The Top 30 Pullers of the 2000s (Men)
While North Americans dominated the sport through the 1980s, the tide began to turn in the 1990s when armwrestling was spreading around the world at an accelerated pace. North American pullers still took up half the spots on the list of the top 30 pullers of that decade, but Eastern Europeans made big gains: 11 of the 30 athletes were from that region. This trend continued into the first decade of the 21st century. Among the Top 30 Pullers of the 2000s (the period between 2000 and 2009), more than half are from Eastern Europe, while North Americans take up less than a quarter of the spots. Remarkably, seven of the men who appear on the list of the top pullers of the 1990s are also on the list of the top pullers of the 2000s.
The pullers who made this list were selected based on my analysis of major tournament results from the first decade of the 2000s. These events include many professional tournaments (e.g. the Zloty Tur/Nemiroff Cup, big money tournaments in the USA and Canada) as well as various National, Continental, and World Championships: the events that typically attracted the best competitors. The level of competition at the World Armwrestling Federation (WAF) World Championships increased significantly over the course of the decade, and thus WAF World titles figured heavily in my analysis. The results from most of these tournaments can be found here.
Who were the top 30 male pullers of the 2000s? In my opinion, they were the following…
The pullers who made this list were selected based on my analysis of major tournament results from the first decade of the 2000s. These events include many professional tournaments (e.g. the Zloty Tur/Nemiroff Cup, big money tournaments in the USA and Canada) as well as various National, Continental, and World Championships: the events that typically attracted the best competitors. The level of competition at the World Armwrestling Federation (WAF) World Championships increased significantly over the course of the decade, and thus WAF World titles figured heavily in my analysis. The results from most of these tournaments can be found here.
Who were the top 30 male pullers of the 2000s? In my opinion, they were the following…
#30 - Maxim Maximov
Russian puller Maxim Maximov was a dominant force in whichever class he pulled during the first half of the decade. Between 2000 and 2003 he won four WAF senior division world titles, first in the 65 kg class, and later in the 85 kg class. He also finished in the runner-up spot with both arms in the 90 kg class in 2005.
#29 - Alexey Semerenko
Ukraine’s Alexey Semerenko won four WAF World titles between 2001 and 2004 (the first two with the World Armsport Federation and the last two with the World Armwrestling Federation). Though his first title was won in the 80 kg class, he is most associated with being a heavyweight. Adept with both arms, he competed in no less than eight Professional Armwrestling League (PAL) Vendetta armfights in the 95+ kg class between 2004 and 2008. He wasn’t shut out in any of them, registering individual match wins over elite pullers such as Farid Uzmanov, Taras Ivakin, Alexey Voevoda, Travis Bagent, and John Brzenk.
#28 - Dmytro Bezkorovainyi
Winner of seven WAF world titles and an incredible 12 European titles over the course of the decade, Ukraine’s Dmytro Bezkorovainyi was a consistent top performer in the 55 kg class. His combined total for WAF World and EAF European titles for the period of 2000 to 2009 is exceeded by only one other puller on this list.
#27 - George Iszakouits
The oldest competitor to be included on this list, Canada’s “Crazy” George Iszakouits’ unconventional style of pulling led him to being ranked the #1 80 kg class puller in North America for much of the decade. In his 50s and pulling only with his right arm, he won titles at the GNC Show of Strength, the Harley Pull, the Mike Gould Classic (Canada’s largest pro tournament), and an amazing seven Arnold Classic titles in seven outings!
#26 - Wagner Bortolato
Brazil’s wild Wagner Bortolato’s left arm was so strong during the second half of the decade that he was able to win three WAF world titles in the 110 kg class with it in three out of four attempts. His right arm wasn’t too shabby, either: he won a silver medal with it at the 2007 WAF World Championships.
#25 - David Randall
David Randall was one of the top super heavyweights of the 1990s and he continued to be one of the very best in the 2000s. During the first decade of the 21st century, he won an incredible four Arnold Classic titles in a row, a Harley Pull title, and four American Armsport Association (AAA) open division national titles. In accomplishing this, he recorded multiple wins on virtually all the top North Americans of the time.
