WWE Confirms Name Of Debuting Superstar
Solo Sikoa is the new WWE US Champion thanks to the help of some friends, including a wrestler who made his official television debut.
The WWE Night of Champions PLE in Riyadh wasn’t full of title matches, but there was one title change at the show.
Jacob Fatu had been the United States Champion for two months since WrestleMania 41, but that title reign ended at the hands of his cousin Solo Sikoa, along with some allies. For Solo, it’s his first time holding a singles title on the WWE main roster.
It appeared that Fatu had complete control of the match and was about to win after hitting a Swanton Bomb off the top. JC Mateo went down to ringside to distract the referee. This allowed Tonga Loa to return for the first time since WarGames last November, and Loa hit Fatu with a neckbreaker off the turnbuckle. The referee didn’t see it. Solo covered and the referee was back to count a two count.
A recharged Fatu ran the ropes and hit a twisting dive onto JC and Loa on the floor. Fatu hit a Samoan Drop on Solo. JC went into the ring, Fatu superkicked him and hit a hip attack. Fatu went up top and hit a top rope moonsault on Solo, but the referee wasn’t there to count.
That’s when a wrestler formerly known as Hikuleo showed up to stop a count, as Cole mentioned he was the brother of Tonga Loa and Tama Tonga. The big man fka as Hikuleo gave Fatu a Chokeslam onto the commentary table. It didn’t break the table, but there was a loud smack. The referee saw none of this because he was distracted. Back in the ring, Solo hit a Samoan Spike on Fatu for the pinfall win, and Solo is the new US Champion.
What Name Will Hikuleo Have In WWE?
It was reported in July 2024 that former NJPW wrestler Hikuleo had signed with WWE, but it took a long time for him to make his WWE debut. After competing in some recent dark matches, it was evident that WWE was finally ready to debut him.
Standing at 6’8″ and weighing over 260 pounds, the former Hikuleo is bigger than his brothers Tonga Loa and Tama Tonga. That height may be a reason why WWE’s creative team came up with a unique name for the big man: Tala Tonga.
The Tala Tonga name was on display when the new US Champion Solo Sikoa appeared on the Night of Champions post-show and the chyron on the screen read: “Solo Sikoa wins with the help of a returning Tonga Loa, and a debuting Tala Tonga.”
That means Solo’s new group consists of JC Mateo, Tala Tonga, and the returning Tonga Loa (out since last November due to injury). The other Tongan, Tama Tonga, could return to television soon as well to make it a five-man team that will be tough to deal with.
