Historic Tongan pro-wrestlers put culture at the forefront

Famous for entering the ring in traditional Tongan wear, a pair of twins have etched their name into Women of Wrestling (WOW) history as the first ever Tongan World Tag-Team Champions.

The “Tonga Twins” Kona and Kaos (Ashley and Steffanie Manukainiu) hail from the villages of Kolonga and Houma, are the first-ever Tongan female professional wrestlers.

The pair give fans a glimpse of the Tongan culture through their in-ring gear and entrances with cultural performances. The twins also sport a Tongan kiekie every match, gifted especially by a late family member.

“Our kiekies originally came when my aunty had made one for our in ring gear. We were grateful that we were able to bring the same kiekie and design before she passed away into WOW,” says Kaos.
Their interest in pro-wrestling was first sparked after a conversation with Ata Johnson, the mother of WWE great Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. In a backstage conversation with Johnson during a concert, the pair were encouraged to become trailblazers for Tongan female wrestlers.

“Having someone like Ata, Dwayne Johnson’s mother, speak it into existence being the first Tongan female wrestlers and make history [was special],” says Kaos.

“When somebody with that much knowledge in the wrestling industry, there’s no choice but to do it. When they tell you you’re gonna make history, you’re gonna make history.” Kona adds.

The twins also received support from WWE Hall of Famer “Rakishi” and Reno Anoa’i who helped them with training. The duo emphasise the importance of support from the Polynesian wrestling community, which they say is very “tight knit”.

“We all help each other, especially with them being in the game! Even with other Samoan female wrestlers. When we see another Polynesian we’re like “oh wow” so it’s automatic to help each other.” says Kaos.

“We’re all tight, we all talk and we want to keep bringing our island cultures to the world.”

In addition to support in the wrestling community, the two also receive support from all corners of the world.

“I was overwhelmed because there was so much feedback from the islands, back home and we have our grandpa in Tonga who facetimes us and tells us about all these little girls talk about us.” says Kona.

“Even NFL players in the States, we have our culture all over the world now. To have people in bigger platforms than we are giving us good back is really good.” she adds.

The twins now prepare for a full year as champions for the upcoming 2024 WOW schedule. Going into the year, the twins express immense pride in representing Tonga.

“It feels really good to get on a big platform with CBS, Paramount, having greats like Jeanie Bus [who is the owner of the LA Lakers] to support us, let us be free and share our Tongan culture.”

“It’s very important for us because we were raised with all these values and culture, it feels really good to have this big platform. Show the world our culture and share that.

“Anything we do in the ring, I hope the world feels it, the way we walk, the way we speak, the way we dress."