Tag: hikuleo

WWE reveals new name for Hikuleo

Posted on by Bryan Rose

WWE has officially given a new name to Hikuleo.

During the Night of Champions Post-Show, it was revealed that going forward Hikuleo would be known as Tala Tonga. As Solo Sikoa talked about his United States title win over Jacob Fatu, a graphic credited Sikoa’s win to help from Tala, JC Mateo, and a returning Tonga Loa.

WWE trademarked a similar name, Talla Tonga, back in June of last year.

At Saturday’s show in Riyadh, Fatu was wrestling Sikoa when JC Mateo ran in first to interfere. Fatu took Mateo out quickly but was then met by the returning Tonga Loa, who then attacked Fatu. Despite this, Fatu regained the upper hand, took out both men, and hit a moonsault on Sikoa. However, he was then dragged out by Tala, who chokeslammed Fatu through a table. He then threw Fatu back into the ring as Sikoa hit the Samoan spike to win the United States title.

Despite making his debut on Saturday, Hikuleo had been signed to WWE since last June, when he finished up with NJPW. He sat out for most of 2024 and 2025 until a couple of weeks ago, when he wrestled on Main Event. He also worked a dark match prior to last week’s SmackDown.

Solo Sikoa wins United States title, Hikuelo debuts at WWE Night of Champions

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Solo Sikoa is the new Untied States Champion thanks to help from his relatives.

At Night of Champions, Sikoa pinned Jacob Fatu to become United States Champion for the first time thanks to a ton of interference. JC Mateo came out first, but was taken out quickly. Tonga Loa, who had been out of action since Survivor Series with an injury, returned next but soon after was also taken out. Fatu had Sikoa pinned with a moonsault, but that was when Hikuleo made his WWE debut, chokeslamming Fatu through the announce table. Sikoa then pinned Fatu with the Samoan spike for the win.

Hikuleo was never identified by name, meaning he will likely get a new name moving forward. Michael Cole on commentary identified him as the brother of Tonga Loa and Tama Tonga. All three are the sons of Haku.

After weeks of dissension, Fatu turned against Sikoa during the Money in the Bank match last month. In the weeks after, Sikoa attempted to reconcile but Fatu would have none of it, setting up the United States title match for Saudi Arabia.

Hikuleo signed with WWE last year but hadn’t been used since finishing up with NJPW last June. He resurfaced two weeks ago in a match against Pretty Deadly’s Kit Wilson, then wrestled before last week’s SmackDown against an enhancement talent. Both times he was referred to as Hikuelo.

Hikuelo makes WWE debut during Main Event taping

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Hikuleo has made his WWE debut.

After over a year of inactivity, the former IWGP Tag Team Champion made his debut during Main Event tapings that took place right before the start of SmackDown on Friday, wrestling Pretty Deadly’s Kit Wilson.

Fan footage was shown of Hikuelo arriving to the ring, keeping the name he used during his NJPW run.

It was reported back in June of 2024 that Hikuleo had finished up with NJPW and was expected in WWE. However, he has yet to make any appearance on either the main roster or NXT. The 34 year old’s last match was at last year’’s Dominion event, where he and El Phantasmo lost the Strong Tag Team titles to TMDK in a four-way that was for both the Strong and IWGP Tag Team titles.

Hikuleo is the brother of both Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa. They are currently off television, with Tama Tonga being out of action since April and Loa tearing his bicep during the men’s WarGames match at Survivor Series.

WWE files trademark for ‘Talla Tonga’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A new WWE trademark filing looks to be hinting at an upcoming addition to The Bloodline.

On June 11, WWE applied to trademark “Talla Tonga.” That may be the new name of former NJPW wrestler Hikuleo, who is expected to be joining WWE. His brothers Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa have been added to The Bloodline as the faction has taken a new direction over the past couple of months.

The trademark is listed as being for:

“Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibitions and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer rendered and through broadcast media including television and radio, and via the internet or commercial online service; providing wrestling news and information via a global computer network; providing information in the fields of sports and entertainment via an online community portal; providing a website in the field of sports entertainment information; fan club services, namely, organizing sporting events in the field of wrestling for wrestling fan club members; organizing social entertainment events for entertainment purposes for wrestling fan club members; providing online newsletters in the fields of sports entertainment; online journals, namely blogs, in the field of sports entertainment“

The story for The Bloodline since WrestleMania has been — with Roman Reigns not around after his loss to Cody Rhodes — Solo Sikoa has taken charge of the group and brought in Tonga and Loa. Sikoa claimed that Reigns put him in charge as the new Tribal Chief until Reigns is back.

