Armwrestling Champions: Their Legacies and Signature Techniques

Armwrestling is one of the most popular strength sports. It is a classic test of strength and a reliable way to settle a very important question: who is the strongest of the bunch? Chances are that you, too, have locked hands with a friend or rival at some point or another.

Armwrestling has gone from a cost-effective strength test to a global sport. Competitive arm wrestling has witnessed legendary athletes who have shaped the sport and drawn millions of fans to contests.

Organized arm wrestling contests have weight classes with separate divisions for right and left arm contests. Arm wrestling champions possess Herculean hand, wrist, forearm, bicep, back, and shoulder strength, and have mastered high-skill techniques. Most of all, arm wrestling champions have a killer instinct and a never-give-up attitude.

In this article, we celebrate the 12 greatest arm wrestling champions. The first 10 are considered some of the best to have ever graced the table, whereas the final two are rising stars set to dominate the sport in years to come.

12 Arm Wrestling Champions You Must Know About

The following athletes are considered the greatest arm wrestlers of all time:

• John Brzenk (USA)
• Devon Larratt (Canada)
• Levan Saginashvili (Georgia)
• Denis Cyplenkov (Ukraine)
• Andrey Pushkar (Ukraine)
• Alexey Voevoda (Russia)
• Cleve Dean (USA)
• Travis Bagent (USA)
• Todd Hutchings (USA)
• Dave Chaffee (USA)
• Aleksandr “Schoolboy” Beziazykov (Russia)
• Ermes Gasparini (Italy)

John Brzenk (USA)

Brzenk dominated the pro arm wrestling circuit for multiple decades and is widely considered the greatest arm wrestler of all time. He has more than 500 championship titles under his belt. Brzenk’s ability to pin opponents twice his size earned him the monikers “The Giant Crusher,” “The Golden Boy,” “G.O.A.T.,” and “Perfect Storm.”

Brzenk’s signature move is the hook, which involves securing the hand under the opponent’s wrist, pronating it, and pinning it with immense strength. He is known for his endurance and wore down his opponents in grueling matches before delivering the final blow.

Brzenk focus on technique forced his competition to elevate their game, raising the bar of arm wrestling forever.

Devon Larratt (Canada)

A former Canadian Special Forces officer, Devon Larratt is among the most charismatic and popular arm wrestlers of all time. His aggressive pulling style and immense strength propelled him to win multiple world championships.

Larratt’s signature move is the “Devon press,” where he applies constant pressure using a straight arm to wear down his opponent before pinning them using a single dominant force. His drive and brutal strength have made him a dominant force in the sport for over two decades.

The Canadian has the ability to switch strategies mid-match to exploit his opponent’s weaknesses. His incredible endurance allows him to outlast his opponents physically and mentally.

The 6-foot-5 athlete started arm wrestling for fun and rose through the pro ranks with his relentless work ethic. He has won several titles at the World Armwrestling League (WAL) and beyond.

Levan Saginashvili (Georgia)

The Georgian arm wrestler is the current dominant force in the sport and is considered the strongest arm wrestler in the world today. His monstrous size and strength help him get the upper hand (pun intended) in competitions. Judging by his current performance, he looks set to reign for multiple years to come.

The king’s move is his signature move, where he traps his opponent’s hand in a high position before forcing them down. Saginashvili started arm wrestling in his late teens and rocketed through the ranks.

“The Georgian Hulk” had a major impact on competitive arm wrestling. His humongous size ushered in a new era of super heavyweights that pushed the athletes to come in bigger and stronger in each competition.

The 6-foot-3, 392-pound (178-kilogram) arm wrestler has won the World Armwrestling Championship seven times, the European Arm-Wrestling Championship six times, the Vendetta Top 8 four times, and the East vs West Super Heavyweight Championship.

Denis Cyplenkov (Ukraine)

Cyplenkov’s hands are his most intimidating weapon. They were large enough that most of his opponents had a hard time holding onto them. He combined his insane arm strength, hand size, and explosive top rolling power to topple his opponents. His finishing move came to be known as the “Cyplenkov Press.”

The 6-foot-1 arm wrestler’s titles include the Russian Arm Wrestling Championship, and multiple Nemiroff World Cup wins. At his peak, Cyplenkov was known for his intense training sessions. His dedication, combined with his gifts, made him a force to be reckoned with in the sport.

Cyplenkov has long forearms and thick wrists, which helped him gain leverage over his opponents. His upper body power and strength helped him rip through the ranks in the pro arm wrestling circuits.

Although Cyplenkov was one of the most ruthless competitors in the sport, his legacy is marred by controversy surrounding performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs).

Andrey Pushkar (Ukraine)

Pushkar was considered one of the greatest arm wrestlers of all time. Puskar started training as an arm wrestler after he saw the movie Commando (1985). Seven years later, he won his first arm wrestling world championship.

The 6-foot-4 athlete had immense explosive strength and adapted to different situations quickly, which helped him earn an edge over his competitors.

Pushkar’s favored move was the top roll, which involves overwhelming the opponent with a sudden surge of explosive power. However, he switched to a hook or press to catch rivals off-guard when the sheer force didn’t do the trick.

Pushkar’s trophy case includes four World Armwrestling Federation Championship titles, multiple Zloty Tur World Cup wins, and numerous other top-level victories.

Sadly, Pushkar was killed in a road accident in 2018 at the young age of 33.

Alexey Voevoda (Russia)

Alexey Voevoda is among the most dynamic arm wrestlers. The 6-foot-4 athlete was a competitive bobsledder and won the Olympic gold, silver, and bronze medals.

Voevoda started armwrestling in his late 20s, but his immense strength and technical prowess helped him climb the ranks quickly. He relied on the side pressure technique, which involves driving the opponent’s arm off the table rather than forcing it straight down. Once the opponent was in an awkward position, Voevoda pinned them down.

