If you are a fan of professional wrestling, you might have heard of Tama Tonga and Roman Reigns. Both are popular wrestlers who have achieved success in different promotions. Tama Tonga is a star of New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of the notorious Bullet Club faction and a seven-time IWGP Tag Team Champion with his brother Tanga Loa. Roman Reigns is the reigning WWE Universal Champion and the leader of The Bloodline, a stable that includes his cousins The Usos.
But are Tama Tonga and Roman Reigns related by blood? The answer is no. Despite their similar appearances and wrestling styles, they come from different indigenous communities. Tama Tonga is of Tongan descent, while Roman Reigns is of Samoan ancestry. However, they do share some connections through their wrestling families.
The Tongan connection
Tama Tonga’s real name is Alipate Aloisio Leone, and he is the adopted son of WWE legend Haku (Tonga Fifita). Haku is widely regarded as one of the toughest wrestlers of all time, and he has wrestled for various promotions such as WWE, WCW, NJPW, and CMLL. He is also the father of Tanga Loa (Tevita Fifita) and Hikuleo (Leo Fifita), who are Tama Tonga’s brothers and tag team partners.
Haku is not related to the Anoa’i family, which is the Samoan wrestling dynasty that includes Roman Reigns, The Usos, The Rock, Rikishi, Umaga, Yokozuna, and many others. However, he has a close friendship with Rikishi (Solofa Fatu), who is Roman Reigns’ uncle. Haku and Rikishi have teamed up in the past and consider themselves as brothers. According to Sportskeeda, Haku’s relationship with Rikishi may lead to Tama Tonga calling Roman Reigns as his “cousin”, much like Sami Zayn calls Jimmy and Jey his “Uces”.
The Samoan connection
Roman Reigns’ real name is Leati Joseph Anoa’i, and he is the son of WWE Hall of Famer Sika Anoa’i, who was one half of the Wild Samoans tag team with his brother Afa Anoa’i. Sika and Afa are also the founders of the Wild Samoan Training Center, where they have trained many wrestlers, including Tama Tonga.
Tama Tonga debuted as a professional wrestler in 2008, after being trained by the Wild Samoans2. He joined WWE briefly as “Samoan No. 4” and later as “The Tonga Kid”, but he did not impress the promotion and left in 2010. He then signed with NJPW, where he became a star as part of the Bullet Club.
Tama Tonga has acknowledged his gratitude to the Wild Samoans for training him and giving him an opportunity in wrestling. He has also expressed his respect for Roman Reigns and his accomplishments in WWE. However, he has also challenged him on social media and called him out for being a “snitch” and a “rat” in 2018. He has also hinted at joining WWE in the future and possibly facing Roman Reigns in a match.
Conclusion
Tama Tonga and Roman Reigns are not related by blood, but they do have some ties through their wrestling families. They both come from proud and successful wrestling lineages that have influenced their careers. They both have achieved fame and glory in different promotions, but they also have some rivalry and tension between them. They both represent their respective cultures and communities with pride and honor. They both are Tama Tonga and Roman Reigns.