Paul Heyman has warned Sikoa that there’s a reason why dangerous people like Tonga and Loa weren’t allowed into The Bloodline before now.

Hikuleo had his apparent NJPW farewell when he and El Phantasmo dropped the Strong Openweight Tag Team titles at Dominion on June 9. TMDK’s Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls won a four-way elimination match for both the IWGP Tag Team titles and Strong Tag Team titles.

Former MLW World Heavyweight Champion Jacob Fatu is also expected to be joining WWE and could play a role in the Bloodline story.

A trademark for “Los Garza” was filed by WWE on June 12. That trademark is likely related to Angel Garza and his cousin Berto (Humberto Carrillo).

Report: Hikuleo expected to join WWE

Posted on by Ian Carey

Solo Sikoa’s Bloodline could be gaining a new member.

Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa’s younger brother Hikuleo is expected to join WWE, according to reports from BodySlam and Fightful.

While it’s not confirmed that he has finished up with NJPW already, him and El Phantasmo dropped the NJPW Strong tag team titles at Dominion on Sunday and then during their post-match interview, Hikuleo told Jado and ELP he loved them before walking away.

The six foot eight inch Hikuleo made his pro debut in 2016 after having trained at the Team 3D Academy. He’s also trained at the New Japan Dojo and at his cousin’s Fale Dojo. During his time with NJPW, Hikuleo won the NEVER Openweight title once, the IWGP Tag Team titles once, and the NJPW Strong tag titles twice with ELP.

Jacob Fatu is also expected to join WWE shortly. He was reportedly telling people earlier this year that he’s signed with the company.

Jack Perry in-ring debut set for NJPW Windy City Riot

Posted on by Ian Carey

Jack Perry has been announced for NJPW’s upcoming show in Chicago. 

The promotion revealed on Tuesday that Perry, Tomohiro Ishii, ELP & Hikuleo, and Ren Narita will all be in action at NJPW Windy City Riot on Friday, April 12 in Chicago’s Wintrust Arena. 

Over 4500 tickets to the show have been distributed as of last week. Additional tickets went on sale today. Our own Dave Meltzer addressed ticket sales to the show in last week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Meltzer wrote:

They opened up more seats for the 4/12 show in Chicago, headlined by Tetsuya Naito vs. Jon Moxley, Mustafa Ali vs. Hiromu Takahashi and likely Jack Perry vs. Shota Umino. They sold the new seats out immediately and are now at 4,559 seats out in a place that legit would sell out at 7,000. Why they haven’t opened it up for 7,000 when they’ve turned away people on both sale openings is beyond me 

Perry made his NJPW debut at Battle in the Valley last month. He attacked Shota Umino before putting on an armband that read, “Scapegoat” and appearing to tear up his AEW contract. Perry hasn’t wrestled since being involved in a backstage altercation with CM Punk at AEW All In at Wembley Stadium last summer. 

NJPW Windy City Riot lineup for Friday, April 12 —

  • Tetsuya Naito vs. Jon Moxley
  • Hiromu Takahashi vs. Mustafa Ali
  • Scheduled for the show: Jack Perry, ELP & Hikuleo, Tomohiro Ishii, Ren Narita

KOPW rules, Strong Tag title match confirmed for NJPW New Beginning in Nagoya

Posted on by Ian Carey

NJPW has issued an update on the lineup for New Beginning in Nagoya. 

On Sunday, the promotion announced the Hikuleo & El Phantasmo vs. KENTA & Chase match scheduled for the show will now be for the Strong Tag Team titles. The announcement follows ELP & Hikuleo successfully defending the titles against Alex Coughlin & Clark Connors on Saturday at Battle in the Valley. The IWGP Tag Team Championships, also held by TJP & Hikuleo, will not be on the line.  

