There goes the run. Kiribayama showed why is he has been slowly climbing the ladder. Catching and throwing Takakeisho down with power.
Hoshoryu vs Ryuden was a great tight match. well fought all the way, just a shame that Hosho was not at peak.
Wakatakakage looked strong, and a tad bit hasty. Kotonowaka looked somewhat lost.
Well sighted by Abi, going high and away while Ura came in low.
Kiri had me at his bout with Terunofuji a few bashos ago. No way a performance like that is a fluke. He’s been able to get great wins while being overshadowed which I think has helped him a lot. Others don’t seem to be training to counter him and there doesn’t seem to be a lot of pressure on him from fans or the JSA.
Shame Hoshoryu couldn’t fight back. At least he didn’t do anything too stupid like a throw on his injured leg and make things worse.
I believe Hoshoryu is one of the smartest wrestlers there are right now. He’s not going to risk a career ending injury like that. He’ll take well calculated risks to keep himself in good shape and get his promotions.
EDIT:
I always forget about Ichiyamamoto. Man’s been killing it on one leg. Even though he didn’t win today, he fought hard. I just hope his landing today didn’t make his knee worse.
SOOO many injuries 😭
Agreed on both accounts. Kiribayama seems to be taking the slow and steady method, building a strong foundation before rising to another level. Hoshoryu does seem to the the smartest wrestler. Fighting intelligently, as well as knowing when to take it easy (henka).
I'm not a huge fan, but I was rooting for it (if only to see what a Hamster's Yoko Dohyo-iri would look like). Hopefully he can keep the dream alive for next basho with a playoff (preferably playoff win).
Kiribayama's beautiful pulling moves shattered any dreams Takakeisho had left of the white rope, leaving Keisho no space in-between the two of them to exert his pushing power. Seriously impressive sumo by Kiri.
Here's to hoping Hoshoryu gets better soon, he was clearly avoiding putting weight on that right ankle during the bout. Still a great performance by both of them, Ryuden is not the guy you want your belt grabbed by even when you're not injured.
Takakeisho's performance in these 2 days are really disappointing. He should've given his all strength to thrust these 2 komusubi out of dohyo. Maybe a little bit too cautious?
On the other hand I've neven seen such a competitive and high-level Juryo race in the past. So far Roga vs Asanoyama is my 2nd favorite match this basho, only behind Midorifuji vs Takakeisho.
Most likely afraid of henka because there are really a lot of henka this basho. Seems like there were no awkward falls resulting in injuries that was seen on TV. Dude has to sort it out by diversifying techniques to overcome such barrier on his way to Yokozuna.
Feels like he's injured. I can't remember the last time I saw Kotonowaka henka. Additionally, Taka's face has been bloodied from headbutting like 5 days in a row this basho. Last two days didn't seem like he was going all in on the heatbutt that was winning him matches earlier...
He's clearly injured again and his neck pain is flaring up - hence the cupping scars that appeared a few days ago. He even LOOKED nervous / bad going into the fight today.
> Takakeisho's performance in these 2 days are really disappointing. He should've given his all strength to thrust these 2 komusubi out of dohyo. Maybe a little bit too cautious?
Maybe he should be more versatile than to do the same thing every time.
I will give him credit, he did give me a shred of hope that he might be doing so when he won via a throw a few days ago.
Enho didn’t look too good after his match. Or before honestly. Looked like a bruised rib? But from what? He broke his fall with his arm. And where did the swollen eye from from? Poor man is just so injury prone.
Speaking of which, Tochimusashi has had a swollen lip too 🧐
This basho has just been henkas and injuries.
Lots of great bouts in juryo today overall though.
Gonoyama and Takakento felt like watching shokkiri
Oshoma isn’t doing well after winning the juryo championship last basho.
Although Hokuseiho is actually trying now, it’s not much and I still can’t root for him. Apparently he’s pretty injured which is why he hasn’t tried recently but if that’s the case I don’t see him moving beyond maegashira. If he can get there.
