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WAL.jpg

The World Armwrestling League Is This Week's Most Glorious Discovery

By Emily Cutler | Miscellaneous | August 17, 2016 |

By Emily Cutler | Miscellaneous | August 17, 2016 |


I started last week contracting and recovering from a cold. I ended last week with strep throat. I spent a lot of time in the past ten days watching TV. And I can say with utmost certainty that I will never discover anything as wildly delightful as the World Armwrestling League.

Don’t be fooled by the promotional video. It’s exactly what you’d expect from a group that deals exclusively with people overpowering the arms of other people, and has little to do with why the WAL is amazing. Yes, you do see a lot of meatheads talking shit to each other about how badly they’re about to beat the other one’s ass. They even go so far as to talk shit about each other to the ref. They, in fact, demand that the the ref not allow their opponent to commit whatever objectionable behavior they’ve noticed. And that is a small glimpse into what makes this entire display so awesome. These seemingly aggressive arm warriors are so wildly polite, they complain to the person in charge when they see rule breaking. If you have time, watch this entire video. If not, just jump to the 8:00 mark.

Did you see? Literally within seconds of screaming in the other guy’s face about how much they’re about to get destroyed, both dudes immediately switch to bro-mode. As soon as the match has been called, these guys hug and tell each other how much the other one means to them. I’ve heard, “I love you” less often in romantic comedies. And that glorious juxtaposition never gets old.

“I’m going to kick your ass. I’m going to kick your ass. I’m going to kiss that sweet melon of yours. Come here, bro.”

“I’m in the fight of my life! To express my undying admiration for you and your career!”

This guy is wearing a fucking trilby hat, and I’m still totally into it.

But if somehow the aggressive love-in does nothing for you, you might at least be impressed at how easily a skilled armwrestler can overpower a seemingly much stronger opponent. Like The Mountain from Game of Thrones strong.

In that, yes, that is the actual Mountain from Game of Thrones getting his ass handed to him. But not without the compulsory bro-hug.