NJPW has also announced the rules for the KOPW match at New Beginning in Nagoya. The voting saw Taiji Ishimori’s proposed Ring Fit match beat out Great-O-Khan’s Bullrope Deathmatch rules with 77% of the votes. The match stipulation requires both wrestlers to do 30 seconds of high-intensity circuit training every 3 minutes. 

NJPW1972.com described the Ring FIT rules:

Ishimori will defend his KOPW 2024 belt against Tanahashi in a 10 minute Ishimori Ring Fit Match. Ten minutes will be on the clock, with the last title holder at the end of the time limit the victor. Additionally, at three minute intervals, the two must stop for 30 seconds of high intensity circuit training. Who will have the wind to prevail in this demanding match type? 

The event takes place at Dolphin’s Arena in Nagoya on Saturday, January 20. 

Here is the full card for NJPW New Beginning in Nagoya:

  • NEVER Openweight Title: Tama Tonga defends against EVIL
  • KOPW 2024: Taiji Ishimori defends against Great-O-Khan in a Ring Fit match
  • Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, Yota Tsuji, Hiromu Takahashi, and BUSHI) vs. Just Five Guys (SANADA, Taichi, Taka Michinoku, DOUKI, and Yuya Uemura)
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, and Togi Makabe vs. Zack Sabre Jr., Mikey Nicholls, Shane Haste, and Kosei Fujita
  • NJPW Strong Tag Team Champions Guerillas of Destiny (Hikuleo and El Phantasmo) defend against Chase Owens & KENTA
  • El Desperado & Master Wato vs. SHO and Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • United Empire (Callum Newman, Francesco Akira, TJP, Henare, & Jeff Cobb) vs. Bullet Club War Dogs (David Finlay, Drilla Moloney, Clark Connors, Gabe Kidd, and Alex Coughlin)
  • Tomoaki Honma & Shota Umino vs. House of Torture (Ren Narita & Yujiro Takahashi)
  • Kickoff match: Shoma Kato vs. Katsuya Murashima

NJPW crowns 2023 World Tag League winner

Posted on by Ian Carey

NJPW World Tag League 2023 concluded on Sunday in Kumamoto.

Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI defeated El Phantasmo & Hikuleo today to win the tournament for a record third straight time. They are also the first team to win the tournament while also holding the IWGP Tag Team Championships. 

With the win, Bishamon earned the right to pick which team will challenge them for the IWGP Tag Team Championships at Wrestle Kingdom. Goto said in a post-match promo that they would like to face ELP and Hikuleo again, this time with both the IWGP Tag titles and the NJPW Strong tag titles at stake inside the Tokyo Dome. 

ELP and Hikuleo defeated Bishamon in the round-robin portion of the tournament, making a clash at Wrestle Kingdom essentially a rubber match. 

A full report from today’s show is available here. 

NJPW World Tag League 2023 finals:

  • Frontier Zone: Oleg Boltin & Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Asosan & Kodai Nozaki (Kyushu Pro)
  • Atlantis Jr., Master Wato & Soberano Jr. defeated TMDK (Kosei Fujita, Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste)
  • Monstersauce (Alex Zayne & Lance Archer), Minoru Suzuki & Yuji Nagata defeated BULLET CLUB (Alex Coughlin, Bad Luck Fale, Gabe Kidd & Jack Bonza)
  • United Empire (Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan, HENARE & Jeff Cobb) defeated CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano), Oskar Leube & Yuto Nakashima
  • House Of Torture (Ren Narita & SHO) defeated Shota Umino & Tiger Mask
  • House Of Torture (EVIL, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Yujiro Takahashi) defeated Kaito Kiyomiya, Ryohei Oiwa & Tomoaki Honma
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kazuchika Okada defeated Gates of Agony (Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona)
  • Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito & Yota Tsuji) & Zandokan Jr. defeated Just 5 Guys (DOUKI, SANADA, Taichi, TAKA Michinoku & Yuya Uemura)
  • World Tag League Final: Bishamon (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI) defeated Guerrillas of Destiny (El Phantasmo & Hikuleo) 

NJPW World Tag League 2023 final round-robin standings:

