The Top 30 Pullers of the 2010s (Men)
The sport of armwrestling continued its expansion around the world during the 2010s, pushing the level of competition ever higher. The decade saw the rise of several professional leagues, bringing with them increased media exposure and prize purses the likes of which had never been seen in the sport. But despite armwrestling’s spread around the world, Russian, American, and Ukrainian armwrestlers still accounted for the majority of the world’s super elite pullers. Nine of the men who appear on the list of the Top pullers of the 2000s are also on the list of the top pullers of the 2010s. This is not to say that the composition of the Top of the 2010s list is a mirror image of the Top of the 2000s list. Some countries are represented more heavily than in the past (e.g. Bulgaria) or for the first time (e.g. Kazakhstan).
What is meant by “Top Pullers”? For this list, it is based on results, i.e. the ability to win. Technique quality is not a consideration. From a technical standpoint, while some of the pullers on this list may be standouts, many of them may not be. But the one thing they have in common is that they have demonstrated that they are able to win matches and events at the top level of the sport.
The pullers who made this list were selected based on my analysis of major event results from 2010 through 2019. These events include many professional tournaments (e.g. the Zloty Tur/Nemiroff Cup, the A1 Russian Open, big money tournaments in the USA and Canada), various National, Continental, and World Championships, and professional one-on-one supermatches: the events that typically attracted the very best competitors. The results from most of these events can be found here.
Who were the top 30 male pullers of the 2010s? In my opinion, they were the following…
What is meant by “Top Pullers”? For this list, it is based on results, i.e. the ability to win. Technique quality is not a consideration. From a technical standpoint, while some of the pullers on this list may be standouts, many of them may not be. But the one thing they have in common is that they have demonstrated that they are able to win matches and events at the top level of the sport.
The pullers who made this list were selected based on my analysis of major event results from 2010 through 2019. These events include many professional tournaments (e.g. the Zloty Tur/Nemiroff Cup, the A1 Russian Open, big money tournaments in the USA and Canada), various National, Continental, and World Championships, and professional one-on-one supermatches: the events that typically attracted the very best competitors. The results from most of these events can be found here.
Who were the top 30 male pullers of the 2010s? In my opinion, they were the following…
#30 - Zair Akhmedov
A Kazakh lightweight puller, Zair Akhmedov went on an impressive run around the middle of the decade, winning three senior division right-hand WAF world titles in four years (one in the 65 kg class and two in the always competitive 70 kg class). He was also very capable with his left hand and ably performed on the professional side of the sport, winning Zloty titles in 2012 and 2016. The Arnold Classic title he won in 2017 further cemented his status as one of the most successful pullers of the decade in the lower weight classes.
#29 - Ivan Matyushenko
Russia’s Ivan Matyushenko has been a consistent high performer for many years. During the 2010s, he placed in the top three in the senior division at the WAF World Championships on nine occasions and took the top spot three times (including with both arms in 2014). Most commonly competing in the 110 kg class, he won several Russian national titles, as well as three European titles. He ended the decade on a high note, winning titles with both arms at the 2019 EAF European Championships.
#28 - Artur Makarov
The second of nine Russians to figure on this list, Artur Makarov’s mighty right arm allowed him to win WAF world titles an impressive six years in a row between 2013 and 2018, almost all at 70 kg. His first three titles were in the junior under-21 division and the next three were in the senior division. He accomplished a near-identical feat at the EAF European Championships, winning junior titles three years in a row between 2013 and 2015 and senior division titles three years in a row between 2017 and 2019!
#27 - Davit Samushia
Georgia’s Davit Samushia became a dominant force in the right hand 75 and 80 kg classes by the end of the decade. Between 2016 and 2019, he won three senior division EAF European titles, two Zloty professional titles, and three senior division WAF World titles!
#26 - Georgiy Dzeranov
Another Kazakh puller to make the list, Georgiy Dzeranov enjoyed considerable success in the 100 and 110 kg classes during the last few years of the decade. Between 2016 and 2019, he won an amazing six senior division WAF world titles, including four times in a row with his left arm!
#25 - George Gaydardzhiev
The first Bulgarian to make the list, George Gaydardzhiev was a featherweight puller who enjoyed tremendous success at both the EAF European Championships and the WAF World Championships. Between 2010 and 2015 he won seven senior division WAF world titles – three with his left arm, four with his right, across three different weight classes – and five European titles within a span of three years!
