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Fifita made a name for himself outside the ring as one of the toughest wrestler of his era and is known for allegedly biting off noses, and knocking people out with one punch, slap, or headbutt. Though he had an easygoing, friendly personality outside of wrestling, he had very little tolerance for people who tested him. Even renowned hardman Bad News Brown said in interviews that Fifita was without a doubt the most vigorous. Bill Goldberg has also called him the toughest man he's been in the ring with. His one time manager, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan said in a shoot interview that Haku was "the toughest man I've ever met in my life", but noted that he was also a good hearted family man. In 1987, Haku had a backstage fight with Jesse Barr (who wrestled at the WWF as Jimmy Jack Funk) which allegedly resulted in Fifita gouging one of Barr's eyeballs out, causing Barr to later wear a glass eye. After this fight, Fifita had a reputation that steered wrestlers away from backstage confrontations.
In the book Arn Anderson: 4 Ever, Arn Anderson cites an event where Fifita pushed a cowboy through two sets of doors with one hand - and a conversation with The Barbarian about who was tougher. The Barbarian just shook his head when Anderson asked who would win in a fight between him and Fifita and stated "Meng's the man."
He also had an altercation with Brutus Beefcake after Beefcake complained to WWF management that Tonga slapped him too hard during a match. After WWF management informed Tonga, he immediately went to the locker room and grabbed Beefcake out of the shower, and began choking him, lifting him two feet off the floor. Other wrestlers were hesitant to break it up, so finally Hulk Hogan (who Tonga respected) was called in and was able to calm Tonga down.