The strongest and most resilient arm wrestlers in the world are extraordinarily strong. The majority committed themselves to strengthening their grip, forearm, and bicep muscles. These athletes have used a wide variety of arm wrestling techniques and manoeuvres to win numerous important matches and titles.
What Is Arm Wrestling?
Arm wrestling, sometimes referred to as pulling, is a skill-based, strength-based psychological sport. Getting the other player’s hand stuck on the touchpad of the table is the ultimate goal. Having a large upper body helps with the press, which is one of the best power movements in arm wrestling.
The backpressure method is used by arm wrestlers when they draw their opponent’s arm towards them. To gain a tight grip on an opponent’s arm, they also place one foot further forward than the other for added stability and wrap their thumb over the other fingers. The list of world arm wrestling champions is shown below. Most effective strategies for winning this game have been perfected by these players.
Top Arm Wrestlers In The World
1. John Brzenk
John Brzenk, also known as The Perfect Storm and The Golden Boy, was born in McHenry, Illinois, in July 1964. The Guinness Book of World Records proclaimed him the Best Arm Wrestler of All Time. Since his father was a well-known arm wrestler, the fifty-seven-year-old arm wrestler was exposed to the sport from a very young age. John Brznek stated in an interview that he most definitely inherited some of his father’s arm strength and stature via heredity. He used to arm wrestle with his classmates at school.
Tragically, he broke his arm in the eighth grade and sustained a major injury. At the age of sixteen, John Brznek took part in his first-ever official arm wrestling competition. He got the moniker “Giant Crusher” because, even at such a young age, he was able to defeat opponents far stronger than himself. The Wide World of Sports title he won in 1983 launched his career. Just eighteen was his age. He competed against a number of well-known opponents during his career, such as Devon Larratt and Alexey Voyevoda. In addition to arm wrestling, this champion arm wrestler is a mechanic for Delta Air Lines.
2. Devon Larratt
Devon Larratt is a name that must come up when talking about the greatest arm wrestlers in history. In April 1975, Devon Larratt was born in British Columbia, Canada. Amazing Devon Larratt is currently the top-ranked person in North America. Like John Brznek, Devon first became interested in arm wrestling as a teenager. His grandma, who was also an enthusiastic arm wrestler, was one of his first unofficial opponents.
He enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces at the age of twenty-one. He spent sixteen years as an ensign here. He competed while serving in the armed forces. Devon’s major break came when competing in a major arm wrestling tournament in Japan in 1999. Here, he defeated the equally successful Krister Jonsson and fell to the legendary John Brznek. He participated in the Ontario Championship four years later. His career took off after he defeated Robert Graham and Mike Gould. He participated in the Ontario Championship the next year as well. He faced off against John Brznek and lost after a run of wins.
3. Alexey Voyevoda
The most accomplished Russian arm wrestler is Alexey Voyevoda. In May 1980, Alexey Ivanovich Voyevoda was born in Soviet Ukraine. Prior to being well-known in the arm wrestling community, Alexey Voyevoda was a highly successful professional bobsledder. When he became a professional in 2002, his bobsledding career officially began. He participated in the Turin Winter Olympics in 2006. In the four-man competition, Alexey placed second with colleagues Alexander Zoubkov, Alexei Seliverstov, and Phillippe Egorov. Alexey took part in the 2008 World Championship, which took place in Germany. He took a bronze medal home with him. Additionally, he took home a bronze medal from the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
He achieved multiple wrestling championships in Russia during his arm wrestling career. Furthermore, he is among the select handful who have overcome John Brznek. The Pulling John documentary included his incredible victory versus John Brznek. Regarding Pulling John, it’s a fantastic documentary for individuals who wish to understand more about his early life. Not only did Alexey overcome John Brznek, but he also triumphed over Matt Girdner, Travis Bagent, and Alexey Semerenko. Alexey won both the European and World Armwrestling Federation Championships in 2004.
4. Dave Chaffee
Arm wrestling enthusiasts are undoubtedly familiar with the legendary Dave Chaffee, who possesses incredible power and skill. Dave Chaffee, often known by his nickname Easy Money, was born in the US. His top roll and strong hitting skills are what make him most famous. He fought several opponents over the years, including as Michael Todd, Devon Larratt, and Dmitry Trubin. Things were not simple for Dave in the early stages of his career. The career of this armwrestling champion began in 2006. But he fractured his arm that same year, which prevented him from competing for a while.
Apart from his injuries to his arm, Dave also suffered from severe neck issues. After fracturing his arm, the majority of his pals thought he would never be able to compete in arm wrestling again. But Dave showed everyone else incorrect. He was never one to give up. Dave won his first-ever World Armwrestling Federation title just three years after suffering an arm injury. Dave took home the WAL Championship in the Super Heavyweight division in 2015. He took first place in the same category in the WAL Southern Regionals that same year. He finished second at the WAL Championships in 2017 and won the WAL Northern Regionals in 2016.
5. Cleve Deans
Georgia, in the United States, produced arm wrestling champion Cleve Dean. December 1953 was when he was born. On a family farm, Cleve spent the most of his early years. He took pleasure in gathering cotton and tobacco to support his family. He kept hogs as well. Cleve had a strong work ethic from a very young age. Furthermore, he seemed strong even as a little child. His personality matched his physique as well. He liked to travel and socialise with new people. He undoubtedly dominated the arm wrestling scene in the 1980s, working side by side with Virgil Arciero, who was his biggest opponent.
Cleve Dean participated in the World’s Strongest Man competition back in 1979. He ruled the scene as the World Champion for ten years in a row. He claimed in an interview that his early years and upbringing on a farm were responsible for his power and skill. He competed throughout the years not only in the US but also in Japan, Italy, and Sweden. 2011 saw the tragic death of Cleve Dean, who was fifty-eight years old.
6. Travis Bagent
The birth month of Travis Bagent is March 1976. Travis Bagent is among the world’s greatest arm wrestlers and most successful armwrestling champions, ranking among other well-known names on this list. Since 1997, he has participated professionally in the sport. He was a losing opponent at the beginning of his career. Nevertheless, he continued to rise to the top despite this significant setback. Travis began arm wrestling at the age of fifteen while working at a nearby pub. It was here that he first faced his opponents. He faced up against a number of professional arm wrestlers later in his career, including as Ray Patton, Bob Lear, and Les Whims. After 2000, Travis’s career truly took off.
Travis has won nine Rt and Lt titles as well as five AAA Nationals titles over the years. Travis took home the Mike Gould Classic title in 2006. The Game of Arms reality television programme, which also starred other well-known athletes including Dave Chaffee and Mike Ayello, highlighted his arm wrestling experience.
7. Andriy Pushkar
Without a doubt, Andriy Pushkar is deserving of this position. He was born in Ukraine on August of 1985. When he was only eleven years old, he became interested in bodybuilding and arm wrestling after seeing the Arnold Schwarzenegger film Commando. Andriy made the decision to pursue his goals of being a professional athlete at this point. Anatoliy Pushkar, his father, was one of his greatest admirers and supporters. He previously claimed to have grown up in a loving home, despite the fact that we do not know much about his early years. In a nearby Ukrainian village, his father was a professional arm wrestler and champion.
It goes without saying that his father encouraged him to compete in arm wrestling and bodybuilding. His first world championship medal came in 2003, proving that his hard work had paid off. In the EAF Championship, he came in second place. In 2004, he participated in the EAF European Championship and won the 110+ kg Left Hand division. In two categories, he also placed second at the 2004 World Championships. Sadly, Andriy Pushkar passed away in 2018 following severe injuries he sustained in an automobile accident.
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