The Barbarian

The Barbarian

Life and career[]

Born and raised inTonga, Sione was one of five teenagers sent by the King of Tonga to Japan to study Sumo wrestling in the mid 1970s.Tonga Fifita was one of the other teenagers. Sione was known in sumo circles asSachinoshima.

National Wrestling Alliance[]

After migrating to the United States, he trained in professional wrestling under the tutelage of Rolland 'Red' Bastien. In 1980, he made his debut, wrestling Killer Karl Krupp in Modesto, California. He wrestled asKing Konga in severalNWA regional territories in 1981. He soon went to the NWA'sJim Crockett Promotions, where he teamed up withRon Garvin as aface.

Seeing theheel potential in a huge, intimidating man with surprising agility,Jim Crockett, Jr. changed him intoKonga the Barbarian. He joined the stable ofPaul Jones. From 1985 to 1987, he wrestled as part of "Paul Jones' Army" and teamed withPez Whatley,Teijho Khan, as well asBaron Von Raschke. It was during this time that "Konga" was dropped from his name and he became simplyThe Barbarian.

In late 1987, he formed a team withIvan Koloff, who was also his "coach." By early 1988, he was paired withThe Warlord as ThePowers of Pain. They feuded heavily with another team of big men, TheRoad Warriors,Animal andHawk. They injured Animal's eye during a weight lifting contest, and soon after won the NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Titles, along with Ivan, from the Road Warriors andDusty Rhodes. In 1987, he appeared in the movieBody Slam, as Axe the Cannibal.

InApril1988, Crockett decided he wanted the feuding tag teams to have a series ofscaffold matches, which neither team wanted because they felt that they were too large to safely participate. This was especially so for the Powers of Pain, who were scheduled to lose the matches by falling off the scaffolding. Barbarian and Warlord decided to leave for theWWF. The NWA announcers explained that the Road Warriors had run them off, even though they still held the Six-Man Titles.

World Wrestling Federation[]

Upon their arrival, the Powers of Pain werefaces, initially managed byTito Santana, and feuded withWWF World Tag Team ChampionsDemolition (Ax andSmash), who had defeatedStrike Force (Santana andRick Martel) for the titles and then injured Martel (kayfabe). The Powers of Pain were introduced as mercenaries to help Martel and Santana gain revenge on Demolition for both the title loss and the injury to Martel. Later, they were managed byThe Baron. They soon dumped the Baron and took Demolition's managerMr. Fuji, in a doubleturn which made them heels and the increasingly popular Demolition faces.

After a long feud in which they failed to win the titles, the Powers of Pain were split up and The Barbarian went under the management ofBobby Heenan. He would have his image tweaked, changing from his Road Warrior-like mohawk and face paint to growing out his hair, dressing in fur, and wearing a helmet with reindeer-like antlers and a skull to the ring. He briefly wrestled in singles competition, defeatingTito Santana atWrestleMania VI and facingthe Big Boss Man atRoyal Rumble 1991, as part of the Heenan Family's feud with the "correctional officer". Shortly after, he joined fellow Family memberHaku and wrestled in tag team matches until leaving WWF.

World Championship Wrestling[]

When he signed with WCW in early 1992, he initially formed a heel stable withTony Atlas andCactus Jack. Atlas soon left the promotion, and the group was joined briefly byJake Roberts. They feuded with then-World ChampionRon Simmons, whom Barbarian unsuccessfully challenged atHalloween Havoc 1992. They also faced off againstSting,Barry Windham,Dustin Rhodes, andNikita Koloff. He briefly won theWCW United States Tag Team Championship withDick Slater, but the belts were retired one month later.

By mid-1994, he had returned to WWF, where he wrestled asSionne, one half of the new version ofThe Headshrinkers alongside original HeadshrinkerFatu until leaving again in mid-1995.

In late 1995, Vailahi returned to WCW, wearing a mask and teaming with his former Powers of Pain tag team partner, The Warlord. They were known as the Super Assassins, managed byCol. Robert Parker. No mention was ever made on TV of their former identities, and the team did not last long. Later on, he reunited withHaku (now called Meng) as theFaces of Fear. They were members ofKevin Sullivan'sDungeon of Doom, and teamed on a semi-regular basis for the remainder of their time in WCW, though they broke up and feuded briefly in 1998 and 1999. They challenged several times for the WCW World Tag Team Title, but were never able to win the belts.

