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  • About
  • Home
  • History
    • Development of the Organized Sport >
      • Armwrestling Eras >
        • The Beginnings
        • The Golden Age
      • The Beginnings
    • Event Histories >
      • World's Wristwrestling Championship - Part 1: 1954-1961
      • World's Wristwrestling Championship - Part 2: 1962-1969
      • International Federation of Arm Wrestlers
      • World Armwrestling Federation (WAF)
      • Carling O'Keefe World Championships
      • World Professional Armwrestling Association
      • Arm Wrestling International
      • World Police and Fire Games
      • World Super Heavyweight Arm Wrestling Championship
      • Over the Top World Championship
      • Yukon Jack Arm Wrestling Championships
      • North American Armwrestling Championships (Amos)
      • Power Armwrestling
      • Monster Arm Wrestling
      • World National Wristwrestling Association
      • Can-Am Armwrestling Championships
      • Armwrestling Capital of the Midwest
      • World Arm Wrestling Council
    • Early Origins of Armwrestling
    • Armwrestling Matches in the Cradle of Strongmen
    • The Ancient Hawaiian Sport of Uma
    • Armwrestling Firsts
    • Inaugural State Championships
    • Biggest Prize Money Tournaments By Year
    • How Organized Armwrestling Was Introduced to Eastern Europe
    • Top 10 Las Vegas Tournaments of All Time
    • Canada's Toughest Tournaments
    • The Stories behind the Matches >
      • Armwrestling’s First Supermatch
      • John Brzenk vs. "John Doe"
      • Dean vs. Mason
      • The Biggest Supermatch of All Time
      • The John Brzenk Challenge
      • The Champion Armwrestler vs. the Champion Powerlifter
    • This Day in Armwrestling History >
      • This Day in Armwrestling History - April Dates
      • This Day in Armwrestling History - May Dates
      • This Day in Armwrestling History - June Dates
      • This Day in Armwrestling History - July Dates
  • Top Pullers
    • History's Most Successful Armwrestler
    • Champion Armwrestlers of Yore
    • All-Time Top Male Puller from Each State
    • All-Time Top Female Puller from Each State
    • All-Time Top Male Puller from Each Province
    • All-Time Top Female Puller from Each Province
    • Best Pullers by Year
    • Best Pullers by Year of Birth
    • Historical Rankings >
      • Chronology of the Best Armwrestlers on the Planet (Men - Right Hand)
      • Chronology of the Best Armwrestlers on the Planet (Men - Left Hand)
      • Chronology of the Best Armwrestlers on the Planet (Women - Right Hand)
      • Chronology of the Best Armwrestlers on the Planet (Women - Left Hand)
    • Top 10 Pullers of the 1960s
    • Top 25 Pullers of the 1970s (Men)
    • Top 25 Pullers of the 1980s (Men)
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    • Top 5 Pullers of the 1970s (Women)
    • Top 15 Pullers of the 1980s (Women)
    • Top 15 Pullers of the 1990s (Women)
    • Top 15 Pullers of the 2000s (Women)
    • Top 15 Pullers of the 2010s (Women)
    • Armwrestling's Best Generation?
    • Pullers Who Perfectly Peaked
    • Record Win Streaks
  • Event Results
    • Results from the Early Days >
      • IFAW Results (1966-1969)
      • USA Results (1969)
      • WWC Results (1955-1969)
    • Golden Age Results >
      • AAA Sit-Down Nationals Results (1978-1979)
      • AAA Stand-Up Nationals Results (1978-1979)
      • AWI Results (1978-1979)
      • Carling O'Keefe Worlds Results (1971-1979)
      • IFAW Results (1970)
      • NAWA Results (1977-1979)
      • WAWF World Results (1971-1979)
      • WPAA Results (1974-1979)
      • WWC Nationals Results (1974-1979)
      • WWC World Results (1970-1979)
      • Various US Nationals (1970-1979)
    • Silver Age Results >
      • AAA Sit-Down Nationals Results (1980-1989)
      • AAA Stand-Up Nationals Results (1980-1989)
      • AWI Results (1980-1989)
      • Carling O'Keefe Worlds Results (1980-1982)
      • Carling O'Keefe IAC Results (1989)
      • IWC Results (1980-1982)
      • NAWA Results (1980-1989)
      • Over the Top Results (1986)
      • Sands International Armwrestling Results (1980-1989)
      • WAWF World Results (1980-1989)
      • WPAA Results (1980-1989)
