Sport? Game? Bout? When Did Armwrestling Come About?
Let’s grapple with time travel and move throughout history as we discuss a sport so quintessential that it appeared all over the world at all times. From the ancient past, to the competitive present, armwrestling has been a part of the human drive to compete at the table.
Ancient Armwrestling In Ancient Egypt
In fact, armwrestling has been around since an astonishing 2,000 B.C. where Egyptian hieroglyphics show men with arms locked like the image above. The only pitfall here is angling — if the men had their arms outstretched, meeting side-by-side almost like the beginning of a Kung-Fu match, it would look like armwrestling. However, the coolest pit we have here is depictions of ancient Egyptian men with their wrists tied together with some contraption — like an ancient armwrestling strap!
Bushido And Biceps
The Kojiki (an ancient book of Japan’s mythos compiled into one massive compendium) depicts ancient gods engaged in armwrestling. In fact, in this ancient book, the gods Takemikazuchi (“Thunder-God”) and Takeminakata (“Brave-August-Name-Firm”) use armwrestling to decide who shall take control of islands in the Pacific.
Multiple modern depictions are shown during the Edo period of Japan (roughly 17th century Japan) with men engaged in armwrestling. However, at the time, it was called wrist-wrestling. To this day, armwrestling is still an integral part of Japanese fun and culture. Devon Larratt has a few exceptional videos of him smoking some proficient Japanese armwrestlers.
Armwrestling As We Know It Today
Armwrestling experienced its first true, global revival in 1950s America. By 1962, the first world wrestling championship was held in Petaluma, California — and at the time, it was still called wrist wrestling! Due to the Sylvester Stallone cult classic, Over The Top, and Devon Larratt’s gregarious armwrestling persona, armwrestling has emerged as a reputable sport.
In 2024, armwrestling sits at the center table and is rising in popularity as the sport is incredibly fun, versatile, unique, and has few barriers to entry. Anyone can armwrestle and learn how to use cupping and hooking to slam their opponent’s arm into the table.