The Tongan Giant Finally Makes His On-Screen Debut

At Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia, former enforcer Jacob Fatu faced his former Tribal Chief, Solo Sikoa, for the United States Championship. The match was emotional and intense, especially as Fatu was outnumbered by members of The Bloodline. JC Mateo and a returning Tanga Loa tried to help Solo win his first main roster title, but Fatu fought back. He hit his signature moonsault onto Solo, and it looked like he might retain the U.S. Championship. However, just when Fatu was about to pin Solo, an incredibly large man stepped in and pulled Fatu out of the ring, then delivered a chokeslam onto the announce table. That man was Hikuleo, the son of Haku, finally making his on-screen debut.

Hikuleo has been signed with WWE since July 2024. It was originally reported that he would debut on NXT that year. Meanwhile, his brothers Tonga Loa and Tama Tonga were causing chaos on the main roster as part of Solo’s Bloodline. Hikuleo made his official debut in a dark match against Pretty Deadly’s Kit Wilson before an episode of SmackDown. Interestingly, during his on-screen debut, commentators Michael Cole and Wade Barrett never mentioned his name. The same thing happened when Ricky Starks and Mariah May first appeared on NXT. They now go by Ricky Saints and Blake Monroe. WWE even filed a trademark for the name “Tala Tonga” less than a year ago, which fans believe could be Hikuleo’s new in-ring name. Hikuleo is very tall at six feet eight, and his real name is Taula. It is possible that “Tala Tonga” is a nod to his real name.

Now that Hikuleo has debuted and made an enemy out of the Samoan Werewolf, he’s in good company with Solo, JC Mateo, and his brothers in The Bloodline. Fans speculate that they might form a full WWE version of the Guerrillas of Destiny once Tama Tonga returns from injury. With Solo as the United States Champion and Hikuleo by his side, the strength of this new Bloodline is looking very formidable. It will be interesting to see how they continue to grow and challenge the competition.