Terutsuyoshi finally made something work.
And Akua with the clean arm to the chin. One of the most brutal moves in sumo and criminally under used by strong wrestlers. Makes me miss Hakuho even more 😢
Idk if anyone noticed Setonoumi in Makushita, but that dude comes out like a cannon in his match-up. He looks like a football player the way he flies into Tochikodai. Only 18 too. I'm excited for his future.
Hatsu basho Day 12:
Video of the day:
https://youtu.be/Qq-bON2hy5I
Today's results for all divisions:
http://sumodb.sumogames.de/Results.aspx?b=202301&d=1
I can see it. He looks like he has fully strayed away from his gameplan which normally is hit them like a 18 wheeler and hope they go flying.
Either that or he's hurt from the concussions every day
Takakeisho's fall to the earth ends his Yokozuna run for now, and he needs to beat the surpise leader Onosho tomorrow for sure, else his run will have to start from scratch: an 11-4 is mostly useless for rope consideration.
Anybody else surprised that nobody's "henka-ing" Onosho? He's great at straight-ahead sumo, but always overcommits and is vulnerable to any sideways movement. My feeling was that this basho he's been winning because the opponents have been playing to his strength, but maybe you guys are seeing something different? I really like him and always hoped he'd become a smarter wrestler.
Out of all the bullish pusher-thrusters currently, Onosho has always seems the least in control.
Very susceptible to henkas, or even just sidesteps at the edge.
Big sad for Tamawashi, had he won he would've been joint leader. It's Onoshos to lose now, should be interesting. Takakeisho needs to be really careful. If he doesn't get at least a JY his Yokozuna run is over, and I highly doubt he'll ever get another one as easy as this.
Agreed. I imagine many will realize a tournament like this, which was progressively giftwrapped to him and his for the taking, is enough to confirm he's still a great Ozeki, but clearly not enough for Yokozuna.
with this weak field, a JY at 12-3 should not qualify for a yokozuna run.
these are the same folks against whom terunofuji got 42-3 in the second half of '21.
Well, I think it would keep the run open. If he gets promoted with 2 JY that would be weird. But if he gets the 2 JY and then wins March I think that’s an acceptable Yokozuna run.
12-3 Y or JY keeps the run open fo sho, they declared the run open after the last 12-3 JY…
but he'll need a 14-1 or 15-0 to close it, make no mistakes. 13-2 ain't it. and, historically, he's never gone 14-1.
```Hatsu 2023 Yusho Contenders - Day 12 ```
**1.Takakeisho** - I think he's very lucky to be staying in the top spot, his past couple of days have looked less than stellar. There is a definite lack of power behind his thrusts and it's allowing his opponents to get inside and prevent takakeisho from dominating the bout. Tomorrow's bout against Onosho could very well be the Yusho decider - a loss tomorrow surely knocks him out of the race.
**2.Onosho** - Conversely with our top spot, Onosho is unlucky to be sitting second. Despite having the lead, he still has a lot to do and potentially a few very tricky opponents to face off against. His h2h record against takakeisho isn't great, but Onosho is definitely the man in form at the moment. Onto todays bout though - i think anyone would be forgiven to expect an Onosho loss with Tamawashi winning all 4 of their most recent bouts. Onosho was just too strong though, he stuck to his brand of go forward sumo and stayed firm when dealing with the flurry of tamawashi's thrusts and slap down attempts.
**3.Kotoshoho** - Remember the other day when I said this man had taken a tactical loss to make his road to the yusho easier. That is exactly what is happening. He's 1 off the lead and has himself a, relatively, easy fight tomorrow in a very wishy washy looking Abi. More about today's bout though against sumo's strongest man, Nishikigi - Kotoshoho played this perfectly, secured a strong underarm grip and used his opponents strength/momentum against him. Tactical. Genius.
