Talla Tonga Released From WWE? Truth Finally Revealed
Talla Tonga has been absent from WWE television over the last few SmackDown episodes.
The member of the My Family Tree faction last competed during the go-home episode of the blue brand before WrestleMania 42, where he was the finalist in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, won by Royce Keys.
Tonga is an integral part of the MFTs, often acting as the group’s muscle to take out unwanted threats. Despite officially signing with the Stamford promotion in July 2024, his debut came almost a year later at Night of Champions, where he helped Solo Sikoa defeat Jacob Fatu for the United States Championship.
In his first match on August 1, 2025, he defeated Jimmy Uso in a singles match. While Tonga has been a regular on TV, his in-ring appearances have been kept limited by WWE. Since debuting on SmackDown, he has been featured in only 9 televised matches.
Earlier, he was a part of New Japan Pro-Wrestling, where he competed under the ring name Hikuleo.
On April 24, WWE released 20+ superstars from its active roster across all brands, which saw the likes of popular names like Kairi Sane, Aleister Black, the Wyatt Sicks, and Zelina Vega depart.
Meanwhile, fans have noted Talla Tonga’s absence, even wondering about his contract status with his promotion.
According to a report by Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer, Tonga is very much a part of the TKO-owned wrestling company, but has been dealing with an undisclosed injury, keeping him from making appearances.
MFT Tries To Recruit Jacob Fatu On WWE SmackDown
MFT’s leader, Solo Sikoa, has a deep history with Jacob Fatu, who was previously a member of the Bloodline.
At last year’s Money in the Bank, Fatu turned on he heard Sikoa mocking him during a backstage segment on SmackDown. It kick-started a feud between the two, which ended with Sikoa defeating Fatu at Night of Champions for the US title.
Following his WWE WrestleMania 42 victory over Drew McIntyre, Fatu has expressed an interest in challenging Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship, causing a potential civil war between the members of the bloodline.
Despite an unsavory experience of working alongside The Samoan Werewolf, Sikoa believes that he should align with the MFTs.
On last week’s SmackDown episode, he interrupted a segment between The Usos and Jacob Fatu, proposing to offer him his services to take out Roman Reigns.
Unfortunately, the segment ended with Fatu kicking Tama Tonga, setting up a Fatu vs. Sikoa match later in the evening.
After Fatu defeated Sikoa, he launched a vicious attack on other members of the MFTs, sending a clear message to The Usos and Reigns about his intent.