Courtesy of YouTube
Have you ever gotten pumped up about something that you, frankly, have no idea about?
Check this video out:
I had no inkling that there was a professional arm wrestling association, nor that there was a world cup or several international events, but according to this little beauty there will be one on November 10 and 11 in Warsaw, Poland.
Men’s arm wrestling. Women’s arm wrestling. Veterans in their 50s taking down young punks who have the audacity to plonk their elbow down on the specially designed table and wave over their opponent. This sport has everything a beer swilling spectator could want.
No doubt there is an underground world of high-stakes back-alley arm wrestling, but there are certainly heavily sponsored meets. There are also national competitions.
I once got into a discussion with a British competitor whilst on holiday in Spain. He explained the technique and the levels of competition before demonstrating how easily I could be dispatched.
The best of the best should therefore be in Warsaw. ‘The Perfect Storm’ John Brzenk is widely considered to be the greatest ever arm wrestler. He will be at the Nemiroff World Cup, having won it himself in 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. Other challengers from the Professional Armwrestling League will be there.
Oh, and John Brzenk also won the Over the Top world title in 1986. Convenient for me. Everything I know about the sport can be learned from Sylvester Stallone’s movie Over the Top. Without a doubt it is the best feature film about arm wrestling…
