Few sports can hold spectators spellbound through 45 minutes of ritual before the opening contest is even contested.
Yet the complex rituals unfolding in a traditional dohyō - largely unaltered for centuries - succeeded in doing so.
This multi-day tournament at the iconic London venue features numerous elite sumo athletes showcasing a sport whose initial documentation dates back to ancient times.
London's renowned auditorium has been completely reimagined, complete with a elaborate suspended canopy hanging above the dohyō.
It is here the competitors, known as rikishi, perform their leg stomps to banish negative energies, and where they strike their hands to attract the deities.
Above all this traditional ritual, a enormous circular monitor - that appears natural at an NBA match - offers the crowd all the statistics and footage they could want.
For one dedicated fan, it was a "unexpected footage" that first caught her attention a couple of years ago.
This was rapidly enhanced by the discovery of specialized online content for rikishi houses, where athletes reside and practice, rising before dawn to work out, followed by a nutritious chankonabe and then an midday rest - all in the service of increasing mass.
Another couple discovered sumo through a established path: a visit to the country six years ago.
"We saw it as a typical visitor experience, but we actually developed passion for the sport," explains the fan.
"After that, we tried to locate groups, resources, just to expand our knowledge about it," adds Cezar.
Traveling to Asia is almost the only way to see a elite competition.
This week's event marks only the second time the tournament has visited the city - the initial occasion was in the early nineties.
Even traveling to Asia doesn't ensure of getting a seat, with current times seeing completely booked tournaments.
For multiple fans, the UK competition represents the first time they have watched sumo in person - and it doesn't disappoint.
"Observing directly, you get a feeling of velocity and the strength which you don't get on TV," says Caspar Eliot. "They are so big."
To win the match, one rikishi needs to force his opponent off the clay or to the surface using physical force.
The majority use one of pair of techniques to achieve this, often in split seconds - thrusting, or wrestling.
Either way, the impact of the two athletes colliding in the initial contact of the match reverberates around the auditorium.
The cushions right next to the dohyō are of course greatly valued - but also, potentially hazardous.
During one particular match, a 191cm wrestler tumbled into the spectators - perhaps making those in slightly cheaper seats breathe a sigh of relief.
Of course, the dimensions of the wrestlers is one of the initial aspects most people imagine when they think of sumo.
The hall's organizers revealed they "had to source and purchase additional seating which can withstand 200kg in weight."
But sumo - for all its popular tournaments - is not without its difficulties behind the scenes.
Perhaps the rigorous lifestyle of a rikishi doesn't look as desirable as it once might have.
Its following among youth in Japan is also being competed with by other sports, while Japan's declining population will present additional challenges.
Not that any of this has worried fans in London.
"Seeing all this ritual and ceremony that goes with sumo is quite special," fan Sian says. "Currently, observing it directly, you sense that you are more involved."
For other committed supporters, the drama "made it so incredible" - as did interacting with the other fans.
"Emerging from a particularly focused online community and being able to observe numerous sumo fans directly and being able to converse with other people who are just as into this as we are - it was worth every penny."
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