WWE Makes Slight Change To Tala Tonga's Ring Name

A very minor change has already been made to the former Hikuleo's WWE ring name, just over a week after he made his official debut in the company.

Hikuleo made his first televised appearance for WWE at Night of Champions, helping Solo Sikoa to defeat Jacob Fatu for the United States Title. It was confirmed shortly after the event by WWE that the former NJPW star would be known as Tala Tonga. The Topps Now card for the 34-year-old's debut also confirmed his name was Tala Tonga.

The former Hikuleo's name has since been adjusted, however. The WWE talent's Instagram profile has updated his name to Talla Tonga, while the WWE.com recap of Friday Night SmackDown refers to the former Hikuleo as Talla Tonga throughout. A WWE UK clip from SmackDown also states the new member of Solo Sikoa's faction is Talla Tonga.

Why exactly WWE made the change from Tala Tonga to Talla Tonga is unknown, but it may be related to trademarks. WWE does not hold a trademark for Tala Tonga, but the organisation did file to trademark Talla Tonga in June 2024 with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

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