Lei'D Tapa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lei'D Tapa
Tapa in November 2012
Birth name	Seini Tonga
Born	(1982-11-27) 27 November 1982 (age 42) Germany
Alma mater	Kuwait University
Spouse(s)	Willis Draughn Jr. ​ (m. 2013)​
Family	The Barbarian (uncle)
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	Lei'D Tapa
Billed height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Billed weight	218 lb (99 kg)
Billed from	Tonga
Trained by	The Barbarian George South Ohio Valley Wrestling
Debut	2011

Seini Draughn (born Seini Tonga on November 27, 1982) is a talented athlete from Germany with Tongan American roots. She is well-known as a professional wrestler, a wrestling manager, a model, and a mixed martial artist. She also used to play women's American football. Many people know her best by her wrestling name, Lei'D Tapa, from her time with the wrestling company Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.

Early Life and Sports

Seini Tonga was born in Germany. She grew up with her brother and three sisters. Her parents were originally from Tonga, and her father was serving in the United States Army.

When she was in middle school, Seini enjoyed playing various sports like volleyball and track. In high school, she moved around quite a bit, attending schools in northern Chile and Bangor, Maine in the United States. She continued to play basketball and volleyball, earning "all-state" honors twice in North Carolina. In her final year of high school, Seini and her volleyball team, which included two of her sisters, won the state championship. Seini was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) for her team.

After high school, Seini received a scholarship to Kuwait University in Kuwait. There, she continued her athletic pursuits and was recognized as a top athlete in Kuwait for two of her four years.

Professional Wrestling Journey

Seini Tonga learned how to wrestle from George South and Sione "The Barbarian" Vailahi, who is also her uncle. She had her very first professional wrestling match on June 24, 2011, for Southern Heritage Championship Wrestling.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2013–2014)

On February 28, 2013, Lei'D Tapa appeared on Impact Wrestling, a TV show by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). She took part in the "Gut Check Challenge," hoping to earn a contract with the company. She wrestled against Ivelisse Vélez but lost the match. However, the judges were impressed and offered her a contract the following week. This meant Tapa would train at TNA's special training center, Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW).

In March 2013, Tapa also competed in TNA's "One Night Only" events. At "Knockout Knockdown," she defeated Ivelisse Vélez. She then joined a "Knockouts Battle Royal" to decide the "Queen of TNA," which was won by Gail Kim. Tapa also represented "Team International" in the "TNA World Cup of Wrestling," where she beat Hannah Blossom from "Team UK."

On October 3, 2013, Lei'D Tapa officially debuted on Impact Wrestling. She started as a "heel," which means she played the role of a bad guy. She attacked Velvet Sky before her match. A week later, Tapa attacked the TNA Women's Knockout Champion, ODB, showing she wanted a chance at the championship. At a big event called Bound for Glory, Tapa teamed up with Gail Kim. She helped Gail Kim win the TNA Women's Knockout Championship in a three-way match against ODB and Brooke.

Tapa and Gail Kim continued to work together. On December 12, they attacked ODB, but Madison Rayne returned to help ODB, becoming a "face" (a good guy). At another event called Final Resolution, Tapa and Kim lost to ODB and Rayne. Tapa's partnership with Gail Kim ended on March 13, 2014, when they had a fight after Tapa accidentally caused Kim to lose a match. Tapa then became a "face." The next week, Tapa wrestled Kim but lost.

After this match, Seini Draughn announced she was leaving TNA. Gail Kim later said in an interview that Tapa was released because she needed more wrestling experience. Tapa's last match for TNA aired on March 26, 2014, which was another loss to Kim.

After TNA (2014–Present)

Even after leaving TNA, Tapa continued to wrestle at Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). She became very successful there, winning the OVW Women's Championship three times. She even defended her title against a male wrestler named The Bodyguy. However, she had to give up the championship on November 1, 2014, because OVW stopped having a women's division at that time.

On May 6, 2015, another wrestling company called Global Force Wrestling (GFW) announced that Tapa was joining their team. She had several matches against Thea Trinidad during GFW's first tour. Later that year, GFW started working with TNA, which meant Tapa returned to Impact Wrestling on July 27, 2015. She faced Awesome Kong in a match that ended in a double count-out. She also competed in a four-way match for the Knockouts championship but was released from her contract on September 9, 2015.

In the years that followed, Tapa wrestled less often. She made an appearance in WWE's training territory, NXT, on July 12, 2017, where she lost to Ember Moon. She also participated as an alternate in the Mae Young Classic tournament. More recently, she appeared on All Elite Wrestling (AEW)'s show AEW Dark on November 3, 2020, where she lost to KiLynn King.

Mixed Martial Arts Career

Seini Draughn also competed in mixed martial arts (MMA), a sport that combines different fighting styles.

Fighting in Rizin

On November 6, 2015, it was announced that Seini Draughn would fight Gabi Garcia at an event for Rizin Fighting Federation on December 31, 2015. She trained for this big fight at the American Top Team gym in Florida. Unfortunately, Garcia defeated Draughn in the first round.

In her second fight for Rizin on July 30, 2017, at Rizin 6, Draughn lost to Reina Miura by a decision from the judges.

Championships and Achievements

Lei'D Tapa has achieved several titles and honors throughout her wrestling career:

• AIWF Mid-Atlantic Wrestling
  • AIWF World Women's Championship (1 time)
• Ohio Valley Wrestling
  • OVW Women's Championship (3 times)
• Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
  • TNA Gut Check winner
• Ultimate Women of Wrestling
  • UWW USA Championship (1 time, she was the first to win it, and currently holds it)

See also

In Spanish: Lei'D Tapa para niños