#24 - Tim Bresnan
Connecticut’s Tim Bresnan did not win as many major tournaments as some of the other pullers on this list. He won a handful of national titles during the decade and an Arnold Classic title in 2014, but he mostly proved himself by travelling the globe and doing well in supermatches with many of the world’s elite super-heavyweights. Some of his best performances include very close battles with Devon Larratt in 2012 and Genadi Kvikvinia in 2017, and dominating wins over Travis Bagent in 2010, Evgeny Prudnik and Krasimir Kostadinov in 2015, and Alexey Voevoda and Dmitriy Silaev in 2016.
#23 - Jerry Cadorette
One of only two men to figure on both this list and on the list of the Top 30 Pullers of the 1990s, Massachusetts’ Jerry Cadorette is also likely the most proficient puller in the world at executing the “flop-wrist press” technique. In the 2010s, he built up his reputation through an impressive list of supermatch victories, more so than through major tournament wins. He kicked off the decade with supermatch wins over John Brzenk and Richard Lupkes in the Ultimate Armwrestling League (UAL) and finished off the decade via a hard-fought battle with Devon Larratt and victories over Michael Todd, Todd Hutchings, Ryan Espey and Matt Mask in the World Armwrestling League (WAL). In between, be placed top three in every major WAL tournament that he entered.
#22 - Arsen Liliev
Russian Arsen Liliev was one of the top pullers of the first decade of the century and he continued to be a major force in the early 2010s. After winning back-to-back right-hand senior division WAF world titles at 90 kg in 2010 and 2011, he climbed in weight for 2012. That year, he managed impressive supermatch victories over Richard Lupkes, Dmitriy Trubin, and Todd Hutchings in the PAL, and at the inaugural A1 Russian Open, he won the super heavyweight class and took third in the Absolute (overall) division behind only the much heavier Denis Cyplenkov and Andrey Pushkar.
#21 - Dmitriy Trubin
Adept with both arms, Russia’s Dmitriy Trubin enjoyed success throughout the decade. In addition to winning three senior division WAF world titles between 2010 and 2013, he also enjoyed victories at the Arnold Classic (in 2016 and 2018), took the super heavyweight classes with both arms at the 2016 Zloty Tur and at the Moldova Armwrestling Cup in 2018. All of this, combined with his decisive wins in PAL supermatches with three of America’s best – John Brzenk, Michael Todd, and Tim Bresnan – make him deserving of his spot on the list.
#20 - Artem Taynov
A great middleweight puller, Russian Artem Taynov won several prestigious titles during the first half of the decade. He started off by winning left and right-hand senior division WAF world titles in the 80 kg class in 2010. Though he would often place near the top of the podium with his right arm in subsequent years, it is with his left that he won the majority of his major titles. Between 2011 and 2015, he would add one A1 Russian Open title, two EAF European titles, three Nemiroff titles in a row (2011-2013) and another WAF world title – all with his left arm.
#19 - Janis Amolins
The only Latvian puller to make the list, Janis Amolins was a consistent top performer in the right hand 75 kg class throughout the decade. After winning his class at the 2010 Nemiroff World Cup, he proceeded to win three senior division WAF world titles in a row (2011-2013). Not content to simply compete at Nemiroff and at the WAF World Championships, Janis was one of the few Europeans who regularly travelled to the United States to compete in the country’s biggest professional events. He won his class at UAL IV in 2013, as well as at the 2014, 2015, and 2017 WAL Championships!
#18 - Todd Hutchings
While he did not compete in the WAF World Championships, American Todd Hutchings did not shy away from travelling to compete with the world’s best pullers. Upon returning to the sport in 2012 following a few-year hiatus, he made a big splash at the PAL Heavyweight World Armfight Cup where he had decisive supermatch wins over Igor Miroshnik and Krasimir Kostadinov, as well as a hard-fought battle with Arsen Liliev. Just three weeks later, he defeated Khadzimurat Zoloev by a score of 6-0. The next few years would see Todd win a Nemiroff title and multiple UAL titles (including at two of the league’s biggest events: UAL IV and UAL 8). Between 2014 and 2017 he also won titles (either right, left, or both) at every WAL tournament he entered, which earned him an incredible four championship hammers in a row with his right arm! With the WAL’s transition to supermatches at the end of the decade, his success continued as he earned victories over fellow legends of the sport Ron Bath and Marcio Barboza.
