What Are WWE’s Plans with the Tongans After Their Father Returns as Their Leader?
The go-home episode of SmackDown delivered a shocking twist no one saw coming. Tama Tonga and Talla Tonga explained their reasons for leaving Solo Sikoa behind in a recorded backstage promo. The real-life brothers revealed they had to take care of their family first. A menacing, deep voice announced itself. The camera would slowly reveal the brothers were taking orders from their father, Haku.
Newer wrestling fans may not know who Haku is since his last televised WWE appearance was in 2001. ‘The Face of Terror’ is one of the most revered and feared wrestling legends of all time. The original Tongan started his wrestling career in the 1970s, yet his most recent match happened just last year. He’s the originator of the Tongan Death Grip that Jacob Fatu reintroduced earlier this year; wrestling legends have stories about how Haku used that move legitimately in backstage altercations and outside fights whenever necessary. The 67-year-old won gold in some of the biggest wrestling promotions, including WWE, WCW, and NWA Mid-America. His reputation as a legitimate tough guy who didn’t mess around kept many wrestlers backstage in line. There have been numerous stories about bar fights, backstage altercations, and other memorable behind-the-scenes moments from other wrestling legends that made Haku one of the baddest men to ever step into the world of professional wrestling.
Tama and Tonga are biological brothers. They are biologically related to Haku as his nephews, but the wrestling legend adopted them as his sons. ‘The Face of Terror’ remarked in the backstage promo that his sons needed to strike fear and respect back into WWE to remind them just how impactful the Tongan family is within wrestling. They would later attack The Viking Raiders, R-Truth, and Damian Priest after their tag team match to leave their mark on SmackDown.
This gives WWE creative a few different directions with the Tongans. Talla and Tama could take over the tag team division and unify the belts held by Truth and Priest on SmackDown and the tag titles held by The Vision on Raw. This seems the most likely since WWE’s tag team division is in shambles. There isn’t a dominant tag team running the division despite the talented tag teams on the roster. This could also be the dominant heel tag team that welcomes back the potentially returning duo of Big Cass and Enzo Amore. Cass’s return is officially confirmed to be on Raw after SummerSlam. Still, WWE hasn’t confirmed Amore’s return to the company despite him being spotted at WWE’s Performance Center earlier this year. The Tongans could also target specific wrestlers, tag teams, or factions they don’t deem worthy to be in the company and take liberties with them. King Haku was notoriously known for being a stiff wrestler no matter his opponents’ star power. WWE could blur the lines of fiction and nonfiction to give the newly established faction more edge by allowing his sons to stiff up whoever they please. This might not be the most ideal route, but it will assert the Tongas’ dominance within WWE in a similar fashion as their father.
The idea that has the most potential is to build the Tongans up as a rival faction to The Bloodline. The Bloodline is made up of people in the Anoa’i family, who are Samoan. The Tongans have had close relations with the Anoa’i family dating back to Haku teaming with WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi and being regarded as The Rock’s uncle by the WWE Hall of Famer and Hollywood actor himself. A storyline between two elders fighting over power or manipulating events behind the scenes could lead to intriguing TV. ‘The Face of Terror’ could take a bump or two if it benefits a future storyline. WWE creative would have so many directions and options to choose from should they go this route, especially with Sikoa distancing himself from his family while feeling betrayed by the Tongans he had in his MFT faction. The Tongans also now have leverage to bring back Haku’s biological son, Tonga Loa, into WWE, who was released earlier this year. The former tag team champion would bolster the numbers in the Tongan faction. WWE creative could find a way to build up a supermatch at WrestleMania 43; this year’s Survivor Series seems too rushed at the moment. WWE fans seem to be excited about the Tongans’ future within WWE. Hopefully WWE creative develops them properly and treats them as a legitimate threat inside the company.
