The verdict is in . . . well, almost.

After his critics had begun singing a Harumafuji requiem, the Mongolian yokozuna chalked up his ninth straight win with a thumping of upstart Goeido at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Monday.

Coming off a 9-6 mark at the Kyushu basho in November, where he became the first yokozuna debutant to lose his final five bouts, Harumafuji has already matched that number of victories with the only thing to prove now that his notorious meltdown was only a fluke.