Pro wrestling star Juicy Finau joins World Elite Sumo field for Sept. 26

Professional wrestling heavyweight Juicy Finau has been added to the 12-man World Elite Sumo tournament field for the September 26 event at Kaiser Permanente Arena in Santa Cruz. Josh “The Ox” Ortiz and Gilberto De La Torre were also confirmed, completing the line-up for the one-night, single-elimination competition.

Finau, 30, is 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighs 465 pounds. Born in Chino, California, to parents from Tonga, he has five years of Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling experience but will be making his sumo debut. He has wrestled for AAA Lucha Libre and Major League Wrestling, among other organisations.

A member of The South Pacific Savages, Finau won the MLW World Tag Team Championship with Lance Anoa’i in January 2023. The pair beat Hustle & Power for the title and retained it three times during a six-month reign. Finau is recognised in professional wrestling for his physical style and ability to execute throws despite his size.

Ortiz is a 5-foot-7, 275-pound World Elite Sumo veteran and a former winner of the Summer Solstice Viking Battle strongman contest. His skills include throwing techniques and tsuridashi, in which a competitor lifts an opponent and carries him beyond the edge of the dohyō.

De La Torre stands 6 feet 3 inches and weighs 400 pounds. The Los Angeles resident is one of eight children of Mexican parents and has represented the United States at three national sumo team events. Before joining the professional field, he competed as an amateur in the United States, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Poland.

The remaining entrants are Makini “Big Mak” Manu, Ahmed Khalil, Hidenoumi “The Iron Wall” Takuya, Mathew Westwood, Josh “Siua” Tuitupou, Asahisho Kota, Rui Junior and Soslan “Big Bear” Gagloev. Manu is a top-ranked Power Slap super heavyweight and former amateur sumo champion, while Khalil is a three-time African national freestyle wrestling champion. Matches will use a best-of-three format. Doors open at 6 p.m. local time, with the event starting at 7 p.m.; tickets begin at $50.