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Revision as of 15:15, 21 March 2007
| Tonga 'Uli'uli Fifita | |
|---|---|
| File:Haku1.jpg | |
| Born | February 3, 1959 Nuku'alofa, Tonga |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Prince Tonga King Tonga Tonga Fifita Haku King Haku Meng |
| Billed height | 185 cm (6 ft 1 in) |
| Billed weight | 142 kg (313 lb) |
| Trained by | Giant Baba |
| Debut | 1978 |
| Retired | 2002 |
Tonga 'Uli'uli Fifita (born February 3, 1959 in Nuku'alofa, Tonga) is a former professional wrestler for both World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). In WCW, he used the name Meng; in the WWF, he used the names King Tonga, King Haku, and Haku. He was known by his wrestling peers as the toughest backstage fighter of his era.
Career
Growing up in the South Pacific island of Tonga, Fifita attended Tonga College, and at the age of 14, he was part of a group of teenagers sent by the King of Tonga to Japan to study Sumo. After immigrating to Japan in 1974, he competed under the shikona (sumo name) of Fukunoshima.
Under the guidance of two other former sumotori who had turned to puroresu, Genichiro Tenryu and Takashi Ishikawa, he joined their home promotion, All Japan Pro Wrestling, upon his retirement from sumo in 1977.
Nevertheless, this merely served as a springboard for him to wrestle all over the world. He made a name for himself outside the ring as the toughest wrestler of his era. He is known for biting off noses, knocking people out with one punch, slap or headbutt. Even renowned hardman Bad News Brown himself said in interviews that Fifita was without a doubt the toughest. In 1987, Haku had a backstage fight with Jesse Barr (who wrestled at the WWF as Jimmy Jack Funk) which resulted in Meng gouging one of Barr's eyeballs out, causing Barr to later wear a glass eye. After this fight now Fifita had a reputation that steered wrestlers away from backstage confrontations.
In an interview with Alex Marvez he was asked about one of his legendary fights. Fifita states his favourite was one that cost him a lot of money. Fifita was drinking in the Baltimore Airport Hilton bar with Sivi Afi when five men started laughing at them and said, ‘You guys are the fake wrestlers on TV.’ In response Fifita replied, ‘I’ll just show you how fake it is,’ and he reached over and grabbed one man while three other men jumped on him. Fifita said he did not care. They were punching him left and right, but the man who he grabbed, he bit him on the nose and spat it out and started fighting the other ones. When the others saw him spit out their friends nose, they all ran out of there. However in a DVD shoot interview former pro wrestler Warlord asserts that the nose biting occurred at a night club and was largely unprovoked.
In 1986, known as King Tonga in his rookie year in the World Wrestling Federation, he became a star by bodyslamming Big John Studd on WWF Superstars of Wrestling. He made a name for himself as Haku in the WWF as half of "The Islanders" with Tama. The team had a classic feud with the British Bulldogs that was started when the Islanders, along with manager Bobby Heenan, kidnapped the Bulldogs' mascot, an English Bulldog named Mathilda.
In 1989, upon King Harley Race's departure from the WWF, Haku was given Race's crown and robe and rechristened "King Haku". He would later lose the "crown" to Hacksaw Jim Duggan. He would later go on to form the tag team known as The Colossal Connection with Andre the Giant and win the WWF Tag Team Championsip and later form a tag team with The Barbarian.
In WCW, Fifita served as Meng, the bodyguard for Col. Rob Parker, then as a wrestler for the Dungeon of Doom and a tag team named the "Faces of Fear" with his old tag team partner The Barbarian. He was touted as being a (kayfabe) former bodyguard to the Emperor of Japan. His finishing maneuver was the feared Tongan Death Grip, a nerve grip on the Adam's apple applied to a standing victim who would drop into a prone position and experience the full effect of the hold.
Meng then went back to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). At the time he jumped ship, he was the reigning WCW Hardcore Champion, but this was never mentioned by WWF, nor was the Hardcore title referred to again on WCW programming. He redebuted as Haku as a surprise entrant in the 2001 Royal Rumble. He then formed a tag-team with Rikishi, but the team did not last long due to Rikishi's injury. Haku was left to wrestle on the lower card shows. He was eventually released from WWF and retired to become a car salesman. He still wrestles on occasion in the independent scene.
In wrestling
Finishing and signature moves
- Tongan death grip
- Back Breaker
- Savate kick
- Headbutt
- Splash
- Asian Spike (Thumb to carotid artery submission)
Managers
Championships and accomplishments
- International Wrestling
- International Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- International Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Richard Charland
- National Wrestling Alliance
- Regional
- NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Ken Lucas and George Gulas
- PWI ranked him # 330 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003.
- Stampede International Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Dan Kroffat and Rick Martel
- SWS Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Yoshiaki Yatsu
- World League Wrestling
- WLW Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- WWC North American Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Gran Apolo
- WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- WWC Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Hercules Ayala
- WWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with André the Giant)
Personal life
Fifita is married to Dorothy Koloamatangi. They have a daughter, Vika; a son, Tevita; and two adopted sons, Pate and Taula. His son Tevita played football as a defensive end for the University of Texas at El Paso.
His parents are Kelepi Fifita (father) and Atiola Vikilani Fifita (mother).
Among Fifita's first-cousins are Australian Wallabies rugby player Tatafu Polota-Nau, Australian Customs officer Andrew Fifita and Television Tonga reporter Sione Vikilani.
Trivia
He was the best man at The Rock's wedding.
He appeared in the 1978 Sylvester Stallone movie Paradise Alley.
Longtime WWF ring announcer Howard Finkel mistakingly introduced King Haku as "King Tonga" for his opening match at WrestleMania V vs. Hercules, despite going by the name Haku for more than three years prior.
He appeared in a Little Caesars commercial alongside Goldberg.
Early in his career, he refereed matches in the Amarillo territory.