Professional wrestling star Juicy Finau is stepping out of the squared circle and onto the dohyō.
The 6-foot-4, 465-pound Finau has been added to the World Elite Sumo (WES) tournament at Kaiser Permanente Arena in Santa Cruz, Calif., on Sept. 26, where the 30-year-old California native will make his professional sumo debut as part of a 12-man, one-night, single-elimination open-weight tournament.
Born in Chino, Calif., to parents from the Kingdom of Tonga, Finau brings a background in both Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling to his new venture. He has spent the past five years competing in professional wrestling and has developed a reputation as a physically imposing but surprisingly athletic performer.
“Over the course of history, there have been professional athletes who have crossed over from one form of combat sports to another and it has always been exciting to see how each would fare in a different genre of fighting, so we are super excited to have Juicy Finau test his abilities in the world of sumo,” said Abdelrahman “Sandstorm” Shalan, WES CEO and one of the tournament's participants on Sept. 26.
Finau has competed for several professional wrestling organizations, including AAA Lucha Libre and Major League Wrestling (MLW). He is also a member of the wrestling stable and tag team known as the “South Pacific Savages,” where he's known for utilizing his size, power and agility.
Finau is one of three athletes announced as the final additions to the WES tournament. The others are: Josh “The Ox” Ortiz, a 5-foot-7, 275-pound WES veteran and former winner of the "Summer Solstice Viking Battle" strongman competition; and 6-foot-3, 400-pound Gilberto De La Torre.
Previously announced competitors include Power Slap super heavyweight star Makini “Big Mak” Manu, three-time African freestyle wrestling champion Ahmed Khalil of Egypt, Japanese powerhouse Hidenoumi “The Iron Wall” Takuya and former Japanese sumo champion Asahisho Kota.
The tournament will feature best-of-three matches throughout the one-night event.