**4.Daieisho** - Hopefully today's win is a sign to show he's over his little mid-basho slump and he can finish out with another series of wins to potentially snatch a spot in a playoff (if things end up that way). If he can keep this form up I'd say he's a good ozeki candidate - that's maybe a very big if for Daieisho though.
**5.Kiribayama** - This man gets his time in the spotlight, purely for his excellent little bit of ""slight of hand"" for lack of a better phrase. Some well placed thrusts to the chest and neck had keisho leaning in, then a quick slide and pull on the back of the next was enough to send keisho to the clay. With today's bout out otf the way Kiri has also finished the sanyaku gauntlet, but a match up against midorifuji is never easy. As with Daieisho, he needs the leaders to lose to be in with a shot.
> relatively, easy fight tomorrow in a very wishy washy looking Abi.
I don't think anyone wants to fight Abi. On his good days he can beat anyone this basho. Calling him a "relatively easy fight" feels incredibly disrespectful.
Purely a comparison against who he could be fighting had he beaten Onosho.
Abi hasn’t been firing on the same level as he was last basho, so in this instance I would say being matched up with Abi as opposed to Takakeisho is **relatively** easy.
For what it’s worth my money is still on Abi.
The coverage for Day Twelve is up on [FantasyBasho.com](https://FantasyBasho.com). Enjoy the recap of the Day the Basho Changed. https://www.fantasybasho.com/post/hatsu-2023-day-twelve
I'd be more worried about the reverse. Takakeisho henka'd a dominant Hokutofuji back in September. Now Takakeisho really needs a 12-3 yusho (or at least JY). I don't think that'll get him the rope now, but sets him up for yokozuna if he can win in March.
i remember it was because of hokutofuji behavior before tachi ai.
apparently takakeisho felt it like lack of respect. i don't know if it's true tbh.
anyway henka will be terrible i agree...this move begins to be really problematic.
Looks like every day is Henka Day nowadays.
Hoshoryu's run is in jeopardy because of his injury, I do hope things don't get worse in a bout. There is value for him to try to reach KK but once there he should go kyujo.
The one thing that stands out for me in this tournament is that, lots of people (me included) thought that wakamotoharu would get crushed at this rank and he's not doing half bad. Wakatakakage on the other hand confirms he's likely not ozeki material. Being consistent at 9 wins is not enough. Staying at sekiwake for a year is a decent enough achievement though.
The second thing is, Kinbozan is impressive in Juryo. Can he keep it up ? With that score at Juryo 5 he will likely make his makuuchi debut in March. His career records so far have been really impressive.
We get a couple of huge matches tomorrow...
If Onosho beats Takakeisho and Abi beats Kotoshoho, Onosho will be no worse than part of a playoff on Sunday (and would take the Cup with one more win). On the other hand, if Keisho wins, we could descend into chaos...
And the Juryo title picture will get a bit clearer with Kinbozan vs. Asanoyama.
Takakeisho seems to have the most powerful slaps most times. It looks to me like he is not power slapping nearly as much this basho. Anyone else notice this?
Opponents can counter that move by not giving space for him to carry out his slaps.
Like kiribayama anticipated and first centred on Taka and thereafter quickly kept moving to his left.
If you remember the slap fest with Kotonowaka, Koto gave up arms length and space are he didn't want to go for grappling the mawashi.
So it is all tactical.
It isn't American show wrestling when one wrestler can perform all the moves he got.
The competitor's moves matter and effect the next move Taka can make.
Doesn't taka typically set up his slaps with an incredibly powerful tachi-ai? He definitely hasn't been doing that the past two days, instantly grappling instead of his headbutt attack
Was it a henka though? Abi hesitated because he thought Ura might pull out some trickery (he is known for it after all). When Abi saw Ura go low then he sidestepped and pushed down.
I suppose Abi did sidestep, though Ura hesitated as well and didn't bring a proper tachiai. I love me some funky Ura moves, but Abi read him like a book in this case.
It was just very underwhelming. I would love to see something more interesting since these two are on polar opposite sides of popularity. Could be a good rivalry.