A Block —

  • Alex Coughlin & Gabe Kidd (5-2): 10 points
  • Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls (5-2): 10 points
  • Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano (4-2): 8 points
  • Great-O-Khan & HENARE (4-3): 8 points
  • EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi (3-4): 6 points
  • Shota Umino & Ren Narita (3-3): 6 points
  • Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona (2-5): 4 points
  • Kaito Kiyomiya & Ryohei Oiwa (2-5): 4 points

B Block —

  • Hikuleo & El Phantasmo (5-2): 10 points
  • Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI (4-2-1): 9 points
  • Lance Archer & Alex Zayne (4-3): 8 points
  • Taichi & Yuya Uemura (4-2): 8 points
  • Atlantis Jr. & Soberano Jr. (3-3-1): 7 points
  • Yota Tsuji & Zandokan Jr. (3-3): 6 points
  • Yuji Nagata & Minoru Suzuki (2-5): 4 points
  • Bad Luck Fale & Jack Bonza (2-5): 4 points

December 8, NJPW World Tag League 2023 night 15 tournament results:

  • NJPW World Tag League 2023 semifinal: Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI defeated Gabe Kidd & Alex Coughlin
  • NJPW World Tag League 2023 semifinal: El Phantasmo & Hikuleo defeated Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls

December 10, NJPW World Tag League 2023 night 17 tournament results:

  • NJPW World Tag League 2023 finals: Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI defeated El Phantasmo & Hikuleo

NJPW G1 Climax 33 night one results: SANADA vs. Hikuleo

Posted on by F4W Staff

NJPW G1 Climax 33 kicked off on Saturday with eight matches taking place in Hokkaido.

The A and B Blocks were both in action to begin the tournament. IWGP World Heavyweight Champion SANADA started the G1 strong with a victory over Hikuleo, while Will Ospreay was upset by Taichi. The show also included a 20-minute time limit draw between rising stars Shota Umino and Ren Narita.

Here are the results:

– A Block match: SANADA defeated Hikuleo

– B Block match: Taichi defeated Will Ospreay

– A Block match: Kaito Kiyomiya defeated Yota Tsuji

– B Block match: Kazuchika Okada defeated Great-O-Khan

– A Block match: Shota Umino vs. Ren Narita ended in a 20-minute time limit draw

– B Block match: Tanga Loa defeated KENTA

– A Block match: Chase Owens defeated Gabe Kidd

– B Block match: YOSHI-HASHI defeated El Phantasmo

The show is available to watch for free on NJPW World.

On Sunday, NJPW will again be in Hokkaido for the first C and D Block matches of the tournament.

Here’s a look at the G1 standings after night one:

A Block —

  • SANADA (1-0): 2 points
  • Kaito Kiyomiya (1-0) — 2 points
  • Chase Owens (1-0): 2 points
  • Shota Umino (0-0-1): 1 point
  • Ren Narita (0-0-1): 1 point
  • Hikuleo (0-1): 0 points
  • Yota Tsuji (0-1): 0 points
  • Gabe Kidd (0-1): 0 points

B Block —

  • Taichi (1-0) — 2 points
  • Kazuchika Okada (1-0) — 2 points
  • Tanga Loa (1-0) — 2 points
  • YOSHI-HASHI (1-0) — 2 points
  • Will Ospreay (0-1) — 0 points
  • Great-O-Khan (0-1) — 0 points
  • KENTA (0-1) — 0 points
  • El Phantasmo (0-1) — 0 points

C Block —

  • David Finlay
  • Tomohiro Ishii
  • EVIL
  • Tama Tonga
  • Shingo Takagi
  • Aaron Henare
  • Eddie Kingston
  • Mikey Nicholls

D Block —

  • Hiroshi Tanahashi
  • Tetsuya Naito
  • Hirooki Goto
  • Zack Sabre Jr.
  • Toru Yano
  • Jeff Cobb
  • Shane Haste
  • Alex Coughlin

Two title matches added to NJPW Wrestling Dontaku

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Two new title bouts have been officially confirmed for NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2023.

NJPW has announced that Zack Sabre Jr. will defend his NJPW World Television Championship against Jeff Cobb at the Wednesday, May 3 event. The Strong Openweight Championship will also be up for grabs as KENTA faces Hikuleo.

The championships being on the line in these matches became official after successful title defenses at NJPW Capital Collision in Washington, D.C. Sabre retained against Tom Lawlor, while KENTA retained against Eddie Edwards.

