“A can’t – miss, if you ask me,” 44-year-old star reveals he texted Triple H to bring Tama Tonga to WWE

Tama Tonga debuted on last week's episode of SmackDown, laying waste to Jimmy Uso before allying with The Bloodline.


“A can’t – miss, if you ask me,” 44-year-old star reveals he texted Triple H to bring Tama Tonga to WWE

Tama Tonga and Triple H (via WWE)

The latest episode of SmackDown saw Tama Tonga being welcomed as the newest member of The Bloodline. He, along with Solo Sikoa, brutally attacked his cousin Jimmy Uso for not finishing his job at WrestleMania XL. Despite his real-life ties with the faction, it was another familiar face that helped bring the 41-year-old to WWE. Recently, Karl Anderson revealed how he managed to convince Triple H to sign Tonga.

The Machine Gun spoke on the Busted Open Radio podcast about the initial talks he had with Triple H in regards to Tama Tonga in WWE. Anderson stated that Hunter was kind enough to let him wrestle a few matches in NJPW. And, it was there that he remembered texting and informing him about the contract expiration of the Bad Boy.

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For those unaware, Tonga made a name for himself in promotions like NJPW and Ring of Honor. The 41-year-old was one of the original members of the villainous faction called Bullet Club. As a member of the faction, he won the IWGP Tag Team Championship seven times with Tanga Loa. Tama Tonga also went on to win the ROH World Tag Team Championship with his cousin. 

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I re-signed with WWE, and I was still a champion in New Japan, and he still allowed me to go back and do two matches with New Japan Pro-Wrestling with no issue at all, but I remember texting Triple H and telling him, ‘Tama Tonga’s contract’s coming up. I think Tama’s a full-blown, a can’t-miss, if you ask me.’ 
Karl Anderson on X

The events that transpired on last week’s episode of SmackDown truly sent shockwaves through the wrestling world. Solo went against Roman Reigns‘ orders and took matters into his own hands to handle the business with Jimmy. It will be interesting to see how The Tribal Chief reacts to his faction’s Enforcer seemingly commencing a ‘civil war’ against him.

Karl Anderson was happy that Tama Tonga got directly involved in The Bloodline business

Karl Anderson expressed his delight when his fellow Bullet Club member joined The Bloodline with Solo and Paul Heyman. He felt like Tama Tonga has so much potential in him, which could only blossom more with the top stars. The Machine Gun gave his opinion in an interview about how ready he was to make his WWE debut. 

Paul Heyman and Tama Tonga
Paul Heyman and Tama Tonga (via WWE)

Speaking on the Busted Open Radio podcast, Anderson stated that the 41-year-old didn’t know he was going to debut on SmackDown. However, he was very proud that his debut turned out to be pretty amazing and left an instant impact on fans. Anderson further added that the wrestling world was ready to see him show his creativity in the Stamford-based company. 

I’m so glad he’s in that Bloodline storyline because now he’s involved with the tippy-top guys. He’s got Paul Heyman right there, who’s always creatively the genius that he is. It doesn’t get much cooler, especially if you’re a Bullet Club fan and have followed it for so long.
Karl Anderson on Tama Tonga via Busted Open podcast

Andrerson said that it was a brilliant move to throw him into the mix of The Bloodline saga. He felt like, with legendary minds like Heyman by his side, he could create some magic. After grabbing people’s attention with only one intense segment, it will be interesting to see what he has in store for the upcoming episode of SmackDown. 

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