10. Akebono Vs. Big Show - WrestleMania 21 (62 Seconds)
WrestleMania has presented its fair share of non-wrestling bouts over the years, and this will surely go down as one of the most forgettable, and one that most sane fans would like to forget eve happened. The image of Big Show in sumo attire is one that we have all tried to erase from the dark recesses of our mind... WrestleMania 21 was billed as 'WrestleMania Goes Hollywood' and at the event Big Show, he of many ridiculous professional wrestling moments, took on Akebono in a sumo match. Mercifully the whole thing was over in one minute and two seconds, as Akebono threw Show out of the ring by utilising a koshinage, which is essentially a hip toss. Akebono was actually a pretty big star in the sumo world, and his involvement at 'Mania made a lot of sense, at least in terms of getting some more eyes on the product. He was the first non-Japanese sumo to reach the rank of yokozuna, the highest rank in the sport. The history and culture of sumo is fascinating to say the least, and I heartily recommend learning more about it. The less you read up about Big Show's brief foray into the sport, the better, however.
Born in the middle of Wales in the middle of the 1980's, John can't quite remember when he started watching wrestling but he has a terrible feeling that Dino Bravo was involved. Now living in Prague, John spends most of his time trying to work out how Tomohiro Ishii still stands upright. His favourite wrestler of all time is Dean Malenko, but really it is Repo Man. He is the author of 'An Illustrated History of Slavic Misery', the best book about the Slavic people that you haven't yet read. You can get that and others from www.poshlostbooks.com.