Sabre became the first-ever NJPW World Television Champion by defeating Ren Narita in the finals of a tournament at Wrestle Kingdom 17 this January.

KENTA won the Strong Openweight Championship from Fred Rosser in February. Wrestling Dontaku will be the first time the title has ever been defended in Japan.

Wrestling Dontaku is being held at the Fukuoka Convention Center and will air live on NJPW World. Here’s the updated card for the event:

  • IWGP World Heavyweight Champion SANADA defends against Hiromu Takahashi
  • NEVER Openweight Champion Tama Tonga defends against David Finlay
  • NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Champions Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado & Ren Narita defend against Kazuchika Okada and two mystery partners
  • NJPW World TV Champion Zack Sabre Jr. defends against Jeff Cobb
  • Strong Openweight Champion KENTA defends against Hikuleo
  • Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi & BUSHI vs. Taichi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI
  • Shota Umino, KUSHIDA & Kevin Knight vs. Aaron Henare, TJP & Francesco Akira
  • Mikey Nicholls, Shane Haste & Kosei Fujita vs. Mark Davis, Kyle Fletcher & Great-O-Khan
  • Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, Toru Yano & YOH vs. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, SHO & Dick Togo
  • Kickoff match: Young Lion gauntlet

Jay White loses ‘Loser Leaves Japan’ match at NJPW New Beginning in Osaka

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Jay White’s future is in question after dropping a “Loser leaves Japan” match to Hikuleo at NJPW The New Beginning in Osaka.

Hikuleo defeated White by pinfall with a chokeslam at Saturday’s show, seemingly ending White’s run as part of NJPW’s main unit. White is still scheduled to face Eddie Kingston at next Saturday’s Battle in the Valley pay-per-view in San Jose, California. 

A report last month indicated that White was expected to leave NJPW when his contract expired, which was believed to be “relatively soon.”

Prior to the chokeslam and pin, Hikuleo and White executed the “too sweet” gesture, a callback to Hikuleo’s time as part of Bullet Club with White, as the two were frequent tag partners on NJPW Strong. 

On his way out of the arena, White gave a fist bump to NJPW stalwart Hiroshi Tanahashi as Tana provided commentary for the event. 

White issued the Loser leaves Japan challenge to Hikuleo at New Year Dash last month, a day after he lost the IWGP World Heavyweight title to Kazuchika Okada in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom 17. 

In his NJPW career, White became the first grand slam champion in NJPW history, capturing four different singles titles — the IWGP Heavyweight title, IWGP Intercontinental title, IWGP United States title, plus the NEVER Openweight title. Hiroshi Tanahashi is the only other NJPW wrestler to accomplish the feat. 

In all, White held the top title in NJPW twice — the IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP World Heavyweight titles, in addition to holding the NEVER, IC, and US titles one time each.

White’s loss came four years to the day of his IWGP Heavyweight Championship win at The New Beginning in Osaka 2019.

Jay White challenges Hikuelo to loser leaves Japan match at NJPW New Year Dash

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Jay White has challenged Hikuleo to a loser leaves Japan match.

At Thursday’s NJPW New Year Dash event, Jay White, El Phantasmo, Taiji Ishimori, and KENTA lost to Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hikuleo, Tama Tonga, and Master Wato by DQ when ELP used a belt to attack Tama Tonga. Bullet Club then laid out their opponents, with Jay White pummeling Hikuleo repeatedly with steel chair shots.

White then cut a promo, blaming Hikuelo for his loss against Okada at Wrestle Kingdom 17, saying that he and Tama Tonga’s defection from the Bullet Club in the last year has caused him to reach this point. He then issued the challenge for a match where the loser must leave Japan. It wasn’t made clear when this match would take place.

Hikuelo left the Bullet Club late last year, turning against Jay White and Bullet Club and joined forces with his brother Tama Tonga, who defeated Karl Anderson at Wrestle Kingdom to win the NEVER Openweight title for a second time.

Karl Anderson vs. Hikuleo NEVER title match set for NJPW Tag League finals

Posted on by Ian Carey

The NEVER Openweight Championship will be defended on the final night of the World Tag and Super Junior Tag League tournaments. 

