Post by NOwave on Aug 24, 2013 16:22:56 GMT -5
Mark Henry lays claim currently to the title of "Wprld's Strongest Man" and has for a number of years. However, any number of "world's strongest men" have participate in pro wrestling at various times and places. Occasionally, more than one wrestler at a time has claimed to be the "World's Strongest Man".
I won't claim to know the definition of the World's Strongest Man, but I do know it's rarely a particularly successful gimmick. How many "World's Strongest Men" have there been in wrestling? Here's a few I can think of. Please add any others i'm overlooking to the list.
1. Mark Henry-easily the most successful wrestler using this gimmick ever. At 6'3", and 420lbs, the 2-time Olympic weightlifter and Gold medalist at the Pan American Games has as much legitimate claim to the title of World's strongest man as anybody.
2. Bill Kazmaier-a modestly successful wrestler in WCW in the early 1990s, he set an world record in the 3-Lift of 2425lbs (Bench-661; Squat-926; Deadlift-838) One of the 1st and most respected "professional" powerlifters
3. Ted Arcidi-a brief pro wrestling career in the WWF and Stampede in the 1980s. Weighing 300 lbs despite standing only 5'10", the Bench Press was his specialty, where he set an unofficial record of 725lbs
4. Ken Patera-probably the best all-around athlete ever to be billed as the World's Strongest Man, he played college football, ran hurdles and high jumped in high school and was a Pan American Medalist and Olympic weightlifter at 6' 2", 320lbs (at his peak) Also probably the 2nd most successful wrestler, with a long career in the territories and WWF in the 1970s and 80s.
5. Doug Furnas-the smallest man to claim the title at 5'10", 265lbs, he was a college football player and powerlifter and the only man to go over 2400 lbs in the 3-lift twice. He drifted thru the territories in the 1980s, had a cup of coffee in both WWF and WCW before achieving the most success in ECW in the 90s, claiming the tag team title with Phil Lafon.
Anybody else?
I won't claim to know the definition of the World's Strongest Man, but I do know it's rarely a particularly successful gimmick. How many "World's Strongest Men" have there been in wrestling? Here's a few I can think of. Please add any others i'm overlooking to the list.
1. Mark Henry-easily the most successful wrestler using this gimmick ever. At 6'3", and 420lbs, the 2-time Olympic weightlifter and Gold medalist at the Pan American Games has as much legitimate claim to the title of World's strongest man as anybody.
2. Bill Kazmaier-a modestly successful wrestler in WCW in the early 1990s, he set an world record in the 3-Lift of 2425lbs (Bench-661; Squat-926; Deadlift-838) One of the 1st and most respected "professional" powerlifters
3. Ted Arcidi-a brief pro wrestling career in the WWF and Stampede in the 1980s. Weighing 300 lbs despite standing only 5'10", the Bench Press was his specialty, where he set an unofficial record of 725lbs
4. Ken Patera-probably the best all-around athlete ever to be billed as the World's Strongest Man, he played college football, ran hurdles and high jumped in high school and was a Pan American Medalist and Olympic weightlifter at 6' 2", 320lbs (at his peak) Also probably the 2nd most successful wrestler, with a long career in the territories and WWF in the 1970s and 80s.
5. Doug Furnas-the smallest man to claim the title at 5'10", 265lbs, he was a college football player and powerlifter and the only man to go over 2400 lbs in the 3-lift twice. He drifted thru the territories in the 1980s, had a cup of coffee in both WWF and WCW before achieving the most success in ECW in the 90s, claiming the tag team title with Phil Lafon.
Anybody else?
