Tama Tonga Explains Why Michael Elgin Is No Longer With NJPW

Tama Tonga has fired back at Michael Elgin.

Michael Elgin spent four years in NJPW, starting with the company in 2015 and staying until 2019. During his time in the promotion, Elgin won the IWGP Intercontinental Championship and NEVER Openweight Championship.

He left the promotion in April 2019 and began working for IMPACT Wrestling.

On January 18, Fightful Select reported Elgin told many in IMPACT that he left NJPW because “Tama Tonga was unsafe in hitting him with a chair in the G1 Tournament that he alleges tore his bicep. Elgin was also critical of Tama to several people in saying that he only got a push because of his father.”

Speaking on his Tama’s Island podcast, Tonga responded to the report and Elgin’s claims.

“The real reason that dumbass idiot Michael Elgin ain’t coming back to New Japan is because of his own damn stupid fault,” said Tama. “This idiot was contracted with New Japan. Our schedule was pretty busy and when contract season was coming up, he still had another year. This dumbass told New Japan, ‘look, my son, I need to go home and spend more time. I need to go home.’ New Japan, being the family business that they are let him go and let him go out of his contract. He went home. Soon after that, he shows up on IMPACT. New Japan is blown away. What the fuck are you doing? Then, from IMPACT the following month and back in Japan working for All Japan. Elgin, you’re the biggest fucking idiot I’ve ever seen in my life bro. It’s your own damn fault. Why are you telling everybody that I won’t let you come back to New Japan? No. You’re your own reason why. You fucked that up yourself. How you gonna leave Japan because the schedule is too busy and then come back to work for a rival company? You’re a fucking idiot.”

On the subject of Elgin saying Tama was unsafe with his chair shots, Tama said, “I hit him with a bunch of chair shots. I was just doing what I was told to do. The chair was plastic Michael Elgin! I’m a great worker and he said I was swinging like a wild man trying to hurt him. Nah, man. I put out his arm and hit the damn mat. Michael Elgin, you bitch ass, acting like you had an injury. You had your arm taped already, are you bitching about that? It seemed like every time you’re about to lose, you’re all taped up. Elgin, you’re the biggest dumb idiot. After all this time, I was standing up for you. I was just telling the boys two weeks ago that I miss you. I miss your stupid ass, lying ass stories. It was entertaining. I stuck up for you. ‘He’s really talented in the ring, I respect his work.’ I was trying to keep it chill. I had to find out from fans that Elgin was talking shit about me. I was like, ‘they’re fans, they don’t know what they’re talking about.’ Then I read in the news you’re talking shit? You dumb idiot.”

The Fightful Select report noted that New Japan’s side had a different take on Elgin, saying he was fired, but didn’t give a reason why.

Elgin finished with IMPACT Wrestling in June 2020 after allegations of sexual misconduct.

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