Tonga Kid/Tama/Samoan Savage/Sam Fatu

[Grimmas]

Discuss here.

[Ricky Jackson]

Really great worker from 1984-1988. Excellent as a babyface and as a heel. Great tag wrestler. Fun matches as a kid against Piper in 84. Great matches with the Islanders in 86 and 87, both as faces and heels. One of the more underrated talents of the 80s IMO

[KB8]

I've started watching the Islanders/Strike Force series, which I'd never seen before, and holy hell has he been a fucking blast so far. I've actually been a fan of the guy for a long time, but somehow I'd never checked out that feud. I feel like if I go back and watch some of his babyface stuff again I'll end up listing him. I already really want to...

[KB8]

I had Tama at 90 in 2016 and I'd do it again tomorrow, in 2026 and in 2056. Fire me, I'm already fired! Honestly, he got the favourite bump because I absolutely love him. I watched as much of his stuff as I could find right before the deadline and it was fresh in my mind come ranking time, so he had that going for him as well. Maybe 90 was too high, but at a certain point there's basically no difference between 90 and 97 or whatever. Anyhow, I know his run was a cup of coffee but Tama was awesome for a minute there. The Islanders are my favourite WWF tag team of the 80s just behind the Rockers, but they had great stuff as both a babyface team and a heel team. As part of that team Tama could be an amazing sympathetic face in peril and bring tonnes of energy during the shine, or an amazing bump freak shithead heel running distractions and cheapshots while Haku brought the seriousness. The Hart Foundation tag is one of my favourite WWF matches of the 80s and the Strike Force feud is better than, I don't know, every other WWF tag feud of that decade? He had a couple bonkers signature bumps, with his slingshot from the apron into the ring (landing face first) being the best of its kind. He'd also regularly take a bump over the top rope to the floor and just careen himself into the barricade like a nutjob. Even during the Islanders run he got to have some really good singles stuff and the MSG match with Martel is legit awesome. I don't actually remember too much of the Samoan SWAT Team run in WCW, but he probably deserves a spot on the list just because that might be the best name for a team ever. I also wish some of his run in Mexico was out there because Tama against the Villanos is a dream match if there ever was one. Tama ruled. I regret nothing. 

 

TAMA YOU SHOULD WATCH:

v Roddy Piper (WWF, 11/26/84)

w/Haku v The Hart Foundation (WWF, 11/16/86)

v Rick Martel (WWF, 7/25/87)

w/Haku v Strike Force (WWF, 9/21/87)

w/Haku v Strike Force (WWF, 12/5/87)