WWE Almost Signed This NJPW Star In 2016
A verbal agreement was struck before the multi-time champion changed his mind.
Tama Tonga came within a hair of joining WWE in 2016.
Speaking on the latest episode of his Tama's Island podcast, the Bullet Club man stated that he struck a verbal agreement to sign with the promotion after speaking with Triple H at the Performance Center, though New Japan went to great lengths to keep him around when he told the office he was thinking about leaving.
Talent liaison Tiger Hattori was apparently lost for words when Tama let him know. A phone call with NJPW's President followed and after a big face-to-face meeting, the promotion said they were going to bring Tonga's brother, Tanga Loa, into the company. The deal was laid down and Tama phoned WWE's Matt Bloom to thank him for the opportunity and inform the world's leading promotion that he was sticking around in Japan.
Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, Shinsuke Nakamura, and AJ Styles all jumped to WWE at a similar time.
Sticking with NJPW has paid dividends for the 37-year-old. Now a six-time IWGP Tag Team Champion, Tonga and Loa recently held the belts for close to a year, having established them as NJPW's most dominant heavyweight tandem since Tanga's 2016 arrival.