#24 - Alexander Bulenkov
For a European puller, an effective way to prove you’re at the elite level is by winning a senior division European title, a senior division WAF World title, and a Zloty (Nemiroff) title. Russia’s Alexander Bulenkov did just that. He actually went above and beyond this threshold during the second half of the decade by winning a couple of European titles and four WAF world titles in the 75 kg class.
#23 - Lubomir Jagnesak
Slovakian Lubomir Jagnesak was another European who left his mark in the light and middleweight classes during the latter half of the decade. In addition to winning three WAF world titles, he won three Zloty (Nemiroff) titles in a row!
#22 - Taymuraz Tsakhilov
Russia’s Taymuraz Tsakhilov wasn’t content with winning three WAF world titles in a row in the late 1990s, so he decided to just keep on winning into the 2000s. He won five more world titles at the beginning of the decade: four in the 70 kg class and one in the 75 kg class.
#21 - Ron Bath
Ron Bath only attended one WAF World Championship during the decade, but he made it count by winning three of the four classes he entered in 2006. He also won major titles in most of the big North American tournaments, including a combined 12 senior national titles (AAA and United States Armwrestling Federation (USAF)), an Arnold Classic title, a Harley Pull title, and a Professional Armwrestling Conference (PAC) world title. He’s also one of very few people to manage to get multiple right-hand wins on John Brzenk during the decade. His longevity near the top of the armwrestling world is remarkable – he’s one of only two people to appear on the list of the top pullers of the 1980s, the list of the top pullers of the 1990s, and the list of the top pullers of the 2000s.
#20 - Alan Karaev
Huge Russian Alan Karaev showed himself to be a force of nature in the late 1990s winning multiple world titles. A bit less active in the 2000s, he did attend the World Armsport Federation World Championships on three occasions, and was unbeaten at these events. But a lack of match-ups with many of the other top super heavyweights of the era makes it difficult to warrant placing him further up on the list.
#19 - Todd Hutchings
To say 2005 was a good year for American Todd Hutchings would be an understatement. He kicked things off by getting a right-hand win over John Brzenk at Ultimate Armwrestling II in Las Vegas (the biggest pro tournament of the decade in North America). This was believed to be the first time John had lost a right-hand match to someone under 200 lbs in 20 years! Todd followed this up by winning a couple of AAA National titles and later travelled to Poland to compete in the Nemiroff World Cup (Zloty), where the only man to finish ahead of him was Rustam Babayev. In 2006 he further cemented his status as North America’s top 90 kg puller by winning titles at Ultimate Armwrestling III with both arms.
#18 - Farid Usmanov
Uzbek Farid Usmanov (aka Ferit Osmanli) made quite an impression in 2005 when he easily won the stacked right hand 110 kg class at the Ultimate Armwrestling II tournament in Las Vegas. Over the next two years, he would win three WAF world titles and a Nemiroff (Zloty) title, in addition to finishing in the runner-up spot on several occasions. He registered wins on many of the biggest names of the sport, including Andrey Pushkar, John Brzenk, and Travis Bagent.
#17 - Ibragim Ibragimov
At the beginning of the decade, Russia’s Ibragim Ibragimov was a major force at 100 and 110 kg in the early 2000s. Between 2000 and 2003, he won four European titles and seven WAF World titles!
#16 - Arsen Liliev
After winning a handful of major titles in the junior division, Russian Arsen Liliev moved to the senior division and won three European titles at 75 kg in 2005 and 2006. He then followed this up by winning three WAF world titles in a row in three different weight classes (75 kg in 2007, 85 kg in 2008, and 90 kg in 2009)! Oh, and he also won a couple of Zloty (Nemiroff) titles to boot!
#15 - Taras Ivakin
Possessing one of the deadliest top rolls in the sport, Ukraine’s Taras Ivakin was a sight to behold. Between 2002 and 2007, he amassed four European titles, three WAF World titles, and two Zloty titles. Most often competing at a weight of around 100 kg, he was involved in many memorable PAL vendettas. It is in these armfights that he defeated a young Andrey Pushkar in 2004 and Devon Larratt in 2006.