      • WPWA Results (1980-1981)
      • WWC Results (1980-1989)
      • Yukon Jack Results (1988-1989)
    • Bronze Age Results >
      • AAA Sit-Down Nationals Results (1990-1993)
      • AAA Stand-Up Nationals Results (1990-1999)
      • Arnold Classic Results (1998-1999)
      • AWI Results (1990-1999)
      • EAF European Championships Results (1991-1999)
      • Forsa Tropical Results (1998)
      • Golden Bear Results (1990-1999)
      • Main Event Results (1997-1998)
      • Reno Reunion Results (1999)
      • Super Bras-de-fer Results (1991)
      • USAA National Pro-Am Results (1995-1999)
      • USAF Unified Nationals Results (1998-1999)
      • WAF World Results (1990-1999)
      • WPAA Results (1990-1997)
      • WWC Results (1990-1999)
      • Yukon Jack Results (1990-1997)
    • Copper Age Results >
      • AAA Nationals Results (2000-2009)
      • All-Niagara Armwrestling Championships Results (2002)
      • Arm Wars Super Series Results (2008-2009)
      • Arnold Classic Results (2000-2009)
      • AWI Results (2000-2001)
      • Big Arm Classic Results (2004)
      • California State/West Coast Pro-Am Armwrestling Championship (2003-2006)
      • EAF European Championships Results (2000-2009)
      • GNC Results (2001-2004)
      • Harley Pull Results (2000-2009)
      • IAF Can-Am Championships Results (2000-2009)
      • Mike Gould Classic Results (2000-2009)
      • NAL Results (2006-2007)
      • Northeastern Armwrestling Challenge Results (2005-2009)
      • NYC Big Apple Grapple Results (2000-2009)
      • PAC World Championship Results (2005-2007)
      • PAL Results (2004-2009)
      • Reno Reunion Results (2000-2007)
      • Ruler of the Nation Results (2007-2009)
      • Sturgis Rally Professional Armwrestling Championship
      • Superstar Showdown Results (2004-2005)
      • Tournament of Champions Results (2001)
      • Ultimate Armwrestling (Las Vegas) Results (2004-2006)
      • Ultimate Armwrestling Championship (UAC) Results (2009)
      • USAA National Pro-Am Results (2000-2009)
      • USAF Unified Nationals Results (2000-2009)
      • US Open Results (2003)
      • World Armsport Federation Results (2000-2005)
      • World Armwrestling Federation Results (2000-2009)
      • WWC Results (2000-2005)
      • World Challenge (2009)
      • Zloty Tur/Nemiroff Cup Results (2000-2009)
    • Renaissance Results >
      • A1 Russian Open Results (2012-2015)
      • AAA Nationals Results (2010-2018)
      • Arm Wars Super Series Results (2010-2016)
      • Arnold Classic Results (2010-2019)
      • EAF European Championships Results (2010-2019)
      • IFA Results (2019)
      • Mike Gould Classic Results (2010-2015)
      • Moldova Open Results (2018)
      • NYC Big Apple Grapple Results (2010-2019)
      • PAL Results (2010-2019)
      • UAL Results (2010-2016)
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      • USAF Unified Nationals Results (2010-2019)
      • WAL Results (2014-2019)
      • WAF Results (2010-2019)
      • World Challenge (2010-2012)
      • Zloty Tur/Nemiroff Cup Results (2010-2019)
    • Contemporary Results >
      • AMC Results (2022-Present)
      • Arnold Classic Results (2022-Present)
      • EAF European Championships Results (2020-Present)
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      • IFA US Nationals Results (2021-Present)
      • IFA Worlds Results (2020-Present)
      • King of the Table Results (2021-Present)
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      • Over the Top Down Under Results (2022)
      • PAL Results (2021-Present)
      • Total Armwrestling League Results (2020-Present)
      • USAA International Pro-Am Results (2020-Present)
      • USAF Nationals Results (2022-Present)
      • WAF International Challenge Results (2021)
      • WAF World Championships Results (2020-Present)
  • YouTube
  • Miscellaneous
    • Armwrestling Amusement Devices
    • Armwrestling Matches in Professional Wrestling
    • 1975 NFLPA Arm Wrestling Championship
    • 1975 Esquire Gala Celebrity Tournament
    • A Legendary Tale
    • The Origin of the Wheelbarrow Contest
    • Legendary Powerlifters Who Could Also Pull
    • 1981: A Good Year!
    • The Bill Soberanes Wristwrestling Statue
  • About
THE ARMWRESTLING ARCHIVES

