Tomozuna stable
He joined the Tomozuna stable of wrestlers, also the home of future "ozeki" Kaio. He was given the "shikona" of Sentoryū, meaning "fighting war dragon" but also a play on words for his hometown of St. Louis. He was relatively small at 174 cm and 94 kg when he made his debut in July 1988. He won the "yusho" or tournament championship in his first official tournament in the "jonokuchi" division in September 1988, defeating a fellow American, Shinnishiki from Los Angeles. In 1991 he reached "makushita" for the first time but injury problems meant he did not establish himself in the division until 1993. In November 1994 he became a "sekitori" for the first time but lasted only two tournaments in the "jūryō" division before being demoted.