Haku (wrestler)
Tonga Uliuli Fifita is a Tongan professional wrestler and former sumo wrestler, best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation and New Japan Pro-Wrestling under the ring name Haku and his appearances with World Championship Wrestling as Meng.
Making his debut in 1978, Fifita also wrestled under the names King Tonga and King Haku while wrestling for the WWF. Fifita appeared on multiple pay-per-view events for the WWF and WCW and is a former WWF World Tag Team Champion.
Sumo wrestling career
Growing up on the main island of the South Pacific island-kingdom of Tonga, Fifita attended Tonga College, where he played rugby union. At the age of 15, he was part of a group of six teenagers and young men sent by the king of Tonga to Japan to study sumo. Sione Vailahi, who would later become better known as pro-wrestler "The Barbarian", was also a part of this group. After moving to Japan in 1974, he competed under the shikona of Fukunoshima. He made his debut in November 1974 and reached the rank of Makushita 27. However, in 1975 the stablemaster who recruited him died, and he and the other five Tongan wrestlers got entangled in a dispute with his successor, which led to him being forced to retire by the Japan Sumo Association in 1976.Professional wrestling career
Early career (1978–1986)
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. Early in his career, he also refereed matches in the Amarillo territory. Nevertheless, this merely served as a springboard for him to wrestle all over the world.In the early 1980s, Fifita, taking the name King Tonga, wrestled in Canada for Frank Valois' Lutte Internationale promotion based in Montreal. The heel Tonga was managed by former wrestler Tarzan "The Boot" Tyler. Tonga feuded with the top stars of the promotion, including Dino Bravo. A face turn appeared to be in the offing, as Tonga interfered in a tag match, attacking Road Warrior Animal and Paul Ellering during a bout with Jos LeDuc and Jacques Rougeau Jr.. A miscommunication in another tag match with partner Butch Reed led to Reed and Tyler attacking Tonga. He worked in Puerto Rico for the World Wrestling Council where he feuded with Invader 1 and won many titles such as the WWC North American Tag Team Championship with El Gran Apolo, the WWC World Tag Team Championship with Hercules Ayala and the WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship. Tonga formed a team with his until-then rival Bravo, and the two became successful, including a win over The Road Warriors at the Montreal Forum.
World Wrestling Federation (1985–1992)
King Tonga (1985–1987)
Tonga debuted at a WWF Championship taping on 8/20/85 as King Tonga and wrestled as a "babyface".In 1986 King Tonga became a star by body slamming Big John Studd on Championship Wrestling, though predictably Studd's manager Bobby "The Brain" Heenan did not pay him the US$15,000 he promised to anyone who could do so.
The Islanders (1986–1988)
Tonga made a name for himself as Haku in the WWF as half of "The Islanders" with Tama. Originally a fan-favorite team, the Islanders had mixed success, though they did win a $50,000 tag team Battle Royal at Madison Square Garden in October 1986. They turned heel in 1987 during a match on the WWF Superstars of Wrestling with The Can-Am Connection. Earlier in the show, Heenan had announced he would have a new tag team that night and everyone thought he was going to introduce a new team to the WWF. Instead he showed up at ringside during the match where it became known his "new" team was in fact the Islanders. A feud thus broke out between the Islanders and the Connection; when Zenk left the WWF, Martel and replacement partner Tito Santana, as Strike Force continued the war, with the Islanders challenging Strike Force for the WWF World Tag Team Championship after the latter team won the belts. The team also had a classic feud with The British Bulldogs that was started when the Islanders, along with Heenan, kidnapped the Bulldogs' mascot, a bulldog named Matilda. Their feud ended after a six-man tag team match at WrestleMania IV, where the Islanders and Heenan, defeated the Bulldogs and Koko B. Ware when Heenan pinned Koko.King Haku (1988–1989)
In 1988, following King Harley Race's legitimate stomach injury sustained in a match against Hulk Hogan, Haku was given Race's crown and robe and was rechristened King Haku during a coronation ceremony. In one of his first big matches after becoming King Haku, he faced Hogan with Miss Elizabeth in Hogan's corner on Saturday Night's Main Event in October 1988. He challenged Randy Savage for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship on 17 December at The Spectrum, but failed to win the title. However, he cemented his position as king by successfully defending his crown against the returning Race in a match at the 1989 Royal Rumble at The Summit in Houston. He later lost the crown to Hacksaw Jim Duggan who himself was crowned as "King Duggan".Colossal Connection (1989–1990)
