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WWE Superstar Undergoes Name Change After WWE Night of Champions

His name was never uttered during the Night of Champions broadcast. That should have been a major clue that something was up.
Rick Ucchino|
WWE
WWE | WWE

Hikuleo made his long-awaited WWE debut Saturday afternoon at Night of Champions.

The former NJPW star signed with the company in July 2024 and finally made his first on-screen appearance nearly a year later. The big man emerged from the crowd during the Men's United States Title Match to drop Jacob Fatu with a massive choke slam onto the announcer's desk.

He would then roll the Samoan Werewolf back into the ring, where Solo Sikoa was waiting to deliver a Samoan Spike to win his first U.S. Championship.

Hikuleo's name was never once uttered on the official broadcast. Michael Cole referred to him instead as the brother of Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa, while also bringing up his history in NJPW.

It was later revealed on the Night of Champions post show that Hikuleo will now be known as Tala Tonga, after the company previously filed a trademark for the name 'Talla Tonga'. It's unclear at this time if the difference in spelling was intentional or a mistake on the part of the WWE graphics department.

Regardless, Solo Sikoa has surrounded himself with some serious muscle to help fight off Jacob Fatu. The new United States Champion now has JC Mateo, Tala Tonga and Tonga Loa (who also returned at Night of Champions) to back him up. And Tama Tonga, at last word, was expected back this summer after missing time due to injury.

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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com