#14 - Ruslan Babayev
The fourth Ukrainian to be featured on this list, Ruslan Babayev left his mark on the 85 kg class during the second half of the decade. He won WAF World and European titles in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009! He also won three Zloty (Nemiroff) titles in 2006 and 2007. In total, he won a combined 12 senior division World and European titles in the 2000s.
#13 - Jan Germanus
Slovakia’s Jan Germanus made the list of the top pullers of the 1990s, and he also warrants inclusion on this list. He is one of only three people to hit double digits in WAF World titles won during the decade. In all, he won ten of them (six at the World Armsport Federation Worlds and four with the World Armwrestling Federation Worlds). He even won a Zloty overall title in the event’s early years, defeating a young Alexey Voevoda despite only weighing 90 kg.
#12 - Artem Klimenko
By the age of 20, Russia’s Artem Klimenko was already out of the sport. But in just a few years, he built up in incredible list of titles. In addition to many junior European and WAF World titles, he won six senior division WAF World titles in three different weight classes between 2002 and 2005. His first two senior WAF world titles were won when he was just 16 years old! In 2004 alone, he won a combined eight European and WAF World titles (four in the junior division and four in the senior division)!
#11 - Alexey Voevoda
Yet another Russian to make the list, Alexey Voevoda was on a roll with his right arm in the early 2000s. By 2003, he had won Zloty titles three years in a row, including two in the overall division. In many people’s eyes he had proven himself to have the strongest right arm in Europe, and that it was just a matter of time before he could prove that it was the strongest in the world. His streak was interrupted at the WAF World Championships in late 2003, where Travis Bagent beat him in convincing fashion. Undeterred, he trained intensely over the next year and won the overall division at Nemiroff (Zloty) in November 2004, ahead of Travis, John Brzenk, and everyone else. A couple of weeks later, he won WAF world titles with both arms in the super heavyweight class. Soon after, he would retire from the sport to become an Olympic bobsledder.
#10 - Andrey Pushkar
Ukraine’s Andrey Pushkar was an immense force in the 110 and 110+ kg class during the second half of the decade. In addition to winning four Nemiroff (Zloty) titles between 2005 and 2007, of which one was an overall title, he dominated at the European and WAF World Championships. Between 2006 and 2009, he won nine European titles and six WAF titles (senior division). In 2008 and 2009 alone he won the Europeans and Worlds with both arms!
#9 - Denis Cyplenkov
Though he started pulling in Russia a few years prior, most people first took notice of Denis Cyplenkov in 2008. In June of that year, he defeated Andrey Pushkar 6-0 in a PAL vendetta left-hand armfight and he then went on to finish the decade with a perfect record with that arm. He didn’t compete very often, choosing instead to show off his talents in the biggest professional international tournament in the world: the Nemiroff World Cup (Zloty Tur). He won the left-hand overalls in both 2008 and 2009, and the only matches he lost in 2008 and 2009 were with the right hand, to none other than John Brzenk.
#8 - Devon Larratt
Canada’s Devon Larratt is the only puller on this list to have built up his reputation primarily through his performance in supermatches (armfights). He won his share of major tournaments throughout the decade, including the stacked right hand super heavyweight class of the 2002 All-Niagara Championships and the Mike Gould Classic ten times. But his ascent to the top of the right-arm armwrestling world gathered steam when he defeated Ron Bath in a supermatch in 2006. He beat Ron again in more convincing fashion the following year, before defeating Travis Bagent in 2008. In September of that year, Devon got his title shot with John Brzenk. He handed John his first ever supermatch loss, winning by a score of 6-0 to claim the world #1 ranking. From that point, he finished off the decade without a loss.
#7 - Khadzimurat Zoloev
The first decade of the 21st century saw the emergence of another Russian teen sensation. Coming from a family of armwrestling champions, Khadzimurat’s right arm was unbelievably strong for his weight. After briefly dabbling in the junior division at the start of the decade, he quickly started racking up European and World titles (initially with the World Armsport Federation, and later with the World Armwrestling Federation). In total, he would win four senior division European titles and five senior division world titles between 2002 and 2009 – almost all with his right arm in either the 70 or 75 kg class.
