From: jewell@Data-IO.COM (Cal Jewell)
Subject: Re: A Real NEW US Yokozuna (NOT The WWF's Kokina...)? SUMO
Organization: Data I/O Corporation
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1993 00:42:44 GMT

In article <C1H7tx.Ev3@askinc.ask.COM> robert@askinc.ask.COM (Robert McMullen) writes:
#Irony or the mysterious forces of the universe in action?  You be the 
#judge...(apologies to anyone who already posted this, if so)
#
#  In any case, he was never
#really a Yokozuna (the Japanese title for grand sumo champion).
#^^^^^^
#Nor had *any* American even earned the title of Yokozuna.  Ever.  That is, 
#until Sunday, 1/24, when an American from Hawaii named Chad Smith (ring name:  

Actually, Akebono is known to his parents as Chad Rowan.

#Akebono [I think]) earned the right to be considered for the title by winning 
#a tournament in Japan.  The American qualifies for the grand title because he 
#won two consecutive tournaments while holding the title of Ozeki (basically
##1 challenger), which is the major prerequisite.
#
#Smith is 6'8" and approximately 468 pounds.  His opponent (whose name slips 
#me now, starts with an "S") for the final match of Sunday's tournament was 
#around 6'2" and 290.  Smith won impressively over the Japanese favourite with
#just two thrusts--one to the face and one to the throat, knocking his opponent
#out of the ring. 

A squash in every sense of the word.

#
#According to the San Jose Mercury News (1/24/93), the only thing standing
#in Smith's way to the godlike title is the xenophobia of the Japanese
#sumo officials.  The media is probably just stirring shit, but they
#say that there actually is a chance Smith won't be named Yokozuna for the
#same reason another Hawaiian who apparently earned the title back in the

Actually, the guy that was snubbed (was it last year?) was from American
Samoa and his sumo name is Konishiki (spelling?). The committee that 
decides whether a sumo wrester gets the honor of Yokozuna decides that 
Konishiki didn't quite qualify. The stated reason was that he didn't 
"have that certain something" that other Yokozunas have had. Some said it
was a legitimate claim, others, including Konoshiki, said it was racisim,
pure and simple.

You be the judge. My opinion was that they thought he was too lazy and
ignorant to be Yokozuna. :-)

#1980s wasn't named--he isn't Japanese.  (The first guy's style was also
#in question, since at 576 pounds he simply was unmovable and just kind
#of nudged people out of the ring.)  It seems that the fans and sumo hierarchy
#alike are uncomfortable with a foreigner holding such a title (before

Saying that they are uncomfortable with non-Japanese holding sumo titles
is putting it mildly. This year's New Year's Grand Sumo Tournament would
have been the first time two non-Japanese sumo wrestlers would have 
faced each other in the finals of any sumo tournament. I don't know how 
to explain it to non sumo fans, but it's sort of like the Toronto Blue 
Jays and the Montreal Expos playing for the World Series title, only 
magnified 10 or 20 times.

#we get outraged, think how fans may have reacted to Sadaharu Oh coming
#over here, playing for the Yankees, and shattering every US home run
#record legitimately). 
#
#If Smith is to receive the honour, it will apparently come this week.

Personally, I hope he gets the honor.

#
#And what Smith may have accomplished is MONUMENTAL.  The Mercury News
#writer likened it to the the Nippon Ham Fighters (a Japanese pro beseboru 
#[baseball] team) winning the U.S./Canada version of the World Series.  
#Since I have great respect for Japanese baseball talent, I think Smith's
#accomplishment is eve MORE akin to the Japanese knocking off the U.S.
#Dream Team in Olympic basketball...that sez a lot.
#
#If anyone is interested in a copy of the (long) Mercury News article,
#email me you home or P.O. address and I'll snail-mail you a copy.  There's
#no way I'm transcribing it or scanning it as it's probably 2,000 words.
#
#OBTW...I don't know how many r.s.p-w'ers out there are into this form of
#wrestling, but the sport did provide us 'rasslin fans with those 
#legendary talents John Tenta and Koji Kitao.  What more could we ask
#for?  ;-)

I was hoping Tenta and Yokozuna would have faced off in a sumo-like
collision when they "went toe to toe" in the Royal Rumble. Alas,
all we got was a few shoulder blocks.

#
#Actually, sumo is very exciting and has to be seen live to be believed
#since the fans believe there are "storylines" to the tourneys.  I actually
#did have the chance to tour a dojo and see some matches when I was in
#Japan for a high school basketball tournament in the early '80s.  I would
#love now to get a tape copy of Sunday's tournament, so if anyone knows
#someone overseas who may have taped it...please email me.  Thanks a mil,
#

Now that I think about it, I think Vince's using the name/gimmick
of Yokozuna is similar to his use of the Gulf War as a backdrop
for the Hogan/Slaughter fued. Simply put: as long as there's a few
kilobucks in it, nothing's out of reach or out of question.

ObProWrestling: What happened to Nikita Koloff? One minute he's 
part of the day-to-day operations of WCW, the next he's vanished.
Where is he? What's he doing?

-- 
Cal...                   "It demoralized them, not to mention that it
                          killed them."
 jewell@Data-IO.COM       -- An officer in the 24th Infantry Division (Mech.)
 ...!!pilchuck!jewell        on the effects of DP/ICM in Operation Desert Storm