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This tournament is coming around a bit earlier than normal due to the Olympics, but as always it should be a good one. There are some big promotions at the top of the division, a huge promotion opportunity, and hopefully we'll have a Yokozuna back in competition.
Here are the rankings:
Debuting Wrestler: Only one wrestler will be making his debut in the top division, although for the last few tournaments there haven't been any first-timers. Ichiyamamoto is coming up to the top division after two great tournaments in Juryo. Check Chris' video on him HERE. His tendency to pull makes me a bit worried for his chances in the top division, but he's a quality wrestler.
Maegashira: Lots of favorites down in the bottom of the Maegashira ranks. Ishiura is lucky to be in the top division, with a losing (although barely) record at M16 in May. Maybe having his stablemate Hakuho back this time will light a fire under him, but it would be pretty bad to see him drop out of the top division. Coming back up this time is also Tokushoryu, the most unlikely yusho winner ever. I love the guy, but it's hard to expect anything too spectacular from him this tournament. Double-digit wins would feel like a huge success, but I'll be happy with 8.
Maybe most importantly, Ura is back in the top division. He last competed in the top division a little under 3 years ago and was knocked all the way down to Jonidan 106 (further down than comeback king Terunofuji) because of his injuries. He's been working his way back up with solid tournaments and finally is back in the division he belongs in. He's got tremendous technical skills, speed, and balance, but unlike Enho isn't woefully undersized. His low stance can get him in trouble but he knows how to use it and his excellent balance helps him stay out of too much trouble. He just needs to get his 8 wins and avoid injury.
Jumping up to the top of the ranks, Endo will also be gunning for a big promotion back up to the Sanyaku ranks. He's bounced in and out of the Komosubi rank a few times before, and has always seemed to underperform at the rank. I feel like technically he's good enough to stick around in the bottom of the Sanyaku ranks, but he can't get it done. He'll be bringing in some good momentum from May, so hopefully for him he can get the promotion.
Komosubi and Sekiwake: Pretty exciting here as both Komosubi will be making their debuts at the rank and coming up to Sanyaku for their first times. Meisei has looked real solid at the top of the Maegashira ranks for the last couple tournaments, so making this step up shouldn't feel too new for him. Crucially though, he struggled against the Ozeki in May and he hasn't had to compete against Hakuho in a while. Wakatakakage has looked great, and has showed some phenomenal strength despite being a bit smaller. I may be wrong, but I also don't think he's ever faced off with a Yokozuna before, so that will be a big test for him. I'll be rooting hard for him though, and for both of these guys, just getting 8 wins should be the goal.
Sekiwake is also pretty exciting. Mitakeumi has been a consistent Sanyaku competitor for years, but still often seems to underperform. He'll be a constant threat to put a loss on one of the top dogs, but I wouldn't expect him to be competing for the Yusho. On the other hand, Takayasu will surely be going all-out this tournament. He's got an opportunity to regain his Ozeki rank which will probably push him and hopefully lead to him overperforming. Unfortunately, I really do feel like his chance to take a championship has come and gone and he's squandered too many opportunities. He'll need to do a lot to get his promotion but hopefully this will push him to get double-digit wins and maintain his promotion hopes.
Ozeki: The situation with Asanoyama is an unfortunate one, but he'll obviously be missing this tournament and dropping way down. Shodai needs to make some kind of changes and has been pretty underwhelming as an Ozeki. When he's on his defense is excellent, but he can't keep giving away the tachiai. Takakeisho often felt underwhelming as an Ozeki for me, but he's been turning it up lately. He often picks up losses early on in the tournament and if he can avoid that he'll have a good chance at the championship.
And finally, Terunofuji.... Coming off of two Yusho in a row, he'll be going for Yokozuna promotion this time. His comeback story has been amazing, and I'd say the Yusho and a promotion is pretty likely for him. With all of these guys who have had to deal with big injuries though, I feel like I'm just always really worried they'll reinjure themselves.
Yokozuna: The top dog Hakuho will be back at least at the start of this tournament, and even though he hasn't competed in an entire tournament in over a year I'm sure he'll be doing everything he can to finish this one out. He's not the unstoppable force he used to be, and I'd put Terunofuji above him as the favorite for the Yusho. But he's the greatest of all time in my opinion and he'll always be a threat to take the championship. It's just a matter of time before he retires though, and he had set the 2020 Olympics as his goal so it looks like he'll be able to make it. Seeing him go into the Olympics with a Yusho win would be huge, and I wouldn't be surprised if he retired soon after.
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And that's it!
Viewing Options: Youtube channels like Kintamayama and NattoSumo are great for daily highlights.
There are also Twitch channels streaming full broadcasts live every day, and while catching sumo live isn't always that easy from the West, their channels are great places to go for VODs. Mbovosumo got copyright struck last tournament but I believe will be up again this time, and Karla_sumoist I believe streams the Abemo broadcasts from the lowest divisions to the top.
And it's always great to have new people join the fun and start following the sport, but it's definitely not the easiest sport to understand when you first start watching. If you're new, feel free to head over to the Introduction to SUMO thread to get a basic, although probably outdated, introduction to the sport.
Hakke-yoi!
(as usual I'll just @ everyone that has posted about sumo or posted in recent sumo threads)
@EL CORINTHIAN @shincheckin @rmongler @JkMMA @PurpleStorm @Asurah @Sano @Okajima @RJ Green @winterbike @LC Shepard @Bluesbreaker @s_o_c_a_r @Slick_36 @Senshi @Muppettoker @argy-bargy @Oshime2 @DatCutman @catchwrestle @rodgerdodger @Sapp @Apollo33 @MoreKane @BoxingMMA @dkjt @ChickenBrother @INTERL0PER @what-wut @Adjaar @TheRuthlessOne @elreece @Tone C @Nameless King @GSP_37 @Kaybee @Fluffernutter @Stormtrooper85 @Jin Akutsu @AZ103 @Sumomike @listrahtes @BananaManPoo @Emporio Alnino @pv3Hpv3p @Jose Beehive
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