JBL Says Tama Tonga’s Backstage Footage Leak Was a Fireable Offense

JBL has come out firmly in support of WWE‘s decision to issue Tama Tonga a five-figure fine for posting backstage rehearsal footage from SmackDown — and he went even further by stating he would have supported termination. Speaking on the Something to Wrestle podcast, the WWE Hall of Famer called the leak one of the most serious things a wrestler can do to the company.

“Sharing backstage material without approval is a fireable offense,” JBL said, explaining that only WWE should control when and how behind-the-scenes content is released. He pointed to shows like WWE: Unreal as the proper channel for that kind of material — content that is edited, controlled, and released on the company’s own terms rather than by individual talent acting unilaterally.

JBL Says WWE Should Fine Tama Tonga and Move On Without Holding It Against Him Long-Term

Despite the severity of his stance, JBL did not call for the situation to define Tonga’s career going forward. He praised Vince McMahon’s historical approach of punishing someone and then genuinely moving on rather than holding it against them indefinitely. JBL believes WWE should treat the matter as closed once the fine has been paid and allow Tonga to get back to work without lingering consequences. Tonga himself acknowledged the fine on social media, calling it “deserved” and describing the incident as “a careless mistake” before signing off with “lesson learned, take the hit and move on.” He lost the WWE Tag Team Championships alongside JC Mateo on the same night the fine was reportedly issued, making it a difficult stretch for the Samoan star.