Penina Tuilaepa Reveals Real Story Behind Her “P Nasty” Nickname

Penina Tuilaepa may be out of the running on WWE LFG, but her impact didn’t go unnoticed. After surviving a brutal round of eliminations on the May 4 episode, she was ultimately cut the following week—closing the chapter on one of the show’s most authentic voices. But before her exit, Penina opened up in a new interview about the real story behind her “P Nasty” nickname, proving that her identity in the ring was rooted in who she’s always been outside of it.

During a new interview on Mic Check Mania, Penina peeled back the curtain on the origin of “P Nasty,” revealing it wasn’t WWE that invented it, but rather a callback to her hard-hitting rugby days.

“It’s actually funny. So people are like, ‘Where did you get the damn name P Nasty?’ And it’s funny because shout out to Ryan Katz. He’s one of our guys that work at the PC and he helps us with like character development, promos specifically. And he goes, ‘You know, Panina, we should just start calling you P Nasty.’ And I go, ‘Wait, what?’”

What Katz didn’t know was that the nickname already existed—years before WWE ever called.

“Nobody knew at the PC that I was actually called ‘Pasty’ in rugby in high school. All my friends in high school, like people I played with, everybody was just calling me Pasty. And that was just because defense was my game. I didn’t really care to score—I just wanted to hit somebody for free.”

Tuilaepa explained that when Katz unknowingly brought the name back into her life, it was a surreal moment that felt like fate.

“So when Ryan Katz was like, ‘We’re gonna start calling you P Nasty just so you can hone in on who you want to be in WWE,’ I was like, ‘Yo, did you go do some research? Did you ask?’ He was like, ‘No, I just figured P Nasty is kind of like the vibe we’re getting from you.’ And I was like, ‘Well, I guess I’m P Nasty for real.’”

The timing couldn’t be more perfect. With WWE LFG entering the semifinals and Penina surviving a brutal round of cuts, her name—and her physicality—are becoming impossible to ignore. Whether she makes it all the way to Madison Square Garden remains to be seen, but her story is already one fans won’t forget.

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