Tama Tonga Reveals He Wasn’t Certain About Staying in NJPW in 2016, Discusses Kenny Omega Focusing More on The Elite Than the Bullet Club

– NJPW1972.com recently interviewed Tama Tonga. He discussed almost leaving NJPW in 2016, his thoughts on Kenny Omega as leader of the Bullet Club, and more. Below are some highlights.

On not being sure if he was going to stay in NJPW when AJ Styles left in 2016: “They were really uncertain times. We had a meeting in the hotel, and they told us. It was definitely sad, definitely unsure. You have to remember, I was on the same boat. There were rumors about me, I wasn’t even sure if I was going to stay.”

On why he and Tonga Loa ultimately stayed in NJPW: “In the end, I still strongly believed in what we were trying to do, and what we were building here in New Japan. I believed that strongly enough to stay, and at that point, Karl, Gallows, AJ leaving was just another hurdle that we had to overcome. The decision was made for [Kenny Omega] to be the guy calling the shots, and I said ‘OK’. Let’s do it. Again, I’m the workhorse.”

Tama Tonga on Kenny Omega becoming the leader of Bullet Club: “When we knew that Kenny was going to be leading the group, I was behind that. I’m a big picture thinker, I’m always thinking about what would be best for the group as a whole, and so I was absolutely fine with Kenny taking charge, but… I guess he had other intentions. He had different goals in mind.”

Tonga on Omega focusing more on The Elite than the Bullet Club: “It kind of started to see it when you saw him do more stuff popping up with the Elite here and there, but I was just trying to be supportive. … Yeah, until there was a moment when I really saw what was happening, and you saw what happened then. … It just felt like the Elite group was building something on their own. We were here in Japan on every single tour doing what we had to do, and they were going rogue, and just doing whatever the hell they wanted to do. Enough was enough.”