The Armwrestling community has once again come together to support a great cause that will no doubt bring us some excellent entertainment and competition. An event of epic proportions that brings together top-level competitors from multiple weight classes. This event is the brainchild of Armwrestling legend, Engin Terzi, and is getting a big push due to a gofundme organized by top ranked puller Herman Stevens. Already scheduled is a highly anticipated rematch between Ermes Gasparini and Matt Mask. In their previous matchup at WAL 505, we saw Matt Mask come away with the win 3-1 against Ermes in a very tension-filled battle as both of the pullers made arguments for incorrect setups before the start. Raising even more conversation about the match is a video of Matt and Ermes after-pulling that shows Ermes handling Matt fairly easily pinning him multiple times. This has raised the question that if WAL rules were off the table would there be a different outcome in the match. Looks like we will find out this year!
Check out the match between Matt and Ermes at WAL 505 as well as their after pull below!
The gofundme account so far has raised $5,265 of its $20,000 goal! (Update – as of 5/9/2021 the fundraiser is at $8,235!) This is a clear representation of the family-style brotherhood that has long been the driving force in many of the events, promotions, and teams that have formed around the world in the Armwrestling community. Just months ago Pullers from around the world came together to sponsor Derek Smith in his efforts to reach Dubai to train with Larry Wheels, who right now is a huge catalyst toward the large social media growth in the sport of Armwrestling. We saw Gary Roberts of Arm TV go live on youtube for hours partnering up with other popular Armwrestling Podcasters like Neil Pickup, Uncle John, and many more. With tons of support from the community, they were successful and able to make Derek Smith’s trip to Dubai happen! There is no doubt that we can all come together to do the same for this event!
More information from Herman Stevens on the gofundme page:
—This fund is setup to raise money to organize some of the most wanted armwrestling matches in the world.
Recently, Engin Terzi has assembled some of the most elite matches the sport has seen such as his event in April 2021 that included athletes with a combined 110+ senior titles in the
World Championships, European Championships, Asian Championships, and the Zloty Tur World Cup. Currently, Engin has Matt Mask scheduled to fight Ermes Gasparini on June 12.
The next target is to make more matches between the East and the West. Some examples of the type of matches that are being discussed include:
Tony Kitowski vs Simeonov Bozhidar
Todd Hutchings vs Hadzhimurat Zoloev
Other names being discussed to participate include: Tim Bresnan, Genadi Kvikvinia, Paul Linn, Dan Mosier, Engin Terzi, Zurab Tavberidze, Justin Bishop, etc.
More information will be provided as the effort develops and as questions are asked and addressed.
Herman Stevens —
With many of the popular leagues around the world cancelling/pausing their event schedules there is a huge demand from athletes and fans that want to see top-level competitors back in action again. East vs West could not be a better idea as we often wonder how our athletes would fair against competition overseas which we only get to see when an athlete can get together the funds or sponsors to make such an expensive trip. This gives athletes and spectators a chance to see and compete in matches that would otherwise likely never occur. Who would you like to see make it overseas to compete in this event? Click on the gofundme link and donate today to help show your support!