A reported backstage issue involving Tama Tonga has surfaced ahead of this week’s WWE SmackDown.
According to Andrew Zarian of Mat Men, word making the rounds backstage at SmackDown is that Tama Tonga was recently fined by WWE. The reported reason stems from a video he posted that included rehearsal footage from last week.
“Word going around at SmackDown is that Tama Tonga was fined by WWE for posting a video of rehearsals last week,” Zarian wrote. “Was told it was significant of a fine. WWE has an unwritten rule about not recording/posting during rehearsal.”
That unwritten rule appears to have been enforced in this situation.
Tonga has been active on Instagram, where he frequently shares various clips, including some behind-the-scenes content.
The timing is notable.
Tama Tonga is currently one-half of the WWE Tag Team Champions alongside Solo Sikoa, and the duo are set to defend their titles on this week’s episode of WWE SmackDown against Damian Priest and R-Truth.
UPDATE: Tama Tonga posted what many believe to be a reaction to the news of him being fined for releasing rehearsal footage. He posted the following emoji on X.
😬
— Tama Tonga (@TamaTonga01) March 20, 2026
UPDATE x2: Featured below is reportedly the video of the rehearsal footage he shared on social media.
This was the video he was fined for https://t.co/aL2wTwqRbX pic.twitter.com/TBUGeLFwMk
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) March 20, 2026
Make sure to join us here tonight at WrestlingHeadlines.com at 8/7c for live WWE SmackDown Results coverage.
