Talla Tonga WWE SmackDown Absence Due To Concussion Protocol

Published: 3 minutes ago by Dave Adamson | Last Updated: 7 seconds ago by Dave Adamson

Dave has been a website writer for WrestleTalk since October 2022, having previously written for Den of Geek, among a number of wrestling, movie and television-related sites. Dave has been around the independent wrestling scene for more than a decade, including behind-the-scenes.

Talla Tonga WWE SmackDown Absence Due To Concussion Protocol

The reason that Talla Tonga was absent from a recent episode of WWE SmackDown has been confirmed as being in concussion protocol.

Talla Tonga was last seen during the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, with the star coming down the final two, before being eliminated by the winner, Royce Keys.

With that match taking place ahead of WrestleMania 42, Tonga was absent from the April 24 episode of WWE SmackDown, with the Wrestling Observer Newsletter confirming it was due to the star being in concussion protocol.

The report doesn’t reveal how or when the moment took place that would have resulted in Tonga being placed in concussion protocol. A timeline for the star’s return wasn’t indicated at the time of writing.

Introduced as Tala Tonga at Night of Champions in 2025, the star would go on to be a member of Solo Sikoa’s Bloodline the former “Hikuleo” had his ring name changed to Talla Tonga that July, at a time when Sikoa’s faction would be rebranded as the MFT.

The episode of SmackDown before WrestleMania 42 would also see Tonga and Sikoa in action, alongside JC Mateo & Tama Tonga) in a victory over The Wyatts Sicks (Dexter Lumis, Erick Rowan, Joe Gacy & Uncle Howdy), all of whom, including Nikki Cross, having since been released from their WWE contracts.

The Bloodline Still Reigns Supreme In WWE

Originally led by Roman Reigns, The Bloodline has been an all-consuming presence in WWE since 2021, despite many changes to their structure.

Currently The MFTs, Solo Sikoa leads a faction made up of Tama & Talla Tonga, Tonga Loa, and JC Mateo, the latter star not being related to the Anoaʻi family dynasty.

The schism that saw Roman Reigns removed in July 2024 has led to a new era for The OTC, now reunited with The Usos and seemingly called The First Family.

While the MFTs may have seen an end to their feud with the Wyatt Sicks, Reigns continues with a family feud of his own, with Jacob Fatu set to challenge him for the World Heavyweight Championship at Backlash on May 9.

There’s little doubt that the Anoaʻi family deserves the reputation it has, with its history of era-defining champions, and the likes of The Rock crossing over to Hollywood for major movie success.

The Bloodline may no longer be united in WWE, but the many branches of the family itself continue to make their presence felt in various forms across WWE programming, with more to come from a legacy that seemingly never stops growing.

We wish Talla Tonga a safe and healthy recovery.