According to Japanese news website Hochi News, Wakatakakage has been released from the hospital following successful right knee surgery. He is expected to be out at least 6 months, meaning the to-be-former Sekiwake will miss at least 3 tournaments which should cause him to fall to Juryo if he is able to return by November, but stablemaster Arashio noted Wakatakakage won’t return until he is 100%, so it could be next year and if so, that almost certainly would see the March 2022 champion demoted to Makushita.
Wakatakakage suffered the injury on Day 13 of the March 2023 Tournament in Osaka and missed the last 2 days. He had been 7-6 at the time, meaning he finished 7-7-1 (win-loss-absent), the equivalent of 7-8, which would mean he will be demoted from Sekiwake after over a year and constantly being in Ozeki contention but coning up just short.
4/15 UPDATE: YouTube channel reporter “Chris Sumo”, who is a reliable source with insider connections, now says Wakatakakage will be out at least one year. That means if he can return in March or May 2024, he’ll be looking at demotion to the Sandanme or Jonidan and starting his climb to the top from there. As the middle of the Wakas in sumo (he has two brothers, younger brother Wakamotoharu was at Komusubi in March and finished with a winning record, older brother Wakatakamoto is a Makushita mainstay who has never promoted above the third tier), Wakatakakage would be close to 30 by a potential return so age may work against him.