#17 - John Brzenk
John Brzenk is recognized as the top puller of the 1980s, the top puller or the 1990s, the top puller of the 2000s, and he was once again among the top pullers of the 2010s. Though he unofficially retired from the sport in 2015, his accomplishments during the middle part of the decade earned him his spot on the list. He won multiple classes at the UAL’s biggest tournaments as well as at the Mike Gould Classic. He won every right hand class he entered at the WAL’s largest events. And he made it to the podium of the A1 Russian Open in the right hand Absolute division twice in 2014 and 2015, only finishing behind the much heavier Andrey Pushkar and Denis Cyplenkov. With wins over Michael Todd, Devon Larratt, and Dave Chaffee within a span of less than 12 months, he showed the world why he is widely considered to be the Greatest of All Time.
#16 - Genadi Kvikvinia
Genadi Kvikvinia’s aggressive style of pulling earned him not only a lot of fans: it earned him a lot of titles, too. He dominated his class at the EAF European Championships during the first few years of the decade, winning three right hand and four left hand titles in a row between 2010 and 2013. The Georgian enjoyed similar success at the world level, at which he accumulated five senior division WAF world titles between 2011 and 2016 in the 110 and 110+ kg classes.
#15 - Oleg Cherkasov
At 65 kg, Russia’s Oleg Cherkasov’s left arm was a veritable weapon. Between 2013 and 2019, he won eight combined senior division WAF and EAF titles with it. His right arm wasn’t far behind: he won an additional five titles with it at these events. And when the A1 Russian Open added a 65 kg class in 2015, Oleg attended and captured the top prize with both arms.
#14 - Krasimir Kostadinov
You could say that Bulgaria’s Krasimir Kostadinov was on a roll throughout the entire decade, given he won major titles every single year – most of the time with both arms. Typically competing at or around 100 kg, he won senior division EAF European titles with one or both arms every year between 2010 and 2016 and six WAF world titles in six years (including five right hand titles in a row)! He performed well in Europe’s biggest professional tournaments, too, winning a left hand title at the 2014 A1 Russian Open, the super-stacked left hand 95 kg class at the Moldova Open in 2018, and an incredible eight class titles at the Zloty Tur between 2015 and 2019. He even finished off the decade in style, winning the left-hand Zloty Absolute category at the 2019 tournament.
#13 - Travis Bagent
West Virginia’s Travis Bagent wasn’t the most active puller during the 2010s, but when he had the incentive to fully commit, his performances were nothing short of awesome. As someone who is routinely part of the conversation when it comes to who is the greatest left-hand puller of all time, he did not disappoint in his southpaw performances. At the beginning of the decade he competed in a couple of Mike Gould Classics and a few UAL events and he won every left-hand class he entered. When Game of Arms came around and the WAL quickly followed offering TV coverage and significant cash prizes, he got serious. He secured victory in every WAL left hand class he entered, including several Regionals and the year-end Championships between 2014 and 2017! While his right has also always been very competitive, he brought it to another level at the 2016 WAL Championships, where he defeated long-time champ Dave Chaffee to win super heavyweight hammers with both arms!
#12 - Dave Chaffee
Considered by many to be one of the overall strongest armwrestlers on the planet, Pennsylvania’s Dave Chaffee won several of the biggest professional tournaments in North America during the 2010s, and proved his mettle against Europe’s biggest and baddest pullers in events overseas and in several high profile supermatches. He started off the decade by winning the senior division right hand 110 kg title at the WAF World Championships. In 2013 he made a big statement by winning the super heavyweight class at the Mike Gould Classic, the Arnold Classic, and taking second in the 95+ kg class at the Nemiroff World Cup, ahead of Andrey Pushkar and recording a win over Denis Cyplenkov. In 2014 his attention turned to the WAL: he attended every WAL tournament that year, plus the Championships, and won them all! His undefeated reign in WAL events continued through 2015 and into 2016. The latter part of the decade saw him take part in several supermatches, and he defeated every European super heavyweight that he faced, including Dmitriy Trubin, Krasimir Kostadinov, and Genadi Kvikvinia.
