Triple H used Paul Heyman to pull the curtain back perfectly on WWE SmackDown - Reports
WWE has mastered the art of blending real-life incidents of its superstars with on-screen storylines and kayfabe. The most recent example of this was seen on the May 24, 2024 episode of Friday Night SmackDown in Jeddah. Moreover, Triple H used Paul Heyman as the perfect mouthpiece to reveal the secret behind a major absence in the arena.
The Bloodline member Tonga Loa has emerged as another lethal mercenary of the heel faction. However, the 41-year-old was missing from the company’s roster sent to the Saudi Arabia PLE. Explaining the reason behind it, WWE Hall of Famer Paul Heyman announced that Loa couldn’t make it to Jeddah because of his criminal record.
While fans didn’t believe this information to be real, reports have confirmed that Tonga Loa did face issues due to his criminal record. Moreover, Saudi Arabia customs denied the superstar a visa to enter the country. However, Triple H didn’t choose to hide this detail and has used it to add an ironclad element to Loa’s personality.
This approach wasn’t seen by the WWE when it was spearheaded by Vince McMahon. The business tycoon used to push such things under the rug to maintain a clean image of his fighters. However, the Paul Levesque era views things differently. In fact, this also allowed a new turn in The story arc of The Bloodline which resulted in a heavy payback.
When Solo Sikoa was neutralized in a dark match in WWE
Solo Sikoa has appeared seemingly untouchable ever since he took the reins of The Bloodline. He has been enjoying preying upon the opponents of the faction and hitting them with multiple Samoan Spikes. However, the absence of Tonga Loa left him vulnerable in Saudi Arabia.
Solo Sikoa tried to attack Randy Orton after he knocked Tama Tonga out of the King of the Ring tournament. However, Kevin Owens came ramming into the ring and protected his tag team partner. While Sikoa escaped the altercation unharmed, the former WWE Champion got the better of him in a dark match scheduled off-air.
Kevin Owens and Solo Sikoa were supposed to duel in a Street Fight. However, the WWE Universe couldn’t witness a proper fight as The Prizefighter knocked him out before the match even started.
With this, Triple H signified the importance of Tonga Loa in the group and also allowed R-KO to get an equalizer in this feud. It would be interesting to see how things unfold on May 31, 2024, when the show will be back in the US.