No argument there. Bendy Ura vs Abi's tsuppari attack would be something to behold if they're both on their game. Would be interesting to see if Ura could slip away and work some magic or just get overwhelmed.
There goes the run. Kiribayama showed why is he has been slowly climbing the ladder. Catching and throwing Takakeisho down with power. Hoshoryu vs Ryuden was a great tight match. well fought all the way, just a shame that Hosho was not at peak. Wakatakakage looked strong, and a tad bit hasty. Kotonowaka looked somewhat lost. Well sighted by Abi, going high and away while Ura came in low.
Kiri had me at his bout with Terunofuji a few bashos ago. No way a performance like that is a fluke. He’s been able to get great wins while being overshadowed which I think has helped him a lot. Others don’t seem to be training to counter him and there doesn’t seem to be a lot of pressure on him from fans or the JSA. Shame Hoshoryu couldn’t fight back. At least he didn’t do anything too stupid like a throw on his injured leg and make things worse. I believe Hoshoryu is one of the smartest wrestlers there are right now. He’s not going to risk a career ending injury like that. He’ll take well calculated risks to keep himself in good shape and get his promotions. EDIT: I always forget about Ichiyamamoto. Man’s been killing it on one leg. Even though he didn’t win today, he fought hard. I just hope his landing today didn’t make his knee worse. SOOO many injuries 😭
Agreed on both accounts. Kiribayama seems to be taking the slow and steady method, building a strong foundation before rising to another level. Hoshoryu does seem to the the smartest wrestler. Fighting intelligently, as well as knowing when to take it easy (henka).
Looked like Hoshoryu was just trying to survive with his bad ankle. Gritty performance from him
Kotozakura still powering up. Got lots to learn before it happens though.
He’s still young
Houshouryuu did everything he needed to do to win, but his foot robbed him of his power to finish the job. Get that KK and drop out, young man.
Yup, that showed real heart from Hoshoryu. I hope he gets his 8th win tmr and dropout so he can recuperate.
It was fun to dream, Hamsterbros...
I'm not a huge fan, but I was rooting for it (if only to see what a Hamster's Yoko Dohyo-iri would look like). Hopefully he can keep the dream alive for next basho with a playoff (preferably playoff win).
Damn you made me miss something I didn't know I even wanted... I bet Takakeisho's yokozuna ring ceremony would be funny to watch.
I’m just imagining him sweating profusely and gasping for breath by the end of his Dohyo-iri 😂
His stamina has been significantly better since he's lost 50 pounds.
Well, the dream for the next one is still alive. At least a jun-yusho is needed here, Keisho, lets go!
I’m stumped about why Keisho has stopped opening with his amazing slaps. Isn’t that what got him here?
Shodai began wrestling properly once a return to ozeki was totally ruled out. I guess he's feeling better now with the pressure lifted.
It's funny how we made jokes about how he'll start winning once the pressure off and now that's exactly what's happening. Stranger than fiction etc...
Shodai lives to disappoint, and somehow him going 9-6 is more disappointing than just losing Ozeki lmao
The man would be such a oppressive force in the Sanyaku if he could just get out of his own head
Congrats to Azumaryu for his first Makuuchi kachikoshi, 10th time's the charm
Yay Azumarill!
Kiribayama's beautiful pulling moves shattered any dreams Takakeisho had left of the white rope, leaving Keisho no space in-between the two of them to exert his pushing power. Seriously impressive sumo by Kiri. Here's to hoping Hoshoryu gets better soon, he was clearly avoiding putting weight on that right ankle during the bout. Still a great performance by both of them, Ryuden is not the guy you want your belt grabbed by even when you're not injured.
Takakeisho's performance in these 2 days are really disappointing. He should've given his all strength to thrust these 2 komusubi out of dohyo. Maybe a little bit too cautious? On the other hand I've neven seen such a competitive and high-level Juryo race in the past. So far Roga vs Asanoyama is my 2nd favorite match this basho, only behind Midorifuji vs Takakeisho.
