The Japan Sumo Association has recently tag-teamed with the Japanese media to lay into Asashoryu, the Mongolian sumo champ who has all but dominated the sport for the past few years.
As the sole yokozuna (grand champion) for a nearly four-year period, Asashoryu's stellar record — 21 tournament wins by the age of 26 — has been the stuff of legends. A hero to the Mongolian people, Asa brought attention back to the sport in Japan and abroad.
But the wrestler's behavior has also earned him notoriety. The media has chronicled fits of temper, flights of fancy, and his throwing his weight around both figuratively and literally in ways deemed unbecoming of the dignity of the sport and his rank.