Wakanohō Toshinori, born Soslan Aleksandrovich Gagloev, is a retired Russian professional sumo wrestler. He competed for Magaki stable and became one of the youngest foreign-born wrestlers to reach the salaried ranks.
Standing around 193 cm and weighing about 156 kg, Wakanohō was known for his size, raw power, and unusual ring habits, including occasionally jumping at the tachiai.
Before entering sumo, Wakanohō competed in freestyle wrestling in Russia. After growing beyond the weight limit for his category, he shifted toward sumo and moved to Japan, eventually joining Magaki stable.
He made his professional debut in March 2005 and rose quickly through the lower divisions, winning the jonidan championship with a perfect 7–0 record in May 2005.
Wakanohō competed exclusively in Japan’s professional sumo system under Magaki stable. His rise was rapid: he reached jūryō in 2006 and made his top makuuchi division debut in November 2007.
His highest rank was Maegashira 1, achieved in July 2008. However, his career ended abruptly in August 2008 after he was arrested for cannabis possession and dismissed by the Japan Sumo Association, becoming the first active rikishi to be dismissed from professional sumo.
Wakanohō favored a belt-based sumo style, especially the migi-yotsu grip, with his left hand outside and right hand inside on the mawashi. His most common winning technique was yorikiri, though he was also known for using hatakikomi slap-downs at a higher rate than many contemporaries.
Unlike more disciplined veteran rikishi, his style often reflected youth and raw instinct: powerful, unpredictable, sometimes effective, but also criticized for overreliance on evasive techniques.
Wakanohō remains a notable figure in sumo history because of both his rapid rise and his controversial downfall. His dismissal became part of a wider period of scandal in professional sumo, especially concerning cannabis use and later match-fixing allegations.
After sumo, he moved to the United States and pursued college football in Florida, playing at schools including Webber International University and Warner University.
Wakanohō Toshinori was a powerful Russian sumo wrestler whose career burned fast and ended suddenly. Rising from debut to the upper maegashira ranks in only a few years, he showed clear athletic potential and became one of the youngest foreign-born rikishi to reach top-level sumo.
His legacy, however, is inseparable from controversy. Though talented and physically gifted, his dismissal in 2008 cut short what could have been a much longer sumo career, leaving him remembered as both a promising foreign star and one of the sport’s most dramatic cautionary tales.
Russia
