Sumo referee (gyoji) falls and cuts his face in the middle of a match, a breakdown

Sep 20, 2019 223.5K views 2:21
MLB 2019

What Happened

During a sumo wrestling match, the referee, known as the gyoji, experiences an unfortunate mishap. As the two wrestlers engage in an intense bout, the gyoji, dressed in a purple robe, is seen frantically dancing around, attempting to avoid getting in the way of the action. Suddenly, the gyoji loses his footing and takes a tumble, falling hard onto the sumo ring, or dohyo, cutting his face in the process. The other wrestler, who was previously engaged in the match, turns and looks at the fallen gyoji, seemingly laughing at the referee's misfortune. A backup referee quickly steps in, offering the injured gyoji a towel to help with the bleeding. The gyoji, clearly embarrassed by the incident, tries to downplay the situation, stating that the apparent blood is just a "weird birthmark" and asking the cameras to be turned away from him. As the sumo wrestlers continue their match in the foreground, the focus remains on the injured gyoji, who is seen trying to compose himself and return to his duties. The transcript suggests that the gyoji's fall may have been caused by the slippery sumo ring, as the wrestlers are required to wear special slippers while competing. Throughout the incident, the commentator provides additional context, noting that the wrestler in the purple robe is currently 4-1 in the tournament and that sumo matches are typically held once per day. The commentator also offers some insights into the strategy of sumo wrestling, describing the techniques of grabbing the opponent's elbow and the "diaper-like" garment worn by the wrestlers. Despite the gyoji's embarrassing fall, the sumo match continues, with the wrestler in the purple robe ultimately emerging victorious and improving his tournament record to 5-1. The commentator congratulates the wrestler on his performance, but the focus remains on the injured gyoji and the unexpected turn of events that occurred during the match.

Why This Matters

A sumo referee in a purple robe literally eats dirt mid-match while trying to stay out of the wrestlers' way, takes a hard fall, cuts his face open, and then tries to play it cool like nothing happened. The pure comedy of him insisting he's fine while bleeding is peak sports content.

With 223K views, this sumo ref's embarrassing tumble ranks at #975 on the all-time Jomboy breakdown list, proving that refs eating it knows no cultural boundaries.

Key Moments

Who / What Is Involved

Sumo (MLB, 2019).

Full Transcript

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it's fun sport Friday and it's about

time we did some sumo on this channel

about that time guy in the purple he's

having a really good tournament he's

four and one up to this point but that's