We had a great discussion and it definitely involved some of his legendary moments.
Tonga is what most call him and he is definitely just skirting by financially. The legendary incident where he bit a man's nose off is not only true but cost him 1.6 million. Apparently he had a few other incidents that cost him dearly too.
The guy Gregg in the pics is an attorney and I think in some ways it made him uneasy and after losing millions in lawsuits I can see why.
Tonga works in the car business and it is my understanding he runs the car wash. There has been a lot of consolidation in that industry and the dealership he worked at in Sanford was sold a few years ago and now he works in New Port Richey and drives four hours a day to and from work.
He has a few sons in the business now and hopefully they find success and can assist him and his wife of 36 years.
One of my favorite parts of the discussion was talking about the bloody finish at the recent Summer Slam with Brock Lesnar and Randy Orton. A fellow former professional wrestler Ricky Santana works at the dealership too and fills him in on the happenings and his thoughts on the booking. He agreed with me that is great for the business to have a headline grabbing finish like that. Brock is by far my favorite and booking him as a mercenary who is legit is a good thing.
Since the dinner I have had a chance to look around on Youtube and there are some great videos of him. This is one of my favorites.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OkdrvojMYc