Tama Tonga has bid emotional goodbye to his NJPW fans.
Tonga had dethroned Shingo Takagi to regain the NJPW NEVER Openweight title at Wrestle Kingdom 18 but his title run was short-lived. That night, in a post-match press conference, Tonga had announced that January would be his final month with the promotion. He added that he wants to find work closer to home and that he misses his family.
EVIL dethrones Tama Tonga
At Saturday’s NJPW The New Beginning in Nagoya event, EVIL defeated Tama Tonga in the headlining clash to win the NEVER Openweight Title. The main event originally resulted in a double disqualification after Bullet Club, Guerrillas of Destiny, and Hontai members got involved.
Tama went on to insist that the match should be restarted but this time as a lumberjack match. At the end, EVIL dethroned Tama in latter’s farewell match.
Following the match, Tama Tonga, who was quite emotional, cut a promo and expressed his gratitude to the fans. He said:
“Thank you for giving me a chance to know you. I love you.”
Thank you @1TamaTonga????
Sign up Now & Stay tuned to https://t.co/CeQLGjTmZ5#njnbg #NJPW #njpwworld pic.twitter.com/93LLGuhsWh
— NJPW WORLD (@njpwworld) January 20, 2024
Tama Tonga emerged as a significant force in the tag team division alongside his brother Tanga Loa. He tasted success as part of Guerrillas of Destiny and the Bullet Club. Tonga’s journey in NJPW is marked by multiple IWGP Tag Team Championships. He has also held the NEVER Openweight Championship and NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship four times each. He has now decided to depart NJPW and it is needless to mention that the fans will miss him.
Where is Tama Tonga headed? Well, WWE had been interested in signing him. Read more below:
