Multi-Time Champion Finishes Up With NJPW Ahead Of Expected WWE Move

With Bloodline implications, this powerhouse is reportedly heading to WWE.

by Andrew Pollard
Hikuleo NJPW
NJPW

Following on from plentiful rumours earlier in the year, it appears that Hikuleo has finished up with New Japan Pro-Wrestling and is heading to WWE.

Per Cassidy Haynes at BodySlam.net, Hikuleo is now done with NJPW, with his final date for the company being yesterday's Dominion show. At Dominion, the 6'8" star and El Phantasmo lost the NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team Titles to TMDK's Mikey Nicholls and Shane Haste in a four-team match that also had the IWGP Tag Team Titles on the line.

This report notes how Hikuleo is expected to join WWE, where it's presumed he'll become a part of the Bloodline saga. However, there is no news on when we can expect to see the 33-year-old show up WWE TV, although his free agent status means he could appear as soon as this week's SmackDown.

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For those not familiar with Hikuleo, he is the adopted son and nephew of Haku, the adopted brother and cousin of Tonga Loa, and the biological brother of Tama Tonga - Haku and his wife Dorothy, the brothers' maternal aunt, having adopted Hikuleo and Tama at a young age.

Having trained at the NJPW Dojo and the Team 3D Academy, Hikuleo made his in-ring debut in 2016, going on to win the NJPW Strong Openweight Title, the IWGP Tag Team Titles, and have two runs with the NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team Titles in the years since; that tag team success all coming alongside El Phantasmo.

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Of course, in addition to Hikuleo, WWE also has Jacob Fatu waiting in the wings and ready to be inserted into the Bloodle story, with the Samoan Werewolf signing with the market leader during WrestleMania Week.

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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.