PRESS RELEASE
WORLD ELITE SUMO
ANNOUNCES NEW DATE
Newark, NJ
March 30
World Elite Sumo
World Elite Sumo officially confirms the new event date and unveils the final tournament lineup for one of the most anticipated professional sumo events in North America.
World Elite Sumo (WES) today announced a new date — Saturday, May 16 — for its previously scheduled live professional sumo wrestling event at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
WES also confirmed the complete lineup of competitors for the one-night, single-elimination 12-man tournament originally scheduled for April 18.
Tickets purchased for April 18 will remain valid and automatically transfer to the new May 16 date.
“In order to put together a tournament like this with the best possible group of fighters and to make this an unforgettable night for fans, the new event date was imperative,” said Abdelrahman “Sandstorm” Shalan.
The 33-year-old Shalan, a native of Egypt, is widely recognized as the first sumo wrestler in history from the Middle East and Africa.
Full Tournament Lineup
Abdelrahman “Sandstorm” Shalan
Egypt • 340 lbs
Soslan “Big Bear” Gagloev
Russia • 350 lbs
Robert “Samoan Bulldozer” Fuimaono
Samoa • 390 lbs
Rui Junior
Brazil • 381 lbs
Joshua Ortiz
USA
Matt Kramer
USA
Event Format
The tournament follows a bracket-style structure featuring 12 elite heavyweight competitors battling through elimination rounds in a best-of-three match format.
Wildcard entries and semifinal qualification rules are designed to maximize competitiveness and entertainment value for fans worldwide.
