Wikipedia

Toa Liona

Not to be confused withTéa Leoni.

Bruce Orlando Leaupepe(born January 30, 1991) is an Americanprofessional wrestler.He is signed toAll Elite Wrestling(AEW), where he performs under the ring nameToa Lionaand is one-half of thetag teamGates of Agony.He also wrestles for AEW's sister promotion,Ring of Honor(ROH), where he is a former two-timeROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champion.[2]

Toa Liona
Toa Liona in August 2024
Birth nameBruce Orlando Leaupepe[1]
Born(1991-01-30)January 30, 1991(age 33)
San Jose, California,U.S.
Alma materSan Diego State University
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Toa Liona
Billed height6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Billed weight301 lb (137 kg)
Billed fromSamoa
Trained byRikishi
Debut2020

Early life

edit

Leaupepe was born inSan Jose, California.He attendedOak Grove High School,where he playedfootballandbasketball.After graduating in 2009, he attended theCity College of San FranciscoandDe Anza College.In 2011, he enrolled inSan Diego State University,majoring incriminal justice.[3]He played football for theSan Diego State Aztecsuntil being forced to quit after suffering apopped discin his lower back. He worked as apersonal trainerbefore deciding to become a professional wrestler.[4]

Professional wrestling career

edit

Early career (2020–2021)

edit

Liona was trained to wrestle byRikishi.He began wrestling on theindependent circuitin 2020, wrestling primarily for promotions inLos Angeles, CaliforniaandLas Vegas, Nevada.In early-2021, he formed a tag team with Juicy Finau named "Toko Uso".

All Elite Wrestling / Ring of Honor (2021–present)

edit
See also:Cage of Agony,Gates of Agony,andthe Embassy / Mogul Embassy

On October 23, 2021, Liona made hisAll Elite Wrestlingdebut onAEW Dark: Elevation,teaming with Mike Reed in a loss toFTR.On October 24, he appeared onAEW Darkteaming with Bison XL, losing to2point0.[5][6]

On April 1, 2022, Liona was named as one ofTully Blanchard's new clients, teaming withKaunto form theGates of Agony.[7]The team defeated Shinobi Shadow Squad (Cheeseburgerand Eli Isom) at the event.[8]On May 25, Liona teamed with Juicy Finau in aGCW Tag Team Championshipmatch, losing toBUSSY.[9]

On July 6, Gates of Agony made their AEW Television debut onAEW Rampage,defeatingJonathan GreshamandLee Moriarty.[10]On July 23, 2022, atDeath Before Dishonor,Prince Nana announced he had purchasedTully Blanchard Enterprisesand reformedThe Embassy,with Cage, Kaun and Liona.[11]They would go on to defeat the team ofAlex Zayne,Blake ChristianandTony Deppenduring the preshow.[12]AtFinal Battle,The Embassy defeatedDalton CastleandThe Boys,to win theROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship.[13]

Gates of Agony suffered a loss toFTRatBattle of the Belts IVwhen they challenged for theROH World Tag Team Championship.[14]AtRampage:Grand Slam,The Embassy lost theROH World Six-Man Tag Team ChampionshipstoThe Elitemembers"Hangman" Adam PageandThe Young Bucks.[15]On November 1, 2023, onAEW Dynamite,The Embassy regained the titles.[16]

On the May 8, 2024 episode ofDynamite,Cage and the Gates of Agony turned on Swerve Strickland, disbanding the Mogul Embassy in the process.[17]On the May 25 episode ofRampage,Gates of Agony and Cage revealed their new team name to be "Cage of Agony".[18]After Cage left the group, Kaun and Liona were left as a tag team.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2023)

edit

On November 13, 2023, it was announced that Gates of Agony (Liona and Kaun), would make theirNew Japan Pro-Wrestling(NJPW) debut, by competing in the2023 World Tag League.The duo were announced to be competing in the A-Block.[19]On November 29, Gates of Agony would seemingly joinHouse of Torture,but would reveal it to be a trick on the following December 1 show. The duo finished with 4 points and were unable to qualify for the semi-finals.

