started the best unit ever, the Bullet Club. I was ostracized. Nobody believed me. But that’s okay. All you need is yourself. All you need is to believe in yourself. I will be the best wrestler. It could be the ultimate legend of New Japan Pro Wrestling, or it could be WWE, because WWE is knocking hard on my door. And I might say, ‘Hello.’”
In recent new, Tama Tonga posted a cryptic social media message regarding his wrestling future.