- Source: Toa Liona
Bruce Orlando Leaupepe (born January 30, 1991) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Toa Liona and is one-half of the tag team Gates of Agony. He also wrestles for AEW's sister promotion, Ring of Honor (ROH), where he is a former two-time ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champion.
Early life
Leaupepe was born in San Jose, California. He attended Oak Grove High School, where he played football and basketball. After graduating in 2009, he attended the City College of San Francisco and De Anza College. In 2011, he enrolled in San Diego State University, majoring in criminal justice. He played football for the San Diego State Aztecs until being forced to quit after suffering a popped disc in his lower back. He worked as a personal trainer before deciding to become a professional wrestler.
Professional wrestling career
= Early career (2020–2021)
=Liona was trained to wrestle by Rikishi. He began wrestling on the independent circuit in 2020, wrestling primarily for promotions in Los Angeles, California and Las Vegas, Nevada. In early-2021, he formed a tag team with Juicy Finau named "Toko Uso".
= All Elite Wrestling / Ring of Honor (2021–present)
=On October 23, 2021, Liona made his All Elite Wrestling debut on AEW Dark: Elevation, teaming with Mike Reed in a loss to FTR. On October 24, he appeared on AEW Dark teaming with Bison XL, losing to 2point0.
On April 1, 2022, Liona was named as one of Tully Blanchard's new clients, teaming with Kaun to form the Gates of Agony. The team defeated Shinobi Shadow Squad (Cheeseburger and Eli Isom) at the event. On May 25, Liona teamed with Juicy Finau in a GCW Tag Team Championship match, losing to BUSSY.
On July 6, Gates of Agony made their AEW Television debut on AEW Rampage, defeating Jonathan Gresham and Lee Moriarty. On July 23, 2022, at Death Before Dishonor, Prince Nana announced he had purchased Tully Blanchard Enterprises and reformed The Embassy, with Cage, Kaun and Liona. They would go on to defeat the team of Alex Zayne, Blake Christian and Tony Deppen during the preshow. At Final Battle, The Embassy defeated Dalton Castle and The Boys, to win the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship.
Gates of Agony suffered a loss to FTR at Battle of the Belts IV when they challenged for the ROH World Tag Team Championship. At Rampage:Grand Slam, The Embassy lost the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championships to The Elite members "Hangman" Adam Page and The Young Bucks. On November 1, 2023, on AEW Dynamite, The Embassy regained the titles.
On the May 8, 2024 episode of Dynamite, Cage and the Gates of Agony turned on Swerve Strickland, disbanding the Mogul Embassy in the process. On the May 25 episode of Rampage, Gates of Agony and Cage revealed their new team name to be "Cage of Agony". After Cage left the group, Kaun and Liona were left as a tag team.
= New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2023)
=On November 13, 2023, it was announced that Gates of Agony (Liona and Kaun), would make their New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) debut, by competing in the 2023 World Tag League. The duo were announced to be competing in the A-Block. On November 29, Gates of Agony would seemingly join House of Torture, but would reveal it to be a trick on the following December 1 show. The duo finished with 4 points and were unable to qualify for the semi-finals.
Personal life
Liona is of Samoan and Puerto Rican descent.
Championships and accomplishments
Future Stars of Wrestling
FSW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Juicy Finau
KnokX Pro Entertainment
Urban Empire Championship (1 time)
Ring of Honor
ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Brian Cage and Kaun
References
External links
Toa Liona's Ring of Honor profile
Toa Liona on Twitter
Toa Liona at IMDb
Toa Liona's profile at Cagematch.net, Wrestlingdata.com, Internet Wrestling Database
Kata Kunci Pencarian:
- ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship
- Bullet Club
- Toa Liona
- Cage of Agony
- Gates of Agony
- Mogul Embassy
- Double or Nothing (2024)
- All Out (2023)
- Final Battle (2023)
- List of Ring of Honor personnel
- Grand Slam (2023)
- Prince Nana