Taylor Wily

Taylor Wily (born Teila Tuli, June 14, 1968) is an American actor, former sumo wrestler and mixed martial artist.[1] He is from Laie, Hawaii and is of American Samoan descent. He is commonly known for his recurring role as Kamekona Tupuola on Hawaii Five-0. He also has a recurring character on Magnum, P.I.

Takamikuni Daikichi
高見州 大吉
Wily in 2011
Personal information
BornTeila Tuli
(1968-06-14) June 14, 1968
Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight450 lb (200 kg)
Career
StableAzumazeki
Record57–27–14
DebutMarch 1987
Highest rankMakushita 2 (March 1989)
RetiredJuly 1989
Championships1 (Makushita)
1 (Jonidan)
1 (Jonokuchi)

Sumo career

In March 1987, Wily 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 Takamikuni.[2] He was unbeaten in his first 14 official bouts, winning two consecutive yūshō or tournament championships. Weighing nearly 440 lb (200 kg), 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, he was a mentor to Akebono and gave him advice on how to adjust to life in Japan.[3] In March 1989, Takamikuni 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). Takamikuni was never to reach sekitori status himself. He did not compete in the following tournament, and retired from sumo in July 1989 due to knee problems.

Sumo career record
Takamikuni[4]
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; P=Playoff(s)
Divisions: Makuuchi — Jūryō — Makushita — Sandanme — Jonidan — Jonokuchi

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

Ultimate Fighting Championship

After leaving sumo, Wily went to New Japan Pro Wrestling in September 1990 and joined Tatsumi Fujinami's stable, Dragon Bombers, as a trainee, alongside fellow former sumo Nankairyū Tarō. However, the stable dissolved in 1992 and he left NJPW. He continued his training, which evolved into mixed martial arts, preparing him for the first-ever Ultimate Fighting Championships.

He competed as Teila Tuli in the first bout of the UFC 1 in November 1993, facing savate expert Gerard Gordeau.[5] Tuli rushed forward, but lost his balance and was met with a brutal kick to the head that knocked a few of his teeth out, and a punch that broke Gordeau's hand, with the referee stopping the fight as a TKO win for Gordeau.[6] This was Tuli's only MMA fight.[5] The match has been described as one of the top five David and Goliath match-ups in MMA history.[6]

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
1 match 0 wins 1 loss
By knockout 0 1
By submission 0 0
By decision 0 0
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 0–1 Gerard Gordeau TKO (head kick) UFC 1 November 12, 1993 1 0:26 Denver, United States First televised fight in UFC history]

Acting career

Credited as Taylor Wily, he 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.

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

Select filmography
YearFilm/SeriesRoleNote
2004North ShoreBartender"Ties That Bind"
2008Forgetting Sarah MarshallKemo
2010–2020Hawaii Five-0Kamekona Tupuola96 Episodes[7]
2012The Amazing Race 20Cameo12th Leg
2017MacGyverKamekona Tupuola
2018–presentMagnum P.I.Kamekona Tupuola

See also

References
  1. "Teila Tuli: Still 'Heartbroken' 20 Years After UFC 1". Sherdog.com.
  2. Sharnoff, Lora (1993). Grand Sumo: The Living Sport And Tradition. Weatherhill. p. 160. ISBN 0-8348-0283-X.
  3. Panek, Mark (2006). Gaijin Yokozuna. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 0-8248-3043-1.
  4. "Takamishu Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
  5. Jarsulic, Mike (2006-10-16). "DVD Review: Ultimate Fighting Championship 1". MMATorch.com. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
  6. Leidecker, Tim (2008-08-01). "The Top 5 David VS Goliath Matchups". Sherdog. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
  7. "Hawaii Five-0" – via www.imdb.com.
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