Voevoda is a three-time World Armwrestling Federation (WAF) World Champion and a multiple-time Zloty Tur World Cup winner.

Voevoda spent a considerable amount of time studying and mastering different techniques. He analyzed his opponent’s weaknesses before each competition and found ways to exploit them.

Some arm wrestling experts called him a tactician who also happened to be immensely strong.

Cleve Dean (USA)

Dean is considered an arm wrestling pioneer. He began arm wrestling in 1977, and his brute strength quickly established him as an elite athlete. His victory over Virgil Arciero in the legendary 1979 Supermatch established his dominance in the sport.

The 6-foot-6, 450-pound Dean was among the biggest arm wrestlers of all time. Dean was a farm boy and his strength came from manual labor. Dean’s main tactic involves what’s now known as the King’s move.

Dean was the World Champion Arm Wrestler for 10 straight years and competed in the World’s Strongest Man in 1979 and 1980.

As per reports, Dean’s hands measured 8.5 to 10 inches from his palm to the tip of his third finger. They were six inches wide and he wore a size 20 ring on his ring finger.

Dean’s rise highlighted the importance of specialized training for arm wrestling. His dominance and victories spurred the development of arm wrestling federations, which helped solidify and organize the sport.

Travis Bagent (USA)

Travis “The Beast” Bagent is known for his unorthodox yet highly effective techniques. His finisher is the “flash move,” in which he quickly changes his position to gain an advantage over his opponents.

His unpredictable style and speed give him an advantage over his opponents and cement his position on the best arm wrestlers of all time list. Bagent’s understanding of the sport’s nuances has helped him dominate it for over two decades. He has 25 national and 13 world titles to his name.

Bagent has deep arm wrestling roots. He was tutored by his father (an ex-Marine) and honed his skills working in his family’s arm wrestling tavern from his early teens.

Bagent relies on the fundamentals — hand control, positioning, and leverage — to get an edge over his opponents. He is a proponent of making small changes to your technique to achieve big results.

Todd Hutchings (USA)

Todd Hutchings’ intimidating physique and explosive strength earned him the nickname Toddzilla. 

The inside pull is Hutchings’ signature move, which involves getting the body into an advantageous position and then using brute power to drag the opponent across the table. Hutchings pinned them down as soon as they lost control.

Toddzilla entered the arm wrestling scene in 2000 and ripped through his opponents to win six WAL titles.

Hutchings is also one of the best testaments of longevity. He won his first WAL title in 2015, 15 years after starting competing. Even after two decades of being in the sport at the highest level, his strategic approach and unwavering work ethic set him apart from the rest.

Hutchings saw the sport evolve before his eyes and adapted his approach to remain ahead of the curve.

Dave Chaffee (USA)

Dave Chaffee is popular for his well-rounded technique and exceptional strength. “Easy Money” relies on the fundamentals and reading the game, which has made him a dominant force in the sport.

Chaffee started pulling in 2006. However, he broke his arm at the table a few years later, which put him out of action for a long time. Three years after the adversity struck, Chaffee became the WAF World Champion.

Chaffee does wrist raises with a sledgehammer as part of his workout routine. The maximum security corrections officer doesn’t stop at that. He duct tapes a 45-pound weight plate to the hammer to make the exercise more challenging.

When he’s not training, Chaffee studies tapes of the greats like John Brzenk to learn new movements.

The top roll and hard hitter are two of Chaffee’s main movements. He has won six world championships, and many experts consider him one of the best arm wrestlers of all time.

Aleksandr “Schoolboy” Beziazykov (Russia)

The Russian arm wrestler is one of the most dynamic competitors in the current circuit and is fast climbing through the ranks. He began arm wrestling at the age of 13 to compete with his older brother, Alex Beziazykov.

Beziazykov earned the nickname ‘Schoolboy’ for his innocent looks. However, he has defeated much older and more experienced opponents thanks to his incredible strength and refined technique.

Beziazykov won the China Open Championship in Shenzhen and the Zloty Tur World Cup. His claim to fame was a much-speculated match against powerlifter-turned-bodybuilder Larry Wheels, which Beziazykov won convincingly (6-0).

Schoolboy’s finisher is the king’s move, which exploits the opponent’s internal rotation. He forces his opponent’s hand to open, which puts them at a disadvantage, and allows Beziazykov to seal the deal.

Beziazykov’s training regime goes beyond focusing on arm, shoulder, and back strength. He prioritizes flexibility, tendon strength, and endurance to maximize his performance.

The 6-foot-4, 256-pound arm wrestler is one of the biggest rising stars in the sport of competitive arm wrestling.

Ermes Gasparini (Italy)

The Italian arm wrestler favors the top roll technique to throw his opponents into a frenzy and register victories. The power puller is one of the best defenders in the sport and has defeated heavyweight athletes twice his weight.

Gasparini’s father is an arm wrestler who taught Ermes the tricks of the trade at an early age. Ermes devoured all the arm wrestling knowledge he could get, which helped him accumulate an insane amount of experience and strength at a young age.

“The Gladiator” is a four-time arm wrestling world champion and multi-time European champion. He is another rising star in the sport, and many experts believe he is a future WAL world champion.

Conclusion

Arm wrestling is a physically and mentally demanding sport that puts immense strain on the upper body. It also requires the athletes to be incredibly adaptable and switch techniques on the fly.

The 12 arm wrestling champions listed in this article have helped transform the sport for the better and helped it reach the masses. If you ever get the itch to try this sport, I highly recommend watching these masters in action and absorbing everything you can.

Who else do you think should be on this list? Let me know in the comments section below.

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