Champion Karl Anderson posted to social media on Tuesday that he will defend his title on the December 14 show from Sendai Sunplaza Hall in Miyagi, Japan. NJPW then confirmed on Wednesday that Anderson’s challenger will be Hikuleo.

Anderson vs. Hikuleo had originally been scheduled for November 5 in Osaka but The Good Brothers claim NJPW did not confirm the date with them before advertising it. Anderson and Doc Gallows were also booked for WWE Crown Jewel that day and stated on social media that they would be performing on that show rather than on New Japan’s. 

In storyline, Anderson was not stripped of the title at the request of Hikuleo. 

“As the match had been made through the proper channels and advertised, NJPW moved to strip Anderson of the NEVER Openweight Championship, but Hikuleo refused to let the move happen, demanding that he fight Anderson for the title in an NJPW ring. On November 23 Japan time, Anderson posted a message on social media indicating that he and Gallows would be in Sendai on December 14, and the match has now been made official,” reads NJPW1972.com

 The finals of the World Tag and Super Junior Tag League are also scheduled for the December 14 show in Sendai. 

Two title matches announced for NJPW Battle Autumn in Osaka

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A pair of title matches have been made official for NJPW Battle Autumn in Osaka.

NJPW has announced that IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay will defend his title against Tetsuya Naito at Battle Autumn in Osaka on Saturday, November 5. Also set for that event is a NEVER Openweight Championship match with Karl Anderson defending against Hikuleo.

Naito is getting the title shot against Ospreay as a result of defeating Zack Sabre Jr. at NJPW Royal Quest II night two this past weekend. At Burning Spirit in Kobe last month, both Naito and Sabre confronted Ospreay and wanted to be his next challenger.

Before being confronted by Naito and Sabre, Ospreay retained the IWGP US Heavyweight title against David Finlay at Burning Spirit in Kobe.

Burning Spirit in Kobe also saw Anderson retain the NEVER Openweight Championship against Hiroshi Tanahashi. A post-match angle set up Hikuleo as Anderson’s next opponent.

The November 5 event in Osaka will be the final show of the Battle Autumn tour. The tour starts at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo on Friday, October 14.

NJPW still has one major event set to take place before Battle Autumn begins. Declaration of Power is being held on Monday, October 10.

Ospreay vs. Naito and Anderson vs. Hikuleo are the first two matches to be confirmed for Battle Autumn.

NJPW Battle Autumn in Osaka (Saturday, November 5) —

  • IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay defends against Tetsuya Naito
  • NEVER Openweight Champion Karl Anderson defends against Hikuleo

Hikuelo, Darby Allin added to ten-man tag match for AEW Dynamite

Posted on by Bryan Rose

NJPW’s Hikuelo and Darby Allin have been added to what was formerly an eight-man tag team match, and a ten-man tag team match before that.

Tony Khan announced tonight that Adam Cole and Jeff Hardy have picked Hikuleo (Cole) and Allin (Hardy) to replace them in the match. Allin will now join Jungle Boy, Luchasaurus, Christian Cage, and Matt Hardy as they will take on Hikuleo, reDragon, and The Young Bucks on Wednesday’s Dynamite.

“With @AdamColePro & @JEFFHARDYBRAND out injured this week after #AEWDoN I’ve asked Adam & Jeff to pick replacement partners for #AEWDynamite’s LA debut tomorrow!,” Khan wrote. “Jungle Boy/@luchasaurus, @Christian4Peeps, @MATTHARDYBRAND team with @DarbyAllin vs reDragon/@youngbucks + @Hiku_Leo!”

Since announcing AEW and NJPW’s Forbidden Door joint show, the Bullet Club and The Undisputed Elite have formed a connection of sorts, with Jay White appearing at the announcement of Forbidden Door to declare that this wasn’t about NJPW or AEW, but rather it was about the Undisputed Elite and the Bullet Club.

Here is the updated lineup for tomorrow’s show at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, California:

  • Darby Allin, Jungle Boy, Luchasaurus, Matt Hardy, and Christian Cage vs. Hikuleo, Bobby Fish, Kyle O’Reilly, and The Young Bucks
  • Jon Moxley vs. Daniel Garcia