Asashoryu, the mighty Mongolian. His 12-0 start to the Osaka tournament placed him only One Win Away from his 11th Emperor’s Cup and culminated a 27 bout win streak. But today was different. Tochiazuma, the relatively average Japanese wrestler, fought with him for nearly 30 seconds until he managed to pull him down with a quick turn out of the ring. But the instant replay confirmed what the officials saw–it was basically a tie. Both wrestlers hit the ground at nearly the same instant. No way to call one the winner or the other. So they fought again. The crowd was going nuts (as nuts as they could sitting indian style on these little mats) and the fight again lasted nearly 30 seconds before Tochiazuma flipped him over to break the unbeaten streak. The little cushions under everyone’s seats went flying on to the stage. A huge upset in a sport I never watch or really care about, but hell, I was sick and I had nothing better to do. Way to go Tochiazuma!]]>
Sumo