Today I wanna talk about a guy, a wrestler, named King Tonga. I first heard about him back in ’86. That was a wild year, man.
So, I got into this whole wrestling thing. I started to dig into King Tonga, the first thing I learned was that he was also called Haku, sometimes Meng. I read that he made his debut in WWF as “King Tonga” at the age of 26, which is a bit late to start a career as a professional wrestler, but this just makes him more legendary in my eyes.
I watched a bunch of old matches. This dude was a beast! In one match, he body-slammed Big John Studd. I mean, Studd was a giant! That’s when I knew King Tonga was the real deal.
He wasn’t just a singles wrestler, though. He teamed up with another guy, Tama, and they formed this tag team called The Islanders. They were awesome together. Their matches were always intense. I mean they brought so much energy to the ring.
I also found out that King Tonga was one of six teenagers sent by the King of Tonga, Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV himself, to study abroad. Man, what a responsibility!
- Tried to find more about his early life, but there’s not much out there.
- Mostly, it’s all about his wrestling career.
- Discovered that he ushered in a much more villainous character in Quebec, managed by Tarzan Tyler.
But hey, that’s part of the fun, right? Piecing together the story from bits and pieces. This guy’s a legend, and I’m glad I got to learn about him.
So yeah, that’s my King Tonga story. Hope you enjoyed it.
Wrestling Career Highlights
- Joined WWE in 1986 as King Tonga.
- Body-slammed Big John Studd.
- Formed The Islanders with Tama.
- Became the first wrestler to bodyslam Big John Studd on WWF Championship Wrestling.
