Sonny Siaki

{{Infobox Wrestler| name=Sonny Siaki |image= |names=Money |height=5 ft 10 in (178 cm) |weight=242 lb (110 kg) |birth_date = July 23, 1974 |death_date = |birth_place = Pago Pago, American Samoa |resides=Atlanta, Georgia |billed= |trainer=Paul Orndorff
WCW Power Plant
Dusty Rhodes |debut=March 1999 |retired= [1]

Sonny Siaki is an American professional wrestler, currently working for World Wrestling Entertainment. Siaki was born in Pago Pago, American Samoa but when he was three his family moved to Hawaii and California before settling in Winston-Salem, North Carolina when Siaki was four years old. Unlike many Samoans in professional wrestling, he is not part of the large Anoa'i family.

Career

Sonny Siaki graduated from East Carolina University in 1998 with a Bachelor of Science degree in health and fitness. While attending university, he played football as an inside linebacker until a serious stinger injury forced him to stop playing football, preventing him from pursuing a career within the National Football League.

After his school friend Lodi notified Siaki that the WCW Power Plant was holding tryouts in early 1999, Siaki attended the tryout and was awarded a WCW developmental contract. He graduated after seven months and wrestled his first televised match on WCW Saturday Night against Alan Funk. Siaki largely appeared on Saturday Night and faced other Power Plant graduates, though he did make several appearances on Thunder and Nitro. Siaki eventually left WCW, unhappy with the way he was being utilised.

Siaki moved on to the Urban Wrestling Alliance in California, where he was known as Money. After nine months, the UWA folded and Siaki joined Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling where he received further training from the TCW owner, Dusty Rhodes.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

On June 19 2002 Siaki debuted on the first Total Nonstop Action Wrestling pay-per-view as one-third of the Flying Elvises with Jimmy Yang and Jorge Estrada. The Elvises were a comedy heel stable who impersonated the late Elvis Presley. The Elvises eventually split, with Siaki defeating Yang in a singles bout on August 21, 2002.

Siaki was then given a valet, Desire, a fellow TCW graduate. He also joined Vince Russo's Sports Entertainment Xtreme faction.

On December 11 2002 Siaki defeated Jerry Lynn for the TNA X Division Championship. He held the belt until February 12, 2003 when he lost to Kid Kash.

In July 2003 Siaki began a feud with D'Lo Brown, who he defeated in a Casket Match. In October 2003 he formed a tag team with Ekmo, which split when Ekmo began working for All Japan Pro Wrestling.

Siaki eventually became a face, and in April 2004 he and Simon Diamond began feuding with Glenn Gilberti and Johnny Swinger. After Siaki and Diamond were victorious in a tag match, their opponents were forced to wear Irish and Samoan native dress respectively, punishing Gilberti and Swinger for the ethnic jokes they had made in the preceding weeks.

Siaki formed a tag team with Apolo. On April 24, 2005 at TNA Lockdown he and Apolo defeated Lance Hoyt and Chris Candido in a steel cage tag match. In the course of the match, Candido's leg was broken when he landed awkward after Sonny Siaki gave him a leg lariat. Candido underwent successful surgery, but unexpectedly died of a blood clot three days later.

Throughout mid-2005 Siaki and Apolo feuded on a casual basis with the Diamonds in the Rough.

In December 2005, Siaki's contract with TNA expired, and he declined to re-sign, instead leaving the promotion on good terms.