Wrestling matches being fixed? Now there’s a shocker! It’s one thing if it’s the WWE and people love the events because of the hype and spectacle, but it’s completely different when you’re talking about something as sacred and full of pageantry as sumo wrestling in Japan.
The latest scandal involving sumo wrestlers was uncovered because of a previous probe into shady sumo dealings.
While investigating several wrestlers a year ago to see if they were illegally betting on baseball games, emails were uncovered that suggested wrestlers were communicating pre-fight. The Mainichi Daily News says “e-mails even apparently go so far as to list amounts to be paid and bank account numbers, as well as how exactly the fixed bouts would unfold in the ring.”
First U.S. baseball is rocked by the steroids era, and now we’re learning that the sacred culture of Japanese sumo wrestling is no different from Stone Cold Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels breaking chairs on each other’s back. Somewhere in Japan, the Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy just committed suicide.
