WAL 2015 Super Heavyweight Preview
August 26th 2015
The biceps were massive throughout the World Armwrestling League’s 2015 season. Have you ever seen a “lightweight” sporting such limbs? But now, the gargantuan 226+ lb WAL super heavyweights step to the table this Wednesday at 9 p.m. EST on ESPN2, WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app.
The competitors are massive, the spirit is intense, and 36 competitors from across North America will pull it out for the $20,000 grand prize up for grabs on the left and right arms! The WAL’s 2015 season on ESPN has seen a mixture of dominant armwrestling stalwarts peppered with rising stars.
Here are three things to watch for Wednesday night in the WAL Super Heavyweight championships:
1. How long can Dave “Easy Money” Chaffee go?
Chaffee, a 6-foot 2-inche, 279-pound monster of a man from Erie, PA, has not been defeated in North American competition in the past two years. He has yet to be pinned on his right arm in WAL competition. Can the maximum security prison guard continue his unbeaten strength? Chaffee himself is modest about his chances.
“This year, the competitions twice as hard,” Chaffee said. “The bracket is ridiculous.”
Chaffee already came back once from injury after snapping his arm at the table during a 2007 bout. But barring any further injury, Chaffee sees no end to his super heavy dominance.
“As long as I stay healthy, I’ve got another 10, 15 years,” he said.
2. Will the Usurper take down the King?
Nick Zinna, a 6-feet 4-inch, 290-pound truck mechanic from Missouri, shocked the WAL world when he dispatched armwrestling pillar, defending WAL 2014 left super heavyweight champ and perennial trash talker Travis “The Beast” Bagent at the WAL 2015 southern regional finals.
It shook Bagent. Bagent doesn’t get shook, but he said the defeat was “a wake up call.” The mild-mannered Zinna will likely meet The Beast again at Wednesday’s championship.
“Nick Zinna is a powerhouse, a machine,” Bagent said flatly. “There’s nothing more I can say.”
Zinna said he likes the WAL action, but would continue battling the sport he loves either way.
“I’m gonna keep armwrestling whether there’s money in it or not,” he said. “Now you’re getting paid for what you love to do.”
3. Does “Hollywood” Christian Binnie have one more run in him?
Binnie barely lost to “No Limits” Devon Larratt at the WAL 2014 left super heavyweight final, and Binnie is back for more this year. But when does a guy stop? Consider the 51-year-old Florida resident’s injuries over the years:
The competitors are massive, the spirit is intense, and 36 competitors from across North America will pull it out for the $20,000 grand prize up for grabs on the left and right arms! The WAL’s 2015 season on ESPN has seen a mixture of dominant armwrestling stalwarts peppered with rising stars.
Here are three things to watch for Wednesday night in the WAL Super Heavyweight championships:
1. How long can Dave “Easy Money” Chaffee go?
Chaffee, a 6-foot 2-inche, 279-pound monster of a man from Erie, PA, has not been defeated in North American competition in the past two years. He has yet to be pinned on his right arm in WAL competition. Can the maximum security prison guard continue his unbeaten strength? Chaffee himself is modest about his chances.
“This year, the competitions twice as hard,” Chaffee said. “The bracket is ridiculous.”
Chaffee already came back once from injury after snapping his arm at the table during a 2007 bout. But barring any further injury, Chaffee sees no end to his super heavy dominance.
“As long as I stay healthy, I’ve got another 10, 15 years,” he said.
2. Will the Usurper take down the King?
Nick Zinna, a 6-feet 4-inch, 290-pound truck mechanic from Missouri, shocked the WAL world when he dispatched armwrestling pillar, defending WAL 2014 left super heavyweight champ and perennial trash talker Travis “The Beast” Bagent at the WAL 2015 southern regional finals.
It shook Bagent. Bagent doesn’t get shook, but he said the defeat was “a wake up call.” The mild-mannered Zinna will likely meet The Beast again at Wednesday’s championship.
“Nick Zinna is a powerhouse, a machine,” Bagent said flatly. “There’s nothing more I can say.”
Zinna said he likes the WAL action, but would continue battling the sport he loves either way.
“I’m gonna keep armwrestling whether there’s money in it or not,” he said. “Now you’re getting paid for what you love to do.”
3. Does “Hollywood” Christian Binnie have one more run in him?
Binnie barely lost to “No Limits” Devon Larratt at the WAL 2014 left super heavyweight final, and Binnie is back for more this year. But when does a guy stop? Consider the 51-year-old Florida resident’s injuries over the years:
- a left arm that broke so suddenly during a 1997 bout that the retired corrections officer thought his opponent’s limb had snapped.
- a rotator torn during competition.
- left elbow surgery.
- two-thirds of his left bicep coming off his bone during a national tourney.
- lower back problems and a surgery where his vertebrae was ensconced in rods, screws and a cage.
- permanent nerve damage in his left arm. His pulling arm.
Binnie just shrugs. On Wednesday night, it’s go time. “I’ll put the effort into it and I’m back,” he said. “I’m not going anywhere.
Go to WALUnderground.com for the latest news on future events, how to train and more about the league’s current roster of stars. Check here for our full TV schedule. Like us on Facebook and find us on Twitter and Instagram at @WALUnderground
