Sumo wrestling is a sport that spans over 1,500 years and originated in Japan. A very simple sport to follow, two men engage in a ring called a dohyo, with the object of the match being to force your opponent out of the dohyo. In today’s quick-take culture, the sport of sumo wrestling works because of its rapid action and quick results.
On Saturday night, World Elite Sumo brought Pro Sumo-New Era to Newark for a one-night single elimination tournament featuring 12 sumo warriors. For the second consecutive year, the WES made its way to the Prudential Center, aiming to serve as a bridge between traditional sumo wrestling and a modern take on the sport. While traditions such as taiko drumming and Shinto Purification, the act of driving away evil spirits before the match, took place, music blared for the athletes’ entrances and the size of the venue was marked by differences from more traditional sumo wrestling events.
The night started with the quarterfinals, with six matches. The surprise of the preliminary matches was Edobor Konyeha’s victory. His match featured a very cool throw by his opponent, who went on to win 2-1 in the best-of-three format. Only one preliminary round fight had a 2-0 sweep as Rui Junior swept past Josh Ortiz in an easy fight for the 22-year veteran from Brazil.
Asahishi Kota, making his first appearance on American soil, became an instant fan favorite as he entertainingly won his first three matches. Kota was playing to the crowd at The Rock, making it feel like a sports entertainment event as the fans grew more excited as the matches continued.
There was a series of wildcard matches that gave fighters who lost in the preliminary rounds a chance to get back into the tournament. Jim Grammer, a native of Jackson, won his wildcard match against Alejandro Santana 2-1, but lost earlier in the evening, falling to Ōsunaarashi Kintarō, originally from Egypt and now fighting out of Waldwick, by two falls to one. Kintarō is also the CEO of World Elite Sumo and the first sumo wrestler from the Middle East and Africa.
The quarterfinals featured the continued great performance from Konyeha, who shut out Grammer to advance to the semifinals. Joining “The Giant Slayer” in the penultimate round would be Kota, who faced Kintarō in a match with a major backstory, as the two fought numerous times prior in Japan. In this match, Kintarō came out on top to advance.
The fairy tale came to an end for Konyeha in the semis, as he fell to Soslan Gagloev, two falls to one, as Gagloev’s strength was too much for Konyeha to overcome. The match ended after a video replay determined that Konyeha’s foot touched the floor first, resulting in the loss. Gagloev’s win set up a finals match-up between himself and Kintarō, two familiar opponents who had faced off multiple times throughout their careers.
The finals came down to the third fall between Gagloev and Kintarō as both men split the first two. Emotions ran high as Kintarō pie-faced Gagloev. In an epic third fall, Kintarō was able to push Gagloev out to win the one-night tournament.
Fans were entertained throughout the night as the action ramped up as the tournament continued. The highlight of the night has to be Konyeha’s performance, as he was constantly outmatched in size throughout but still managed to win multiple matches. Everyone in attendance had a great time, and hopefully, World Elite Sumo returns to the Prudential Center in the future.
