Reason for Tonga Loa’s Absence on 5/24 WWE SmackDown Revealed

Tonga Loa made a notable appearance during the Backlash Premium Live Event earlier this month, sparking curiosity among fans about when he would step into the ring. Although he was scheduled to debut on SmackDown this week, his match was unexpectedly pulled. Now, the reason behind this last-minute change has been revealed.

In case you missed it, The Street Profits’ Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins were set to face The Bloodline’s Solo Sikoa and Tonga Loa. This was supposed to be Tonga Loa’s in-ring debut, but WWE ended up botching the announcement in a shocking way.

During the May 24th episode of Friday Night SmackDown, Paul Heyman disclosed that Tonga Loa encountered a setback as he couldn’t clear customs due to his criminal record. This prevented him from traveling to Saudi Arabia for the match as scheduled, ultimately leading to the match being pulled from the card.

Ringside News reached out to the WWE writing team regarding Tonga Loa’s unexpected absence from the show. They confirmed that the situation unfolded exactly as Paul Heyman had stated, with WWE facing difficulty in getting Tonga Loa into Saudi Arabia due to his criminal record. In fact, Tonga Loa was deemed “non-visa-able.”

“Exactly what Heyman said. They could not get him into the country. I do not know why. He was deemed non-visa-able!”

WWE decided to turn this real-life situation into a storyline because it accurately reflected the circumstances surrounding Tonga Loa’s absence.

Fans are still eagerly waiting to see when Tonga Loa will make his in-ring debut. There is some skepticism about whether he can actually wrestle a proper match, considering how his last run in NJPW went. For now, his debut remains on hold as WWE navigates these unforeseen complications.

Were you shocked to see Tonga Loa pulled from SmackDown this week? Let us know in the comments section below!