#11 - Michael Todd
Arkansas’ Michael Todd had been pulling since the early 1990s, but it is during the 2010s that he experienced his biggest success in the sport. During the first few years of the decade, he was victorious in several right-hand UAL, PAL, and Arm Wars supermatches against various elite pullers such as Tim Bresnan, Sergey Tokarev, Modestas Grigaitis, Jerry Cadorette, and even Andrey Pushkar. He is also one of a very small handful of pullers to have multiple wins over Denis Cyplenkov. By the tail end of the decade, he had established himself as the king of the WAL, winning the super heavyweight hammer in 2017 and securing supermatch wins over Devon Larratt in 2018 and over Dave Chaffee and Jerry Cadorette in 2019.
#10 - Devon Larratt
The sole Canadian to appear on the list, Devon Larratt began the decade as the #1 ranked right-handed puller on the planet. He proceeded to protect his ranking by engaging in and winning supermatches against many of the top super heavyweights in the world, including Richard Lupkes, Tim Bresnan (on two occasions), Don Underwood, Travis Bagent, and Michael Todd. In 2012 he had a left-hand PAL supermatch with Andrey Pushkar, who was the world’s #1 ranked left-handed puller. Despite Devon being a heavy underdog, he won by a score of 5-1 and became the first person in the modern era to hold both rankings at the same time. While surgeries to both elbows slowed his progress during the middle of the decade, he still found tremendous success in the 225-lb division of the WAL, winning a record six Championship hammers between 2014 and 2017. Saying goodbye to the 225 class in 2018, he ended the decade with right hand WAL supermatch victories over Jerry Cadorette, Todd Hutchings, and Dave Chaffee, as well as a left hand supermatch victory over multiple WAF world title holder Wagner Bortolato.
#9 - Sasho Andreev
In terms of combined senior division WAF world and EAF European titles won during the decade, no other man built up a higher tally than Bulgaria’s Sasho Andreev. Between 2014 and 2019 he won ten European titles and eight World titles in classes ranging from 75 kg up to 90 kg, for a grand total of 18! And many of these were won he was still just a teenager! For someone who was still just in his early 20s at the end of the decade, the amount of strength he had already built up was astounding!
#8 - Evgeny Prudnik
One of four Ukrainians to be featured on this list, light heavyweight puller Evgeny Prudnik enjoyed success at virtually all of Europe’s top professional tournaments over the course of the decade. In addition to winning four senior division titles at the EAF European Championships between 2013 and 2015, he won a prestigious Lotoshino title, an A1 Russian Open title, and four Zloty titles (including one in the right hand Absolute category at the 2018 event). He also won six senior division WAF world titles between 2013 and 2017. He ended the 2010s in his strongest shape ever, registering PAL supermatch wins over Rustam Babayev and Kydyrgaly Ongarbaev, finishing in third place overall in the Top 8.
#7 - Vitaly Laletin
As the tallest athlete on this list, Russia’s Vitaly Laletin capitalized on his leverage advantages with ferocious results. A top performer with both arms, he won seven senior division EAF European titles. Three years in a row he won with both hands (2015-2017)! He experienced similar success at the WAF World Championships, winning seven titles between 2014 and 2018. In 2019 he was bigger and stronger than ever, which helped him win the right and left Absolute categories at Lotoshino and secure decisive victories in PAL supermatches over Dmitriy Trubin and Evgeny Prudnik, finishing second overall in the Top 8.
#6 - Levan Saginashvili
Georgian powerhouse Levan Saginashvili’s performances during the latter part of the decade left few doubters as to who was the overall strongest puller in the world. After winning six senior division titles at the EAF European Championships and seven of them at the WAF World Championships between 2014 and 2018 (mix of left and right), he switched his focus to the professional side of the sport. At the 2017 Zloty Tur, he put on an amazing show, easily winning the right and left super heavyweight and Absolute divisions. In 2018 he pulled and defeated Dmitriy Trubin in a right hand PAL supermatch by a score of 6-0 (Dmitriy had recently come off a win over world #1 Andrey Pushkar). In 2019, as part of the Top 8, Levan proceeded to sweep superstars Tim Bresnan, Kydyrgaly Ongarbaev, and Vitaly Laletin by a combined score of 18-0!