#6 - Engin Terzi
Turkey’s Engin Terzi was one of the best lightweights of the 1990s and he was also one of the best lightweights of the 2000s. He was particularly successful during the first half of the decade: between 2000 and 2006 he won seven WAF World titles (three with the World Armsport Federation and four with the World Armwrestling Federation). In addition, he won a handful of European titles and competed in and won many of the biggest pro tournaments in North America. He won multiple Mike Gould Classic, All-Niagara, Harley Pull, and USAA National Pro-Am titles in several weight classes, demonstrating his pulling prowess everywhere he went.
#5 - Cvetan Gashevski
Between 2000 and 2005, the right hand 75 kg class was dominated by Bulgaria’s Cvetan Gashevski. He won a title on each of the five occasions he attended the European Championships during this time span and won an incredible five WAF World titles in a row! He also proved he was the best in other big events, including at the Zloty Tur in 2001 where he won the 73 kg title and in Las Vegas at the Ultimate Armwrestling tournaments in 2005 and 2006 where he won a pair of 80 kg titles. These latter events were the biggest money tournaments in the world during these years and attracted top shelf competition.
#4 - Roman Tsindeliani
Roman Tsindeliani (aka Jambul Vibliani) is Russian/Georgian puller who experienced tremendous success all over the world – be it at the WAF World Championships or at many of the biggest pro tournaments held stateside. Between 2004 and 2009, competing in the 65 or 70 kg classes, he won multiple major titles with both arms, including at Nemiroff (Zloty), Ultimate Armwrestling Las Vegas, Ruler of the Nation (ROTN), and the PAC World Championships – these were all the biggest money tournaments of the era. He also won an incredible 12 WAF world titles: six years in a row with both arms!
#3 - Travis Bagent
American Travis Bagent attended the biggest money tournament in the world each year between 2003 and 2008 and won left hand titles at all of them. His performances in these events, as well as many others, earned him the overall #1 left hand ranking on the planet, which he held for most of the decade. But his abilities were not limited to his left: he also had huge wins with his right. Arguably, his biggest of all came in December 2003 when he defeated Alexey Voevoda to win the super heavyweight title at the WAF World Championships. At the time, many thought Alexey had the best right arm in the world. Travis was undefeated in PAL vendetta armfights over the decade, and his opponents were no slouches: Alexey Voevoda, Andrey Pushkar, Farid Usmanov, and Alexey Semerenko! He won major titles with the National Armwrestling League (NAL), PAC, at the ROTN, at the Harley Pull, the All-Niagara Championships, the Arnolds, the GNC Show of Strength, and a combined 16 national titles (AAA and USAF)!
#2 - Rustam Babayev
Unlike some of the other pullers near the top of this list, Ukraine’s Rustam Babayev did not compete in any of the big American pro tournaments of the decade. But he didn’t really need to: his utter dominance was displayed at the major tournaments he did attend most years. These included Zloty (Nemiroff), the European Championships, and the WAF World Championships. He amassed a total of six Zloty titles during the decade and even managed to finish as high as second in the overall division in 2009, despite weighing considerably less than his opponents. He won an absolutely astounding 14 senior division European titles and 14 senior division WAF world titles before the decade was up! The 14 WAF titles consisted of titles with both arms, which he won every time he attended between 2002 and 2009 (he skipped 2003). There was no debate: Rustam ruled the 80 kg class.
#1 - John Brzenk
John Brzenk was the top puller of the 1980s, the top puller of the 1990s, and he was also the top puller of the 2000s. During the period of 2000 to 2009, John racked up more than 200 major titles, in virtually all the professional organizations. He won a record 11(!) Zloty/Nemiroff titles, including the overall right-hand division four times. In 2003 he competed in the inaugural John Brzenk Challenge where he pulled and defeated 102 pullers in a row, including Travis Bagent on three occasions! He competed in seven PAL vendetta armfights over the course of the decade, and won all of them, including a 2009 match with Denis Cyplenkov. While he did experience some losses during the decade, he managed to hold the overall #1 right hand ranking on the planet for 7 of the 10 years, warranting his position as the top puller of the decade.
Written by Eric Roussin