Two large, shirtless men bow respectfully and throw themselves at each other in a fiery pas de deux that ends in victory within seconds.
But Saturday night's battle took place not in Tokyo or Osaka, but at a theater in New York City's Madison Square Garden. There, a near-capacity, raucous crowd watched live sumo wrestling, an ancient Japanese sport rarely seen on American soil.
Before the match began, Melinda Wilkerson, who like most of the audience was planning to watch live sumo for the first time, said she expected to see “some talented athletes.” Her husband Brett revealed: big talented athletes. ”
They did it. Twelve wrestlers ranging in weight from 210 pounds to 397 pounds competed under the auspices of World Championship Sumo, which is organizing a series of exhibitions in the United States.
Despite the name “World Championship,'' the participants were no match for the champions competing in Japan's top division, where six tournaments are held each year.
However, among the participating wrestlers was Osuna Arashi, an Egyptian known as Sandstorm who competed at the top level from 2013 to 2017, and was among the favorites to win the tournament.
Originally a bodybuilder, he started sumo at the age of 14. “He didn't understand at first,” Arashi said. “But there's no other sport like this. In other sports, even if you lose a point, you can get back up and get it back. But in sumo, it's just one shot; You win or you lose.”
In a sumo match, two competitors face each other in a ring, each attempting to throw the other out of the ring or onto the ground. Grab, twist, and throw and the match is over in no time.
In Japan, tournaments last 15 days and wrestlers compete only once per night. To appeal to the thrill-seeking crowd and to complete the tournament in one night, the World Championship Sumo version includes four rounds of his, and the contestant must win two of his three matches. yeah. That is, a wrestler can participate in 12 matches in one match. Change the format at night.
If the rules were a little different from traditional sumo, the atmosphere would have been even more so.
The wrestlers simply bowed briefly before the match, rather than the elaborate rituals familiar in Japan, such as stomping to drive demons out of the ring or throwing salt to kill them.
The crowd chanted “USA” at the American wrestlers. The ringside interviews included a healthy dose of braggadocio, more related to mixed martial arts and professional wrestling than sumo. And there was far more swearing than would be expected in polite Japanese circumstances.
The ring announcer played the role of publicity man until the end. It seems she even exchanged words with the combatants before one match. And postgame hugs were as common as ceremonial bows.
Arashi is a big man, 6 feet 2 inches tall and 355 pounds, according to organizers. However, some top wrestlers weigh up to 450 pounds. Nevertheless, even the smallest players have a chance. The little guy on Saturday's card, Mohamed Kamal, known as the Black Horse, checked in at 210 pounds but used craftiness and positioning to advance to the semifinals.
Arashi said that to maintain his figure, he consumes 8,000 to 10,000 calories over three to five meals each day. He said he eats two pounds of meat, such as chicken or beef, as his main meal. “When it comes to fish, I go with 2 to 3 pounds,” he said. But he avoids sugar. “Because sugar kills muscle.”
The road to the championship is about more than just eating. According to Arashi, daily training lasted from two to four hours. “Eighty percent of your training is leg training,” he says. “The main thing for us is training the lower body. It should be very flexible. It should be very strong. It should be very bulky.”
In the 2010s, Arashi was active at the top level of the sumo world. “I wrestled some of the biggest names in the universe in sumo,” he said. He said his departure from Japan's top circuits was partly due to the sanctions he received for his fender bender accident. The issue wasn't the accident, but rather the mere fact that he was behind the wheel – the Japan Sumo Association doesn't allow sumo wrestlers to drive.
“In Japan, sumo wrestlers cannot drive cars even if they have a license,” Arashi said. “You are God, but God cannot drive.”
The New York crowd on Saturday enjoyed the novelty of the spectacle. “It's so great to see the different cultures of the sport,” said fan Chris Frommeyer, who attended. “I think of big, fat players, and their mental strength to know how to manipulate their opponents is insane to me.”
In the final, Arashi faced the imposing Russian Soslan Gagloev, nicknamed Big Bear. Gagloev picked up his opponent in the first round and carried him out of the ring with ease and dignity.
However, Arashi defeated the enemy. “Big Bear is a teddy bear,” he said, warning, “I want to go home, or else I want to rest in peace.”
He backed up his words in the finals. In the first match, Arashi pushed Gagloev out of the circle after a long battle (by sumo standards) with both men grabbing each other's belts. In match 2, the Russian player tripped and won. However, in the deciding match, Arashi flipped Gagloev around and threw him out of the ring.
Americans seem to be embracing an unusual take on traditional sports. But the soundtrack during and after the game was a little different in New York — except when it was playing “Rock 'n' Roll Part 2” and “Who Left the Dog” in 8th century Japan? teeth.
