Key Matchup: Terunofuji vs. Tochinoshin
We will know very quickly whether Terunofuji is healthy. His first opponent coming back from injury is a rather large, strong Georgian.
All six matches between these two have been yorikiri force outs with Terunofuji the victor in 5 of them. If he’s going to win this match, the ozeki will need to try something different. A lengthy, straight-up belt battle against Tochinoshin will probably not be the safest method of dispatching this particular opponent if he doesn’t want to break his collarbone again.
Other top battles:
Harumafuji will take on Tochiozan and Kakuryu will face Toyonoshima. Both yokozuna will need to come out of the gate with strong performances but are definitely beatable. Watch this space for upsets. Hakuho, on the other hand, will face Uncle Taka and likely toss him into the crowd. My favorite name for a kimarite is yobimodoshi and here’s an example. It looks like when Takarafuji bizarrely decided to try for a kick, Hakuho pulled and slammed him to the clay.