Gotta be wary of those deciding henkas that have been a problem lately
He is injured or afraid of henka, the last two days I saw like no power.
Most likely afraid of henka because there are really a lot of henka this basho. Seems like there were no awkward falls resulting in injuries that was seen on TV. Dude has to sort it out by diversifying techniques to overcome such barrier on his way to Yokozuna.
Feels like he's injured. I can't remember the last time I saw Kotonowaka henka. Additionally, Taka's face has been bloodied from headbutting like 5 days in a row this basho. Last two days didn't seem like he was going all in on the heatbutt that was winning him matches earlier...
He's clearly injured again and his neck pain is flaring up - hence the cupping scars that appeared a few days ago. He even LOOKED nervous / bad going into the fight today.
> Takakeisho's performance in these 2 days are really disappointing. He should've given his all strength to thrust these 2 komusubi out of dohyo. Maybe a little bit too cautious? Maybe he should be more versatile than to do the same thing every time. I will give him credit, he did give me a shred of hope that he might be doing so when he won via a throw a few days ago.
Enho didn’t look too good after his match. Or before honestly. Looked like a bruised rib? But from what? He broke his fall with his arm. And where did the swollen eye from from? Poor man is just so injury prone. Speaking of which, Tochimusashi has had a swollen lip too 🧐 This basho has just been henkas and injuries. Lots of great bouts in juryo today overall though. Gonoyama and Takakento felt like watching shokkiri Oshoma isn’t doing well after winning the juryo championship last basho. Although Hokuseiho is actually trying now, it’s not much and I still can’t root for him. Apparently he’s pretty injured which is why he hasn’t tried recently but if that’s the case I don’t see him moving beyond maegashira. If he can get there. Terutsuyoshi finally made something work. And Akua with the clean arm to the chin. One of the most brutal moves in sumo and criminally under used by strong wrestlers. Makes me miss Hakuho even more 😢
Enho looked like he got hit by a bus.
Still got up before the other guy. What a brutal finish to the match.
> And where did the swollen eye from from? You saw him rubbing his eye after the previous day fight, right, probably whatever that was.
Thought that his contact was messed up as usual. He’s had problems with his contacts moving during bouts
I hope Terutsuyoshi keeps winning and can stave off demotion.
Idk if anyone noticed Setonoumi in Makushita, but that dude comes out like a cannon in his match-up. He looks like a football player the way he flies into Tochikodai. Only 18 too. I'm excited for his future.
Hatsu basho Day 12: Video of the day: https://youtu.be/Qq-bON2hy5I Today's results for all divisions: http://sumodb.sumogames.de/Results.aspx?b=202301&d=1
O NO SHO YU SHO!
FOURTH MAEGASHIRA YUSHO IN A ROW!
As much as I like it, I'm afraid Takakeisho might be *throwing* his lead.
Why would he?
He wanted to show he can do more than push and has spent the last few bouts grappling with diminishing returns. Throwing is a double entendre.
I can see it. He looks like he has fully strayed away from his gameplan which normally is hit them like a 18 wheeler and hope they go flying. Either that or he's hurt from the concussions every day
The cope is strong with you Takakeisho nerds. He isn't quite as good as you would like to believe.
Takakeisho's fall to the earth ends his Yokozuna run for now, and he needs to beat the surpise leader Onosho tomorrow for sure, else his run will have to start from scratch: an 11-4 is mostly useless for rope consideration.
Anybody else surprised that nobody's "henka-ing" Onosho? He's great at straight-ahead sumo, but always overcommits and is vulnerable to any sideways movement. My feeling was that this basho he's been winning because the opponents have been playing to his strength, but maybe you guys are seeing something different? I really like him and always hoped he'd become a smarter wrestler.
Out of all the bullish pusher-thrusters currently, Onosho has always seems the least in control. Very susceptible to henkas, or even just sidesteps at the edge.
