Hiroshi Wajima (輪島大士) (born January 11, 1948) is a former sumo wrestler and professional wrestler from Nanao, Ishikawa, Japan. He was sumo's 54th yokozuna. He won a total of 14 tournament championships or yūshō during his career and retired in March 1981. He was later head coach of Hanakago stable, but was forced to leave the sumo world and turned to professional wrestling.
Professional wrestling career[]
To pay off his debts, Wajima turned to pro wrestling. Shohei Baba, owner of All Japan Pro Wrestling, convinced him to join his promotion and train at their dojo.[1] He debuted in 1986. Because of his status as a former Yokozuna (the first since Kinichi Azumafuji to turn to pro wrestling), Wajima was pushed as a superstar, feuding with Stan Hansen over the PWF Heavyweight Championship. In the long run, however, accumulated injuries from his sumo years limited his potential as a professional wrestler, and he ended up retiring from the game altogether in December 1988; his last recorded match was held December 16, as he and The Great Kabuki defeated Jerry Blackwell and Phil Hickerson.
References[]
- ↑ Shapiro, Michael 1988-03-07. Down From Sumo's Summit . Sports Illustrated. Retrieved on 2008-06-27.