Haku would later go on to form the tag team known as the Colossal Connection with André the Giant and win the WWF Tag Team Championship from Demolition on 30 December edition of Superstars. The team was formed largely due to André's ongoing poor health caused by his Gigantism and the tag-team was a way to prolong his career while also giving Haku a story line. Haku and André lost the titles at WrestleMania VI, when Demolition defeated the Colossal Connection to regain the titles. Haku never legally tagged Andre into the match. Late in the match André attempted to interfere, but Haku accidentally struck him with a savate kick which left André tied in the ropes ; Haku was pinned shortly after this. The team's manager, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, blamed André for the loss and even slapped the Giant, who retaliated by "paint-brushing" Heenan. Haku tried to ambush André; however, The Giant blocked Haku's kick and struck him repeatedly, causing Haku to flee the ring where he and Heenan tried to leave by the ring cart but were caught before it left by the Giant who forced both off the cart before riding the cart alone to a standing ovation from the 67,678 strong crowd. André's face turn meant that the team had split.Various feuds, teaming with Barbarian and departure (1990–1992)
Just after WrestleMania, Haku became the first wrestler to challenge the new WWF champion, The Ultimate Warrior, but he lost the match. Later that month he was programmed into a house show program with Hercules. On a match that aired on 8 June 1990 MSG Network, Hercules defeated Haku. In matches through April and May, the former Heenan family member won most of his matches against Haku. In the summer of 1990 Haku transitioned to an opening card wrestler on the house show circuit. He was victorious against the returning Brady Boone, Jim Brunzell, Barry O, and the newly arrived Shane Douglas. After being left off of SummerSlam 90, Haku was first to be granted a series of matches against new Intercontinental Champion Kerry Von Erich in a series of house show matches in September. Winless in these matches, he then became part of the Heenan Family feud against The Big Boss Man and participated in the 1990 Survivor Series. Again winless, he moved on that fall to feud with the newly returned Davey Boy Smith. Haku ended the year mired in a lengthy losing streak.In early 1991 he formed a tag team shortly after this with fellow Heenan Family member The Barbarian. Their most notable match was a defeat in the opening match of WrestleMania VII against The Rockers. The team was short lived and Haku returned to singles competition, facing the newly returned Ricky Steamboat on house shows the spring of 1991. In the summer of 1991 Haku began to appear in Super World Sports in Japan for joint WWF/SWS cards. Shortly after competing in the Royal Rumble in 1992, Haku left the WWF to compete exclusively in SWS.
Japan and Mexico (1992–1994)
Coming towards the end of Fifita's WWF career, he would wrestle under the name King Haku for Japanese promotion Super World of Sports. On 14 February 1992, Haku and Yoshiaki Yatsu became the first SWS Tag Team Champions. They lost the championship on 16 April when they lost them to George and Shunji Takano but would regain them on 18 April, holding them until 19 June when SWS closed. With SWS closing, King Haku wrestled for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre in Mexico and New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Wrestle Association R in Japan, before finally joining World Championship Wrestling.World Championship Wrestling (1994–2001)
Col. Robert Parker's bodyguard (1994–1995)
Fifita joined WCW in 1994, under the new ring name Meng, because the name Haku was trademarked by the WWF. Fifita made his surprise WCW debut on the 28 May 1994 episode of Saturday Night, as the mysterious and intimidating bodyguard of Col. Robert Parker, wearing business suits and shades while maintaining a quiet demeanor. He would accompany Parker whenever Parker's wrestlers of the Stud Stable competed in matches. His last night as a bodyguard was at the SuperBrawl V pay-per-view event on 19 February 1995, where Stud Stable member Bunkhouse Buck lost to Jim Duggan. Meng attacked Duggan after the match. Later in the event, when Blacktop Bully was scheduled to wrestle Dustin Rhodes, WCW Commissioner Nick Bockwinkel came out and escorted Meng back to the dressing room because of the attack on Duggan earlier in the show. The next week, Col. Parker announced that Meng would no longer be a bodyguard, but would be a wrestler from then onwards, winning his first match against a local competitor with one fast high kick. Meng began feuding with Duggan, leading to a martial arts match between the two at Uncensored, which Meng won.Shortly after, Meng began feuding with Road Warrior Hawk, wrestling him to a double count-out at Slamboree. After the event, Meng participated in a tournament for the vacated United States Heavyweight Championship. He defeated Marcus Alexander Bagwell and Flyin' Brian in the tournament to advance to the tournament final against Sting at The Great American Bash, which Meng lost. In the summer of 1995, Meng formed an alliance with Parker's newest client Kurasawa and feuded with Sting and Road Warrior Hawk, losing to them at Clash of the Champions XXXI.
He would soon become known as "The Monster" Meng. He was touted as being a former bodyguard to the Emperor of Japan. Meng's finishing maneuver was the Tongan Death Grip, a nerve grip on the Adam's apple applied to a standing victim who would drop into a supine position.