#5 - Rustam Babayev
Ukraine’s Rustam Babayev occupied the number two spot on the list of the Top Pullers of the 2000s and he once again figures near the top of the 2010s list. After adding six senior division EAF European titles and six WAF world titles to his already long resume at the beginning of the decade, he stopped competing in these events. (Incidentally, his six world titles brought his lifetime tally to a whopping 20 WAF senior division titles!) He competed in the first edition of the A1 Russian Open, where he won the 90 kg division with both arms and finished third overall in the left-hand Absolute division. He won four Nemiroff/Zloty Tur titles and finished on the podium of the Absolute division on three occasions. He won multiple titles at Lotoshino and took first in his right-hand class at the big money 2018 Moldova Open. And while he did not compete in many supermatches, he had a decisive 6-0 victory over Todd Hutchings in 2017.
#4 - Khadzimurat Zoloev
Russian phenom Khadzimurat Zoloev won more senior division WAF world titles than any other man during the 2010s. Making this all the more impressive is the fact that they were all won with the same arm! He won nine titles with he right arm in four different weight classes ranging from 75 kg to 90 kg between 2010 and 2019. He also attended the EAF European Championships eight times during the decade and won right arm titles at all except one of them. He dominated his weight class at the professional events he entered as well: he won the 80 kg class at the A1 Russian Open every time the class was offered, he won Nemiroff/Zloty titles every time he went (in three different weight classes), and won the Absolute right hand division at the prestigious Lotoshino event in Russia at least twice!
#3 - Oleg Zhokh
Pound-for-pound, Ukraine’s Oleg Zhokh’s left arm is likely the strongest to ever be on the armwrestling table. He basically toyed with anyone in or near his weight class every time he pulled from 2011 onwards. Between 2011 and 2018 he attended seven EAF European Championships and won titles at all of them. He also attended the WAF World Championships every year during this same span of time and won eight titles in a row. He won titles at every A1 Russian Open that was held, and at every Zloty Tur held between 2010 and 2017! He won the Absolute left-hand division at Lotoshino at least twice, he pulled three of four weight classes at UAL IV in 21013 and easily won all three, and at the Moldova Open in 2018 he defeated Andrey Pushkar! Simply amazing!
#2 - Denis Cyplenkov
Unlike most of the other pullers who can be found in the top ten positions on this list, Russian Denis Cyplenkov did not compete at the EAF European or WAF World Championships. Rather, he chose to focus on the world’s top professional events. He attended the Nemiroff World Cup three times between 2010 and 2013 and won the super heavyweight division with both arms every time as well as five Absolute division titles. He also attended the A1 Russian Open in 2012, 2013, and 2014, and won five Absolute division titles there. Less active during the second half of the decade, he did emerge in 2016 to pull a right hand PAL supermatch with Michael Todd (which he won) and again in 2018 to pull a left hand supermatch with Devon Larratt (which he also won). If the Incredible Hulk was an armwrestler, he would be Denis Cyplenkov!
#1 - Andrey Pushkar
Ukraine’s Andrey Pushkar basically won everything there was to win at some point, or many times, during the 2010s, with both arms. His list of accolades is simply astounding. During the decade he enjoyed supermatch victories over pullers that include Tim Bresnan, Richard Lupkes, Dmitriy Trubin, and Michael Todd. But it is in tournaments where he stood out the most. He won senior division EAF European titles in the super heavyweight division with both arms in 2011, 2012, and 2013. He accomplished the equivalent feat at the WAF World Championships in 2010, 2011, and 2012 before retiring from the amateur side of the sport in 2013 (2012 was actually the fifth year in a row that he had accomplished this feat at the WAF World Championships. In 2011 he won the left-hand Absolute division at the Nemiroff World Cup, ahead of Denis Cyplenkov and Travis Bagent to claim the world’s #1 ranking. At the 2012 edition, he won the super heavyweight and the Absolute divisions with both arms. He did this once again at the 2015 tournament. In all, he won 12 Nemiroff/Zloty titles during the decade, of which eight were in the Absolute division – more than any other competitor. He won the Absolute right arm division at the 2018 Moldova Open, at least two Absolute division titles at Lotoshino, and three A1 Russian Open Absolute titles – his right arm defeat of Denis Cyplenkov at the 2014 event earning him the world’s #1 ranking with that arm. He successfully defended this ranking for more than four years until his untimely death in a car accident. While he didn’t win every event he entered, his accomplishments throughout the decade – with both arms – makes him, in this writer’s opinion, deserving of being recognized as the Top Puller of the 2010s.
Written by Eric Roussin