Last week, hours before the Mar. 20, 2026, episode of Friday Night SmackDown, news emerged that WWE had hit Tama Tonga with a “significant” fine. The news was reported after Tonga had allegedly posted certain behind-the-scenes rehearsal footage.

Later, Fightful Select reported that Tonga's fine was “in the five-figure territory,” which meant that the amount could range anywhere between $10,000-$90,000. Quite a hefty amount, fans found the punishment concerning since WWE has, in the past, happily revealed some of their trade secrets, backstage moments, writer's room conversations, rehearsal moments, and even storyline pitches to the audience via their Unreal on Netflix reality show.

Shortly after, Tama Tonga addressed the situation on X (formerly known as Twitter) and claimed that he “deserved” it for his actions. “As addressed, yes I was fined – deserved. I knew better- a careless mistake. -Lesson learned. Take the hit and move on. Back to work.”

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Later on, in a social media live video, he opened up more in detail about the fine. “We get hit with something. We just take the hit and keep on moving. Can’t let that bring you down. Am I in the doghouse? I’ve been in the doghouse my whole life. There is no getting out of the doghouse. I move in life like I’m in the doghouse always.”

Tonga is a former tag-team champion and recently lost the titles to Damian Priest & R-Truth on the Mar. 20, 2026 episode of SmackDown, while teaming up with JC Mateo of The MFTs. A two-time champion, Tonga once held it with Jacob Fatu and Tonga Loa of The Bloodline, before winning it again earlier this year with Solo Sikoa.