Rank-and-file grappler Wakatakakage delivered an outstanding performance to upset ozeki Takakeisho at the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament on Tuesday, but the result was overshadowed by the withdrawal of yokozuna Hakuho earlier in the day.
The 36-year-old grand champion told the Japan Sumo Association he was pulling out of the 15-day tournament at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan because of problems with his troublesome right knee.
The winner of a record 44 top-division titles will have surgery to repair his patella and swelling around the joint later this month, followed by an expected two-month rehabilitation.