Re: [sumo] Former rikishi and sumo themed wrestlers in "pro" wrestling

["Rowan" <rowan@juryo.com>]

The first former yokozuna to join pro-wrestling was Azumafuji back in 1954.

see the following links for more.
http://www.juryo.com/newspaper/1950/19541128.htm
http://www.juryo.com/newspaper/1950/19541217.htm
http://www.juryo.com/newspaper/1950/19541230.htm

--------- Original Message --------
From: owen A <oshakam@hotmail.com>
To: sumo@statgen.ncsu.edu <sumo@statgen.ncsu.edu>
Subject: [sumo] Former rikishi and sumo themed wrestlers in "pro" wrestling
Date: 02/04/05 20:01

> Reading the posts of those of you who are talking about Wrestlmania, I
> started thinking about all the wrestlers over the years who have used sumo
> as part of their persona.
>
> The one who wrestled as Yokozuna was a Samoan.  I think his real name was
> Rodney Anoia.  He was a relative of the one known as Rikishi and they are
> both part of the same family that includes the old time wrestlers The Wild
> Samoans.  They were brothers who were tag team champions back in the
'70's.
> If I remember right, Rikishi is a son of one of them and Yokozuna was the
> son of their sister.  I do not recall at the moment but I do remember that
> there are several other Samoans who are also part of this family.
>
> John Tenta was also mentioned.  He has been discussed several times on the
> list so I will not got into detail here.  The one who was not mentioned
was
> the wrestler known at various times as Haku, King Haku and Meng.  While I
am
> not certain, I believe he is one of the Tongans who were in sumo but ran
> away from the heya and were thrown out of the kyokai.  He may have been
the
> one who was in the hospital at the time and wanted to stay in sumo but was
> denied by the kyokai.  Several times over the years in his interviews,
there
> were mentions of his sumo prowess and in one match I remember he used
> tsupari on his opponent.
>
> Of course there is also Rikidozan, Futahaguro and I believe Wajima too a
few
> times after he lost Hanakago beya.  I have no idea how many former rikishi
> may have wrestled in Japan but I imagine there would be a few of them.
>
> Lastly, growing up in Hawai'i where there is a huge Japanese population,
> there were a few &quot;sumo&quot; themed wrestlers there for the local
wrestling
> promotion back in the '60's and '70's.  The one I always wondered about
was
> named Kongozan.  He had the build and a name that sounded real.  Does
anyone
> remember a person using that shikona?  I guess if he really was in sumo it
> would have been in the '50's.
>
> Did I miss anyone?  Or should I say, how many have I missed?
>
> Aloha, Owen
>
>
> [EndPost by &quot;owen A&quot; &lt;oshakam@hotmail.com&gt;]
>
>
>
>
>
>

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[EndPost by "Rowan" <rowan@juryo.com>]