Former Champion Bids Farewell To NJPW

This major NJPW name said an emotional goodbye.

by Andrew Pollard
Tama Tonga
NJPW

Having previously announced plans to depart New Japan Pro-Wrestling at the end of the month, yesterday saw Tama Tonga formally bid farewell to NJPW.

Entering NJPW New Beginning in Nagoya as the NEVER Openweight Champion, Tama dropped that title to EVIL in the show's main event. Of course, Tama Tonga defeated Shingo Takagi at Wrestle Kingdom 18 to embark on his fourth reign with that prize.

Tama vs. EVIL originally ended in a double DQ following interference from Bullet Club, Guerillas of Destiny, and Hontai, although Tama insisted that the bout restarted as a lumberjack match. A shot from Ren Narita would eventually allow EVIL to get the 1-2-3 and claim the NEVER Openweight Championship for a third time.

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Post-match, Tama Tonga cut an emotional promo thanking the fans before bowing to the crowd.

Having spent the best part of 14 years competing for New Japan - including being a founding member of Bullet Club - Wrestle Kingdom 18 saw Tama Tonga reveal he'll be finishing up with the promotion at the end of January as he looks to work closer to home and spend more time with his family.

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WWE had notable interest in Tama last year, and one has to imagine the 41-year-old will have plenty of interest from several promotions in the coming weeks and months.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.