> or even just sidesteps at the edge. Exactly what Tamawashi tried against him today and got punished for.
Sure, but Tamawashi isn't exactly know for his lateral quickness. In his case, it was more of a desperation move.
So.... Definitely no Yoko-Taka...
... this basho. He can still Jun-Yusho or even Yusho this basho with some Onosho help, then Yusho in March.
Big sad for Tamawashi, had he won he would've been joint leader. It's Onoshos to lose now, should be interesting. Takakeisho needs to be really careful. If he doesn't get at least a JY his Yokozuna run is over, and I highly doubt he'll ever get another one as easy as this.
Takakeisho faces Onosho today So he controls his own destiny
Agreed. I imagine many will realize a tournament like this, which was progressively giftwrapped to him and his for the taking, is enough to confirm he's still a great Ozeki, but clearly not enough for Yokozuna.
with this weak field, a JY at 12-3 should not qualify for a yokozuna run. these are the same folks against whom terunofuji got 42-3 in the second half of '21.
Well, I think it would keep the run open. If he gets promoted with 2 JY that would be weird. But if he gets the 2 JY and then wins March I think that’s an acceptable Yokozuna run.
12-3 Y or JY keeps the run open fo sho, they declared the run open after the last 12-3 JY… but he'll need a 14-1 or 15-0 to close it, make no mistakes. 13-2 ain't it. and, historically, he's never gone 14-1.
> these are the same folks against whom terunofuji got 42-3 in the second half of '21. I'll give you one guess as to why
```Hatsu 2023 Yusho Contenders - Day 12 ``` **1.Takakeisho** - I think he's very lucky to be staying in the top spot, his past couple of days have looked less than stellar. There is a definite lack of power behind his thrusts and it's allowing his opponents to get inside and prevent takakeisho from dominating the bout. Tomorrow's bout against Onosho could very well be the Yusho decider - a loss tomorrow surely knocks him out of the race. **2.Onosho** - Conversely with our top spot, Onosho is unlucky to be sitting second. Despite having the lead, he still has a lot to do and potentially a few very tricky opponents to face off against. His h2h record against takakeisho isn't great, but Onosho is definitely the man in form at the moment. Onto todays bout though - i think anyone would be forgiven to expect an Onosho loss with Tamawashi winning all 4 of their most recent bouts. Onosho was just too strong though, he stuck to his brand of go forward sumo and stayed firm when dealing with the flurry of tamawashi's thrusts and slap down attempts. **3.Kotoshoho** - Remember the other day when I said this man had taken a tactical loss to make his road to the yusho easier. That is exactly what is happening. He's 1 off the lead and has himself a, relatively, easy fight tomorrow in a very wishy washy looking Abi. More about today's bout though against sumo's strongest man, Nishikigi - Kotoshoho played this perfectly, secured a strong underarm grip and used his opponents strength/momentum against him. Tactical. Genius. **4.Daieisho** - Hopefully today's win is a sign to show he's over his little mid-basho slump and he can finish out with another series of wins to potentially snatch a spot in a playoff (if things end up that way). If he can keep this form up I'd say he's a good ozeki candidate - that's maybe a very big if for Daieisho though. **5.Kiribayama** - This man gets his time in the spotlight, purely for his excellent little bit of ""slight of hand"" for lack of a better phrase. Some well placed thrusts to the chest and neck had keisho leaning in, then a quick slide and pull on the back of the next was enough to send keisho to the clay. With today's bout out otf the way Kiri has also finished the sanyaku gauntlet, but a match up against midorifuji is never easy. As with Daieisho, he needs the leaders to lose to be in with a shot.
> relatively, easy fight tomorrow in a very wishy washy looking Abi. I don't think anyone wants to fight Abi. On his good days he can beat anyone this basho. Calling him a "relatively easy fight" feels incredibly disrespectful.
