Toa Liona Speaks On His Match With Bobby Lashley Being The Culmination Of Hard Work And Sacrifice

Toa Liona talks about the chance to wrestle a former WWE Champion, Bobby Lashley, at the AEW September to Remember event on September 17, 2025.

Toa Liona is primarily known as a tag team wrestler. He teams with Bishop Kaun, and collectively they are known as GOA. Currently, they are the muscle behind Ricochet, and they are all engaged in a feud with MVP, Bobby Lashley, and Shelton Benjamin of the Hurt Syndicate.

Recently, Liona was given the rare opportunity at a singles match with a former WWE Champion. During AEW September to Remember, Liona fought Bobby Lashley in a singles match, and although he ended up tapping out to Lashley, the opportunity alone gave him pause and a chance to reflect on how far he’s come in his career.

Speaking with Jeremy Lambert, Sean Ross Sapp, an SP3 on Fightful Overbooked’s In The Weeds, Liona explained that he was ready for the match. Although he nearly had a panic attack before the contest, he believes he was in the right mindset to face the challenge of the evening and take on “The All Mighty.”

“This entire week, I took a lot of time to reflect on everything that I’ve been through leading up to this point. To not take for granted my spot and where I’m at. It wasn’t too long ago that I was doing Uber Eats, trying to make ends meet, living in a one-bedroom apartment with my wife and kids. It was a real stressful time. I remember doing those things, going, ‘It’s going to be worth it.’ I remember sitting in the gym praying for this moment. Watching TV, seeing other people get chances and opportunities. ‘I know I can do it.’ Every time leading up to it, whether it was my first FTR match in Orlando or our first big opportunity with Swerve and Ospreay.

“Every time we got a chance, we showed up. I had a chance to reflect on that, and that match, I was ready. There is not one thing in my head during the match where I felt self-conscious or anything like that. Don’t get me wrong, I damn near had a panic attack the day before. I put myself in that situation purposely because my entire life, anytime my back was against the wall, I always fought out. It might not be the healthiest thing to do, but I definitely put myself in a mental situation and space where I was fighting out of this and coming out on top. To have a chance to do that with Bobby Lashley is extremely surreal.”

Ricochet and GOA will take on the Hurt Syndicate at AEW All Out: Toronto. Check out the full card here.

Check out the full interview with Bishop Kaun and Toa Liona embedded in the video below.