Personal life

edit

Liona is of Samoan and Puerto Rican descent.[20]

Championships and accomplishments

edit
  • Future Stars of Wrestling
    • FSW Tag Team Championship (1 time)[21]– with Juicy Finau
  • KnokX Pro Entertainment
    • Urban Empire Championship (1 time)[22]

References

edit
  1. ^"Bruce Orlando Leaupepe, Born 1/30/1991 in California".CaliforniaBirthIndex.org.RetrievedNovember 6,2022.
  2. ^Shijas, Muhammed."WATCH: AEW Dark star Toa Liona shows off incredible power after bench pressing 500 pounds".Sportskeeda.RetrievedOctober 6,2022.
  3. ^"#55 Bruce Leaupepe".GoAztecs.RetrievedOctober 17,2024.
  4. ^Monteagudo Jr., Luis (June 5, 2023)."'Full Circle' Moment for Former Aztec, Now Wrestler, Toa Liona at AEW Show ".TimesOfSanDiego.Times of San Diego.RetrievedOctober 1,2023.
  5. ^"Toa Liona: Profile & Match Listing – Internet Wrestling Database (IWD)".profightdb.RetrievedOctober 6,2022.
  6. ^Taylor, Sanchez (October 24, 2021)."Spoilers For AEW Dark October 24 Tapings At Universal Studios".WrestleTalk.RetrievedOctober 6,2022.
  7. ^Mueller, The Doctor Chris."ROH Supercard of Honor 2022 Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights".Bleacher Report.RetrievedOctober 6,2022.
  8. ^Quarrinton, Norman (April 2, 2022)."ROH Supercard Of Honor Full Results And Recap: Several Titles Change Hands As The Tony Khan Era Kicks Off".TheSportster.RetrievedOctober 6,2022.
  9. ^"Toa Liona – Online World of Wrestling".onlineworldofwrestling.RetrievedOctober 6,2022.
  10. ^Rose, Bryan (July 2022)."Jonathan Gresham & Lee Moriarty vs. The Gates of Agony set for AEW Rampage".WON/F4W – WWE news, Pro Wrestling News, WWE Results, AEW News, AEW results.RetrievedOctober 6,2022.
  11. ^Lambert, Jeremy (July 23, 2022)."Prince Nana Announces He's Purchased Tully Blanchard Enterprises At ROH Death Before Dishonor".Fightful.RetrievedJuly 24,2022.
  12. ^"ROH Wrestling Death Before Dishonor 2022 Results".
  13. ^"The Embassy Win ROH Six-Man Tag Team Titles At ROH Final Battle 2022".
  14. ^Rose, Bryan (October 5, 2022)."Two title matches added to AEW Battle of the Belts IV".WON/F4W – WWE news, Pro Wrestling News, WWE Results, AEW News, AEW results.RetrievedOctober 6,2022.
  15. ^Murphy, Don (September 22, 2023)."AEW Rampage results (9/22): Murphy's review of Sting and Darby Allin vs. Christian Cage and Luchasaurus, AEW Trios and ROH Six-Man Tag Titles matches, four-way tag for a shot at the ROH Tag Titles".Pro Wrestling Dot Net.RetrievedSeptember 23,2023.
  16. ^Powell, Jason (November 1, 2023)."AEW Dynamite results (11/1): Powell's live review of Orange Cassidy vs. Claudio Castagnoli for the AEW International Title, Hikaru Shida vs. Willow Nightingale for the AEW Women's Title, Tony Khan's announcement".Pro Wrestling Dot Net.RetrievedNovember 2,2023.
  17. ^Mueller, Chris (May 8, 2024)."AEW Dynamite Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights From May 8".Bleacher Report.RetrievedMay 9,2024.
  18. ^"AEW RAMPAGE RESULTS (5/25): Pac vs. Rocky Romero, Jericho-Hook-Shibata interaction, Rush vs. Kassidy, plus Samoa Joe, Statlander, Willow".RetrievedMay 27,2024.
  19. ^"411Mania".
  20. ^Cloete, Faden (February 1, 2022)."AEW Dark Preview: 12 matches announced, featuring Lance Archer, Anthony Ogogo, and former WWE stars".sportskeeda.RetrievedNovember 6,2022.
  21. ^"FSW Tag Team Championship History".
  22. ^"KnokX Pro Entertainment".Facebook.September 2, 2021.RetrievedMarch 11,2023.
  23. ^Kreikenbohm, Philip (December 10, 2022)."ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship".Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database.RetrievedDecember 11,2022.
edit
Wikimedia Commons has media related toToa Liona.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Toa_Liona&oldid=1255635676"