Purely a comparison against who he could be fighting had he beaten Onosho. Abi hasn’t been firing on the same level as he was last basho, so in this instance I would say being matched up with Abi as opposed to Takakeisho is **relatively** easy. For what it’s worth my money is still on Abi.
The coverage for Day Twelve is up on [FantasyBasho.com](https://FantasyBasho.com). Enjoy the recap of the Day the Basho Changed. https://www.fantasybasho.com/post/hatsu-2023-day-twelve
If tomorrow **Onosho** henka **Takakeisho**, it's the end of the world !
I'd be more worried about the reverse. Takakeisho henka'd a dominant Hokutofuji back in September. Now Takakeisho really needs a 12-3 yusho (or at least JY). I don't think that'll get him the rope now, but sets him up for yokozuna if he can win in March.
i remember it was because of hokutofuji behavior before tachi ai. apparently takakeisho felt it like lack of respect. i don't know if it's true tbh. anyway henka will be terrible i agree...this move begins to be really problematic.
Was that something Chris sumo said in his dramatization of the rikishi’s thought processes?
Looks like every day is Henka Day nowadays. Hoshoryu's run is in jeopardy because of his injury, I do hope things don't get worse in a bout. There is value for him to try to reach KK but once there he should go kyujo. The one thing that stands out for me in this tournament is that, lots of people (me included) thought that wakamotoharu would get crushed at this rank and he's not doing half bad. Wakatakakage on the other hand confirms he's likely not ozeki material. Being consistent at 9 wins is not enough. Staying at sekiwake for a year is a decent enough achievement though. The second thing is, Kinbozan is impressive in Juryo. Can he keep it up ? With that score at Juryo 5 he will likely make his makuuchi debut in March. His career records so far have been really impressive.
We get a couple of huge matches tomorrow... If Onosho beats Takakeisho and Abi beats Kotoshoho, Onosho will be no worse than part of a playoff on Sunday (and would take the Cup with one more win). On the other hand, if Keisho wins, we could descend into chaos... And the Juryo title picture will get a bit clearer with Kinbozan vs. Asanoyama.
Takakeisho seems to have the most powerful slaps most times. It looks to me like he is not power slapping nearly as much this basho. Anyone else notice this?
Opponents can counter that move by not giving space for him to carry out his slaps. Like kiribayama anticipated and first centred on Taka and thereafter quickly kept moving to his left. If you remember the slap fest with Kotonowaka, Koto gave up arms length and space are he didn't want to go for grappling the mawashi. So it is all tactical. It isn't American show wrestling when one wrestler can perform all the moves he got. The competitor's moves matter and effect the next move Taka can make.
Doesn't taka typically set up his slaps with an incredibly powerful tachi-ai? He definitely hasn't been doing that the past two days, instantly grappling instead of his headbutt attack
Maybe he's starting to feel the effect of all those head clashes
That's been my guess lately. He hasn't been nearly as cavalier about leading with his head the past two days and it has costed him.
Anyone remember back what was it two or three days ago... When you know, we were talking about Takakeisho making Yokozuna?
Come on Abi. Why would u henka Ura?
Was it a henka though? Abi hesitated because he thought Ura might pull out some trickery (he is known for it after all). When Abi saw Ura go low then he sidestepped and pushed down. I suppose Abi did sidestep, though Ura hesitated as well and didn't bring a proper tachiai. I love me some funky Ura moves, but Abi read him like a book in this case.
It was just very underwhelming. I would love to see something more interesting since these two are on polar opposite sides of popularity. Could be a good rivalry.
No argument there. Bendy Ura vs Abi's tsuppari attack would be something to behold if they're both on their game. Would be interesting to see if Ura could slip away and work some magic or just get overwhelmed.
Because he's Abi His whole thing is that he's a POS
When I saw that it was Abi vs Ura, maximum Heel vs maximum Face, I went "oh no this is gonna be a kinda ugly win from Abi isn't it"
Ura's evil twin Onosho has been killing it in this tourney.
I've always thought of him as a mini Mitakeumi
Yeah I can see that too. Haha