Who is King Haku? Relationship with Roman Reigns and more explored

King Haku just so happens to be linked to Roman Reigns. The real-life Tonga Fifita was a dominant member of the WWE roster in the eighties.

Though Haku is not directly related to Roman Reigns or his legendary Anoa’i family, his career has been intertwined with their legacy. The 64-year-old is not a blood relative of Reigns but hails from the same island as 'High Chief' Peter Maivia, the Patriarch of the Anoa’i family.

Fifita ventured into pro wrestling during the late seventies after a career in sumo wrestling. He adopted the ring name King Tonga during his time in Frank Valois' International Wrestling promotion in Canada. He gained recognition for his work as one-half of The Islanders in Vince McMahon’s WWE.

Though the Islanders were fan favorites, the alliance between Haku and Tama found little success in WWE’s stacked tag team division. The duo turned heel in 1987 during a match against The Can-Am Connection (Tom Zenk and Rick Martel) on WWF Superstars of Wrestling.

The Islanders aligned themselves with Bobby Heenan, who also gave him the new ring name King Haku after a legitimate injury to the original holder of the crown, Harley Race, in 1988. The King Haku gimmick led to substantial solo success for the Tongan wrestler though he failed to win the world title.

Haku also successfully defended his crown against the returning Harley Race at the 1989 Royal Rumble pay-per-view event. He ultimately lost the crown and, by extension, the King gimmick to “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan.

King Haku was one of the most feared wrestlers of his time

Haku had a reputation for being one of the toughest and most fearsome wrestlers of his time. The pro wrestling lore is filled with tales of his toughness. Even Andre the Giant was said to be afraid of both Haku and Harley Race.

Haku had a match against Randy Savage for the WWE Championship at The Spectrum on December 17, but he failed to defeat the Macho Man for his title. It is worth mentioning that he was managed by Heenan during his King Haku run.

Three of his sons - Tanga Loa, Tama Tonga, and Hikuleo – are active in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Haku also made several appearances for Japan’s top pro wrestling promotion between 2016 and 2018. He also appeared on AEW’s Fight for the Fallen TV special in 2021.

What’s your take on this story? Let us know in the comment section below!