Jump to content
DVDVR Message Board

Recommended Posts

On 8/30/2020 at 11:24 PM, Death From Above said:

 

Ura is back up to Makushita 5. He's close to that salaried return. He's also only a rank below Naya at Makushita 4, who at 20 is one of the biggest prospects out there right now. So there's definitely a couple people I want to keep an eye on.

I still have an Ura-background on my Phone, for three years or so. I really hope he snatches a Juryo promotion. 

Naya's ranking progress has slowed down, but he is really young an upper Makushita is no joke, especially with only seven matches each Basho. Mistakes can be very crucial. I have to admit I wasn't to convinced by his first few performances I saw, but I haven't seen Taihos grandson in a while. 

A severely underranked Ichinojo might very well be an outside Pick to take the Yusho, but he wasn't as convincing as Terunofuji in Juryo. It really depends on his health (back especially). 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Abi still has a three Basho suspension, so hes going to be looking a demotion all the way down to Makushita before he gets back to it.

I thought the Association took some flack for the Tokushoryu win, (even though he was doing a number on the hot guys in the basho,) so I wonder if Ichinojo does get on a roll, he'll have to fight a few more higher ranked guys; if there are many higher ranked guys left, with Hakuho out and Kakuryu banged up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like Ichinojo a lot but having watched all of juryo last basho, Meisei going on a big run is far more likely. I don't really see either guy being the third low ranker to go 14-1 in a calendar year, but Meisei really did wrestle well in July and I wouldn't be surprised at all if he hits 10 wins.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Takakeisho blasting Terunofuji felt good. Everybody who's supposed to look good did. And damn, how about Endo?

My pick to win this is Shodai. Three out of his last four basho w/ 11+ wins (average 10.75), three Kanto-sho, two jun-yusho. Feel like he's really putting it together these days. If nothing else, 11 or 12 puts him at Ozeki. He's the guy with the most to win here, discounting a possible major Takayasu comeback.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ura scored his fourth win today and depending on other results, this could be enough to get back to Sekitori level. This makes me extremely happy. 

There is a group of six Rikishi with a 5-1 record leading the Yusho arasoi. Most impressive so far (to me) are Shodai and Takakeisho. The six are followed by eight Rikishi with two losses (Mitakeumi, Terunofuji and Takayasu among those). 

Thrilling competition so far. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/14/2020 at 7:33 PM, ReiseReise said:

It's really early, but Asanoyama seems troubled. Two losses early on definetly seem a big hole to climb out of. It's going to be interesting to see where this will go. Basho is wide open, no clear favourites. 12 or 13 may be enough to take the cup tbh. 

 

Asanoyama kind of climbed out of the hole. Also, my prediction of 13 wins being enough became true on day 8, when the lead was shared at 6-2 by numerous Rikishi. 

Lead at 9-2: Takakeisho, Shodai, Wakatakakage and Tobizaru 

In pursuit at 8-3: Asanoyama, Terunofuji and Onosho.

On paper, Terunofuji has the easiest schedule, having faced upper rankers during the first week. Wakatakakage and Tobizaru will meet in another "play-in" match, I'm sure the winner will get tested against Terunofuji. 

Scheduling will lead to Asanoyama getting a shot at Takakeisho and Shodai, but the lower ranked co-leaders need to get at least one L for him to factor in the Yusho race. 

Farther down the Banzuke, Board Favs like Enho and Kotoshogiku are struggling. Kotoshogiku seems finished, suffering a knee injury. He Re-entered after going kyujo, but he is obviously a one-legged-man in an asskicking contest. 

Enho seems overmatched most of the time, but his wins are spectacular, especially the one against Ichinojo. 

Final four days are going to be exciting. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's been a fun tournament. The lack of a dominant Yokozuna has left it pretty wide open. Gotta admit you could have given me a lot of guesses before I'd have come to Onosho putting up 10+ wins after that 2-13 debacle last tournament. Tobizaru is a breath of fresh air, fun wrestler.

The day 15 matches aren't out yet but I think it's pretty obvious what the two big matches will look like regardless of how day 14 goes. Today we get Asanoyama/Shodai and Tobizaru/Takakeisho. Day 15 is gonna be Shodai/Tobizaru and the ozeki match with Asanoyama/Takakeisho. Playoffs? A Shodai yusho and ozeki promotion? Who knows. Fun tournament though.

The group I watch juryo division with have been all in on Akiseyama, the ugliest sonofabitch in sport, winning. But Chiyonokuni has just been way too good. Has a legit shot at 14-1 now. Might go right from juryo 11 to top division if he does it.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Akiseyama is the kind of guy who you like to see succeed, if only because he seems to overachieve all the time. Dude has been in Juryo for 30+ Basho but looks to have the worst of all Sekitori. 

I think you're spot on with the day 15 matches. They have been doing this in the last few tournaments without Yokozunae. 

Edited by ReiseReise
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

The major story of Ozeki Shodai broke right after the Basho, now we got the whole banzuke. 

Takanosho leaps into Sekiwake, congratulations to him. Two former Ozeki, Terunofuji and Takayasu, are back in sanyaku at Komusubi. Kagayaki at a career high Maegashira 3 East. 

Kotoshogiku's, Shohozan's and Ikioi's careers are winding down, all of them down in Juryo. 

Naya at Makushita #1 West will hope to take that final step to make it out of Juryo. 

