Teila Tuli

Takamishu
高見州
Personal information
Born Taylor Wily
(1969-06-14) June 14, 1969
Honolulu Hawaii, U.S.
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight 190.5 kg (420 lb)
Career
Stable Azumazeki
Record 57-27-14
Debut March, 1987
Highest rank Makushita 2 (March, 1989)
Retired July, 1989
Championships 1 (Makushita)
1 (Jonidan)
1 (Jonokuchi)
* Up to date as of July 2007.

Taylor Wily, also known as Teila Tuli (born 14 June 1969) is a Hawaiian actor and a former sumo wrestler and mixed martial artist.[1] He is from Laie, Hawaii and is of Samoan descent. He is commonly known for his recurring role as Kamekona on Hawaii Five-0.

Sumo career

In March 1987, Tuli was recruited by former sekiwake Takamiyama Daigorō, another Hawaiian, and joined Azumazeki stable, which Takamiyama had founded the previous year. He was given the shikona (sumo name) of Takamishu. He was unbeaten in his first 14 official bouts, winning two consecutive yūshō or tournament championships. Weighing nearly 200 kg (440 lb), he was one of the largest wrestlers in sumo. In March 1988, he was promoted to the third highest makushita division, and became the first foreign born wrestler to ever win the championship in that division. In the same month, future yokozuna Akebono Tarō, also from Hawaii, joined Azumazeki stable. As the highest ranking wrestler in the stable, Takamishu was a mentor to Akebono and gave him advice on how to adjust to life in Japan.[2] In March 1989 Takamishu reached his highest ever rank of makushita 2, and even fought two bouts with elite jūryō ranked wrestlers (one of whom, Tōryū Kenji, was a former sekiwake). Takamishu was never to reach sekitori status himself. He did not compete in the following tournament, and retired from sumo in July 1989.

Sumo career record

Takamishu[3]
Year in sumo January
Hatsu basho, Tokyo		 March
Haru basho, Osaka		 May
Natsu basho, Tokyo		 July
Nagoya basho, Nagoya		 September
Aki basho, Tokyo		 November
Kyūshū basho, Fukuoka
1987 x (Maezumo) East Jonokuchi #7
7–0
Champion
 		 East Jonidan #48
7–0–P
Champion
 		 East Sandanme #49
4–3
 		 West Sandanme #31
5–2
 
1988 East Sandanme #10
4–3
 		 East Makushita #55
7–0
Champion
 		 East Makushita #10
2–5
 		 West Makushita #23
4–3
 		 East Makushita #16
5–2
 		 West Makushita #8
5–2
 
1989 West Makushita #4
4–3
 		 East Makushita #2
3–4
 		 East Makushita #6
0–0–7
 		 East Makushita #46
Retired
0–0–7		 x x
Record given as win-loss-absent    Top Division Champion Top Division Runner-up Retired Lower Divisions

Sanshō key: F=Fighting spirit; O=Outstanding performance; T=Technique     Also shown: ★=Kinboshi(s); P=Playoff(s)
Divisions: Makuuchi — Jūryō — Makushita — Sandanme — Jonidan — Jonokuchi

Makuuchi ranks: Yokozuna — Ōzeki — Sekiwake — Komusubi — Maegashira

Ultimate Fighting Championship

After leaving sumo, he competed in the first bout of the UFC 1 in November 1993, held in Denver, Colorado.[4] It was shown on pay-per-view. Despite heavily outweighing his opponent, he lost to Gerard Gordeau, the match being stopped after Tuli was kicked in the face causing the loss of a tooth.[5] This was Tuli's only MMA fight.[4] The match has been described as one of the top five David and Goliath match-ups in MMA history.[5]

Mixed martial arts record

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 0-1 Gerard Gordeau TKO (after powerful head kick) UFC 1 November 12, 1993 1 0:26 Denver, United States First Fight in UFC History

Acting career

Tuli, credited as Taylor Wily, had a role in the comedy film Forgetting Sarah Marshall as a hotel worker who befriended the main character played by Jason Segel. He also has a recurring role on the television series Hawaii Five-0. Wily made a cameo on the 20th edition of The Amazing Race, and handed out clues to racing contestants. He also appeared as an "extra" in Magnum, P.I.'s 1982 episode titled "The Eighth Part of the Village" in a street scene near a pool hall (at time 29:19).

He also appeared as a sumo wrestler in an episode of One West Waikiki, another TV show filmed in Hawaii starring Cheryl Ladd. In that episode, he had hair, unlike his character in Hawaii Five-0, wrapped in the sumo style. The episode was "Battle of the Titans"[6]

Filmography

Year Film/Series Role Note
1982 Magnum, P.I. (TV series) "The Eighth Part of the Village" Extra At 29:19
2004 North Shore Bartender Ties That Bind
2008 Forgetting Sarah Marshall Kemo
2010–Present Hawaii Five-0 Kamekona 96 Episodes[7]
2012 The Amazing Race 20 Cameo 12th Leg
2017 MacGyver Kamekona

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.sherdog.com/videos/videointerview/Teila-Tuli-Still-Heartbroken-20-Years-After-UFC-1-5309
  2. ↑ Panek, Mark (2006). Gaijin Yokozuna. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 0-8248-3043-1.
  3. ↑ "Takamishu Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
  4. 1 2 Jarsulic, Mike (2006-10-16). "DVD Review: Ultimate Fighting Championship 1". MMATorch.com. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
  5. 1 2 Leidecker, Tim (2008-08-01). "The Top 5 David VS Goliath Matchups". Sherdog. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
  6. ↑ imdb.com
  7. ↑ IMDB http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1600194/
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