John Brzenk vs. "John Doe"



Would you believe that several individuals once bet thousands of dollars that a man who had never armwrestled on an official table would beat John Brzenk? It happened, back in the fall of 1994. This is the story of how the whole thing unfolded.

In the mid-‘90s, Darren Sebring (former AAA State Director for Indiana) was running armwrestling tournaments in Indianapolis which typically offered cash prizes. John Brzenk had competed in at least one of them. "Big Arm" John, a local amateur armwrestler, also competed in these events. It was at one of these events that John Brzenk and "Big Arm" John met.


Around the summer of 1994, “Big Arm” John was playing pool for money with a man named Jim Royer in Toledo, Ohio.  Both men liked to gamble and the conversation turned to armwrestling. "Big Arm" asked Jim if he knew anyone good at armwrestling. Jim replied that he did: in fact he knew a local guy who had never been beat. "Big Arm" then asked if Jim would be interested in placing money on this guy if a match was arranged with someone "Big Arm" knew. Jim was very interested, as he had never seen the local guy struggle in an armwrestling match. “Big Arm” asked Jim how much he’d like to bet, and he responded something like “however much you want to bet”. That was all "Big Arm" needed to hear, because luckily for him, and unluckily for Jim, the man that he knew was none other than John Brzenk. 


The man that Jim knew was Andy Keith. Andy was a big man, at least 6’4” and weighed nearly 300 lbs. He had supposedly never lost an armwrestling match, but then again, he had never officially competed. Dan Victor (future World Champion) had armwrestled Andy before at a party and lost, and so he knew Andy was good. (This, however, was before Dan knew anything about organized armwrestling.) Jim got in touch with Andy, and Andy was up for the match.


"Big Arm" proceeded to get in touch John Brzenk to see if he would be interested in participating in such a match. John wouldn’t need to bet any of his own money, but rather would get a percentage of the total winnings, should he win the match. Presumably, Andy was offered a similar deal. Because it looked like there would be a significant of money bet on the match, John took advantage of the opportunity.


It took two to three months for the match to come together, but it was finally going to happen on a Saturday at the pool hall in Toledo where Jim and “Big Arm” John originally talked about the potential wager. "Big Arm" had enlisted Darren's help for the coordination of the match. Darren contacted Bill Ballinger, an experienced puller (and World Champion) from Indiana, who agreed to bring an armwrestling table and to officiate the match.


The day of the match, the atmosphere was tense. Thousands of dollars would soon be changing hands. The direction in which the money would go was dependent on the result of a single armwrestling match. Andy arrived first; John was running late. Both had their backers. In total, close to $10,000 was being bet on each side. Dan was betting a couple hundred dollars on Andy, and Jim was betting even more. Many local patrons were also betting on Andy. "Big Arm" had thousands bet on John, Bill Ballinger had $300 on John as well. He would have brought more to bet, but his involvement was a last minute affair and he wasn't able to get to the bank in time.


When John Brzenk walked in, some of the locals chuckled. They thought it was impossible for a guy John's size to beat Andy. At the time, John only weighed about 195 lbs, he wore glasses, and he was wearing a baseball jacket -- he definitely didn't look intimidating. The locals were so confident, that betting went even higher after John arrived, until the total amount wagered was close to $25,000.


Prior to the start of the match, Andy was acting really cocky. He was swearing, saying how John didn't stand a chance of beating him. He was going to "smash" John. The problem was that he didn't really know anything about armwrestling, and he was about to go up against the best in the game.

It took about five minutes for the two pullers to get their grip set up. Andy like to shoulder press, and he was trying to start with his shoulder forward. He refused to listen to the ref, and kept moving and trying to bring his shoulder in. After enough time had passed, Bill asked John if he was okay to start this way, to which he responded "yes".


A fraction of a second after the ref said "go" the match was already over. John had flashed Andy. Andy's response? "What the fuck was that!?" Most of the people in attendance couldn't believe what they had just witnessed: they were amazed that this average size man could defeat a much bigger man, known to be strong, with such ease.


The few who bet on John collected their winnings, and John's share ended up close to $3,000. A few others had heard about the match beforehand but weren't able to get their money in on time to bet. Bill Brzenk, John's brother, wired Bill Ballinger $1,500 to bet on his brother, but didn't get it to him early enough. Mr. Ballinger was a little disappointed that he wasn't able to bet more money as well -- sure bets such as this one don't come around very often.


A funny side story to this match involves Dan Victor. In the weeks following the show, he called a number of different people who were involved in setting up the match. Thought he left several messages, he was having difficulty connecting. He learned afterwards that he was actually facing resistance, because those who won money that day thought he and the other locals were pissed off and wanted their money back. In fact, Dan just wanted to learn more about the sport. He was so impressed and intrigued by John's ability, that he was thinking of giving the sport a try. 


This match won't be remembered for its importance, but John may remember it as some of the easiest money he's ever made.




Researched and Written by Eric Roussin

Special thanks to Bill Ballinger, Dan Victor, and John Brzenk for sharing their recollections of this story.
Copyright Eric Roussin and The Armwrestling Archives. Original content found on The Armwrestling Archives may not be reproduced without written consent.