After The Barbarian's brief feud with Meng, Jimmy Hart formed a new heel stable in the summer of 1999 calledThe First Family. The stable consisted of Barbarian,Hugh Morrus,Brian Knobbs, andJerry Flynn. The stable dissolved after only two months . Barbarian was released from his WCW contract in September 1999 in an effort to cut costs by new WCW Senior Vice President, Bill Busch.

Independent circuit[]

In March 2004, The Barbarian won the NWA Virginia Heavyweight Championship, and feuded withDavid Flair for the title, until he was ruled ineligible to compete due to a lack of a valid Virginia wrestling license.

In 2005, The Barbarian again teamed with The Warlord in Gladiator Championship Wrestling, and renewed his feud withRoad Warrior Animal.

In 2007, at the Annual Championship Wrestling/IRW Fun Fest Slam in Kingsport, Tennessee, The Barbarian wrestled 'Big' Steve Fury, the CW Heavyweight Champion, in front of 1,100 people. He also made an appearance inIWA Mid South, at the April Bloodshowers 2007 event, where he wrestledJimmy Jacobs.

In 2008, The Barbarian teamed with Demolition Ax (Bill Eadie), and managed byTed DiBiase, in Seagrove NC, defeating Cowboy Willie Watts & Leroy Greene.

In 2009, The Barbarian teamed with the Iron Chief in the Ivan Koloff's tag team tournament in the Allied Independent Wrestling Federation (AIWF).

In wrestling[]

• Finishing moves
  • Diving headbutt
  • Kick of Fear (Running big boot)
  • The Claw (Claw)

• Signature moves
  • Backbreaker
  • Bearhug
  • Belly to belly superplex
  • Diving axe handle elbow drop
  • Front powerslam
  • Lariat
  • Powerbomb

• WithThe Warlord
  • Electric chair (The Warlord) / Diving clothesline (The Barbarian) combination
  • Running powerslam by The Warlord followed by adiving headbutt by The Barbarian

• WithMeng
  • Aided powerbomb (back body drop transitioned into apowerbomb)

• Managers
  • Ivan Koloff
  • Paul Jones
  • Baron Von Raschke
  • Mr. Fuji
  • Bobby Heenan
  • Lou Albano
  • Afa Anoa'i
  • Cactus Jack
  • Col. Rob Parker
  • Jimmy Hart
  • Missy Hyatt
  • Bill Dundee
  • Sonny Blaze
  • Neil Sharkey
  • Jason Rumble
  • "Mr. Terrific"Tim Lawler
  • "Fabulous Playboy"Bob Keller
  • J. Douglas Howdie

Championships and accomplishments[]

• Bruiser Wrestling Federation
  • BWF Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• Exodus Wrestling Alliance
  • EWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• iGeneration Wrestling
  • iGeneration Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• International Association of Wrestling
  • IAW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• Mainstream Wrestling Organization
  • MWO Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• Jim Crockett Promotions
  • NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship (1 time) - withIvan Koloff &The Warlord

• NWA Virginia
  • NWA Virginia Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• New Age Championship Wrestling
  • NACW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI ranked him #97 of the 100 best tag teams during the "PWI Years" withThe Warlord in 2003.

• World Championship Wrestling
  • WCW United States Tag Team Championship (1 time) - withDick Slater
  • WCW Hardcore Championship (1 time)

• World League Wrestling
  • WLW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• World Wrestling Council
  • WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• Other titles
  • Real Wrestling Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • UCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
  • Worst Worked Match of the Year (1996)withRic Flair,Arn Anderson,Meng,Lex Luger,Kevin Sullivan, Z-Gangsta and The Ultimate Solution vs.Hulk Hogan andRandy Savage,WCW Uncensored,Towers of Doom match,Tupelo, MS, March 24
  • Worst Tag Team (1989)with The Warlord

Personal life[]

Sione has seven children with his wife, Seini Tonga. His youngest son, Peter, is a standout college football player, who signed with Brigham Young University in February 2005. However, in the early stages of his BYU contract, Peter withdrew in order to play closer to his home in Charlotte, North Carolina. Peter signed to attend Wingate University in Wingate, North Carolina.

Sione's family is related to WCAU sportscaster Vai Sikahema, Philadelphia Eagles running back Reno Mahe, and Rock Star: INXS finalist Jordis Unga.

When he is not wrestling, he runs a small construction business in his hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina.

External links[]

• The Barbarian profile at CAGEMATCH.net
• Profile