Makuuchi rankings taken from sumoforum

Hakuho Y Kakuryu

Takakeisho O Asanoyama

Shodai O  ---

Junior sanyaku

Mitakeumi S Takanosho

Terunofuji K Takayasu

Maegashira

Kiribayama M1 Wakatakakage

Onosho M2 Daieisho

Kagayaki M3 Okinoumi

Hokutofuji M4 Tobizaru

Myogiryu M5 Kotoshoho

Takarafuji M6 Tamawashi

Tochinoshin M7 Endo

Aoiyama M8 Terutsuyoshi

Tokushoryu M9 Kotoeko

Ryuden M10 Meisei

Sadanoumi M11 Enho

Yutakayama M12 Kaisei

Hoshoryu M13 Ichinojo

Chiyonokuni M14 Kotonowaka

Chiyotairyu M15 Kotoyuki

Chiyoshoma M16 Akua

Shimanoumi M17 ---

Edited by ReiseReise
Added banzuke
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I apologize for not being able to post as frequently as is the norm... 

Some Juryo, haven't seen all of Makuuchi yet:

Kotoshogiku rides off into the sunset. It was about time, and he will be remembered for his great career making Ozeki and breaking the 10-year-Japanese-born Yusho drought. Farewell, giku-zeki! 

Shohozan at 1-6 and Ikioi at -2-5 (with five consecutive Ls) after seven days could be the next in line. 

Ura is not breezing through competition, but he's at a solid 4-3 score now. Step by step. Some of the bumps he took looked horrifying, but he got up and did well so far. 

Naya at Makushita 1 West is 4-0 after his four matches and should be looking at a debute at salaried level in January. Especially with Kotoshogiku's intai. 

Makuuchi: Poor Enho, 0-7 en route to his fourth makekoshi in a row. Everyone seems to have the little guy figured out... 

Terunofuji and Takakeisho are crushing it at the moment at 7-0, looking really great for most of their respective bouts. Can they stay with spotless records? 

Asanoyama and Shodai both kyujo after decent enough starts, which is unfortunate. Ozeki really seems cursed atm... 

Edited by ReiseReise
Added thoughts on Makuuchi
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Takakeisho and Terunofuji meet tomorrow to decide the Yusho. Takakeisho is the sole leader with 13 wins, Terunofuji one win behind. 

Takanosho, shin Sekiwake, secured kachi koshi today. As did Kotoshoho, the young hope, who is at his career high Maegashira 5 rank. 

Terunofuji is guaranteed to be Sekiwake in January, with Mitakeumi going makekoshi today after being 6-2 after 8 days. 

Enho will be relegated to Juryo, he is at 2-12, which is a shame. There is another small Rikishi coming up in Midorifuji, though, who is at 10-4 in the promotion zone. 

Ura has secured kachi koshi with a 9-5 score. He will climb into higher Juryo ranks. 

Taiho's grandson Naya will be a sekitori in 2021, going 6-1 from Makushita #1 West. Oh, and watch out for Hakuho's 2 m, 160 kg Student Hokuseiho, who is 21-0 since his career start. Of the three Rikishi, two he has tied are well known around here: Enho and Kototenzan (John Tenta, who retired after his 21 wins). The record is held by Jokoryu, who went 27-0 until he lost in upper Makushita. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Maximum drama alert, as Terunofuji first beat Takakeisho spectacularly in regulation to force a playoff, only for the Ozeki to turn around and pulverize Terunofuji's offense in the ketteisen, shoving the Mongolian off the dohyo. 

An exciting tournament ends a whacky 2020. Takakeisho will be on a run for the tsuna in January. Since he is coming of a Jun Yusho - Yusho, maybe another runner up finish can help his case already? It will be fun to see. I'm 100% certain they won't promote him now. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They can't really promote him now, but I imagine they'd be more inclined to be generous with him next time around if either Hakuho or Kakuryu retire, similar to what we saw with Asanoyama's Ozeki promotion. Two kadoban Ozeki and the other looking to leave the rank the other way; things could get a little fluid.

Sad face, all of my favourites have been somewhere between indifferent and bad this basho. Everyone's favourite surly hairy bastard got his Kachi Koshi, but he's going to be leapfrogged by Terunofuji for the Sekiwake spot.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I take solace in the fact that the Two Best Guys wound up doing high-drama sumo in a badly depleted field.

Kakuryu has competed in 27 matches out of a possible 105 in the last 7 tournaments. Hakuho has competed in 43 during the same time frame, and that includes the an entire cancelled March tournament that I assume they used to heal up. I will only expect either man to be in a tournament once I see them step foot inside the dohyo. Hakuho's next tournament might be his last. Kakuryu might have already had his.

There are very decent odds that by the end of January, one or both Yokozuna are retired, Takakeisho is Yokozuna, and one or both of the other Ozeki are demoted.

My big, positive takeaway is that Hokutofuji started trying out some oshi-zumo stuff and he looked like a killer. But he always floats around M1 so I'm used to him looking like a killer during the second week. We'll see.

Edited by John E. Dynamite
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Apparently, Isegahama oyakata was very quick to put the kibosh on any hopes for a soft promotion, only a Yusho will put Takakeisho into the Yokozuna rank, and not a "low level yusho" (I don't know what that means, 12-3? 13-2 when no Yokozuna are around?). It would be fitting, seeing how Takakeisho needed extra miles to get Ozeki. Go for it, little bowling ball! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...