Tama Tonga Proclaims That Despite Where He Ends Up, NJPW Will Always Be His Home

By: Lewis Carlan

Back on January 4th at New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 18, Tama Tonga revealed that he had decided to depart from promotion where he had been a long time star. Tonga had his final match with NJPW on February 24th at The New Beginning in Sapporo Night 2. Tonga teamed with his Guerillas of Destiny stablemate Tanga Loa as they fell in defeat to Hikuleo & El Phantasmo. The classic G.o.D face paint was brought back for Tonga’s swan song with NJPW. Following his loss, Tonga kneeled in front of the NJPW logo, kissed his hand and placed it on the emblem. A teary eyed Tonga stood up and received a standing ovation from the fans.

Thank you @TamaTonga01

Sign up Now & Stay tuned to https://t.co/9iZJzPgCfN#njnbg #NJPW #njpwworld pic.twitter.com/aNgqxtY7Sz

— NJPW WORLD (@njpwworld) February 25, 2024

Following the match, Tonga was backstage with Loa, Phantasmo, Hikuleo & Jado and made a few heartfelt comments on his feelings about NJPW, Jado and the fans.

“New Japan, thank you. Thank you for giving me a chance here in New Japan. When I came to New Japan, Jado was my trainer. He worked hard on us. He trained us very hard every single day. We had to give it 100%. If it wasn’t for Jado in the very beginning, I don’t know where I’d be. Jado, thank you very much. Last but not least, the fans, thank you. Thank you for accepting me. Thank you for taking me in. Thank you for giving me a home. Wherever I go in this world here on after, I want you to know that because of you, because of New Japan, you guys have made this my home. This will always be my home, wherever I go. When you see me, I will always let the world know that New Japan, that Japan is my home. It always will be. Thank you.” (H/T Fightful)

Tonga made his debut for NJPW back in 2010 as he teamed with Davey Richards in the Super Jr Tag Tournament. He proceeded to have a storied career while a member of the NJPW roster. Tonga and Loa are widely considered one of greatest tag teams in NJPW history. The tandem held the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Title a total of seven times. As a single competitor, Tonga has held the NEVER Openweght Title on four sperate occasions.

There has been speculation that Tonga will now be heading to the WWE but nothing has been confirmed. Tonga has stated in the past he wanted to be closer to his family in the USA and the WWE has been rumored to have had interest in bringing the former NJPW star into the company.