Wajima Hiroshi

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輪島大士
Wajima Hiroshi
Personal information
Real name	Wajima Hiroshi
Date of birth	January 11, 1948
Place of birth	Ishikawa, Japan
Height	186.0cm
Weight	132.0kg
Career*
Heya	Hanakago
Rank	retired
Record	673-234-85
Debut	January 1970
Highest rank	Yokozuna (May, 1973)
Yushos	14 (Makuuchi)
Special Prizes	Outstanding Performance (3) Fighting Spirit (2)
* Career information is correct as of January 2007.

Wajima Hiroshi (輪島大士, Wajima Hiroshi^?) (born January 11, 1948) is a former sumo wrestler and professional wrestler from Nanao, Ishikawa, Japan. He was sumo's 54th Yokozuna.

Wajima is the only former college champion to make sumo's highest rank and also the only wrestler to be allowed to compete as a yokozuna using his family name as his shikona, or fighting name. He made his professional debut in January 1970 at the age of 22, and he reached the top makuuchi division a year later. He was promoted to Yokozuna in May 1973. He won a total of fourteen tournament championships during his career and retired in March 1981.

Following his retirement Wajima took over as oyakata, or head coach, of Hanakago stable. However his time there was controversial. He lacked leadership qualities and most unusually did not even live in the heya, preferring to commute. Hanakago declined to the point when it did not have any makuuchi wrestlers left. In 1982 his wife attempted suicide and he was demoted from his position as a shimpan or judge as a result. In 1985 he was pressured by fellow oyakata to resign from the Sumo Association altogether after it emerged that he was heavily in debt and had put up his shares in the Association as collateral on a loan, a practice strictly forbidden. The stable folded completely with all its rikishi transferring to the affiliated Hanaregoma-beya.

To pay off his debts, Wajima turned to pro wrestling. Shohei Baba, owner of All Japan Pro Wrestling, convinced him to join his promotion and train at their dojo. Because of his status as a former Yokozuna (the first since Kinichi Azumafuji to turn to pro wrestling), Wajima was pushed as a superstar, feuding with Stan Hansen over the PWF Heavyweight Championship. In the long run, however, accumulated injuries from his sumo years limited his potential as a professional wrestler, and he ended up retiring from the game altogether in 1988.