and their buddies feeding their hidden devices

Well, it has the potential to be. Kiels and Martins just competed against eachother for longer that Mitch and even Tom has even been pros. This is the beginning of what might be the next Z vs. Shaw, if they can stay healthy.

​@QueenToKingOfSpades thing is that rivalry only lasted maybe 3 comps

And it's only just started!

@@petershortland478which three were they?

They were set to be rivals but injuries got in the way. Hoping this lives upto to shaw Z

Williams looked fantastic. He needs to be invited to more Giants Live events.

It shows how important not getting injured is.

I like this too

Great post, well on point

2 weeks notice for WSM is a total joke, being mostly in America these days it takes a week to get used to the time difference. Stone off needs to be replaced with anything tbh, it’s not right to put that on an athlete who is already behind. Top 2 auto qualifying with the 3rd automatic qualifying for next year or have the groups bigger and top 3 go through. I want to see it as it happens not on a spreadsheet and I would be happy to pay good money for a year’s subscription

You need to get hold of the organisers. This is far better than what they're currently doing

Yeah, I noticed that. They really need to move ESM or athletes will skip it to avoid injury or just being knackered for WSM.

​@@s1perry exactly, its totally devaluing ESM and just doesnt make any sense. Its meant to be a huge title, so it deserves a proper place in the calendar to reflect this.

The stone off is so ridiculous. It crushes any chance you have of getting good results in the final.

ESM needs to be an outside, cold weather show, in my mind. There's no reason why it can't be at a different point on the year, away from other major competitions.

@@kaplezedrummer24ify unless you are Tom!

That dude stinks

He needs to do something more than be from Ireland.

He just keeps making stupid shorts saying "cunts"...should've invited the actual Ireland's strongest man since PA lost it

did he win Irelands Strongest Man? I know that's been a known invitation...he might be the current holder for that title.

It's a TV show. WSM probably has athletes fo random stuff to build footage. It was clear they didn't have enough live fan participation to do so😂

I understand you saying Tom deserves to be WSM again and I agree, his hard work and mindset recently is the reason he won again. It’s not easy beating Hooper at any event! However, Tom needs to start performing at different events for him to go down as a great. He has the capability to win any show but people will start to say that the WSM events suit him best.

@@nathanmoore7120 "for him to go down as great" if you don't think he's already earned legend status, you aren't paying attention.

Hoath is now dark horse

I can definitely see Mitch beating him.

We need Vilius Jokuzys!!!! He's improving on deadlift and log. His speed and explosiveness is impressive!

@@rachelpark8700 agreed! Though he is from Lithuania just lives and trains and Iceland. So not sure how they would list him

@@monicabega3072 oh shoot I forgot about that! Missed seeing an athlete from Iceland this year. So much talent !

Thor and Eddie gave that dynamic, which brought some drama, but it's harder to support someone who isn't as nice as Tom!

I hated the Thor v Eddie thing. Love strongman, love boxing, I never watched their fight or pressers and unfollowed both of them. I even generally skip watching 2017-2018 when I'm binging WSM just because of the lack of sportsmanship. I sincerely hope I never see anything like that again. The only thing I can even think of that was like that was 1996 when Nathan Jones stomped off and wouldn't shake Magnus Ver Magnusson's hand when he qualified for the final. I love that strongmen are cool people and get along well and cheer each other on, even when it means their opponent wins out. It's one of the things that I've always loved about the sport.

​@@PhillipCalvin627But we learned a lot from that rivalry, specially the kind of people they've become, also a lot of corruption in the sport, whos side Giants Live is and so many other things. Personally it changed the way I saw strongman for the dirt it has on, Wich is good, turning the blind eye is just harmful and not right for the sport and atlethes, Wich would never happend if Thor and Eddie stayed nice. Strongman is like life, not all of it is nice, but aknowledging it helps you to become better... Sadly a lot of people quickly forgot all that because "it hurt the sport". Also, the actual Thor vs Eddie Rivalry in strongman saw no unsportman moments between them for all the years it lasted. Thor threw tantrums in 2017, but, aimed at Colyn, not Eddie. The real moments of tension between them never happend until 2020

@@antoniocenteno1483 in WSM there wasn't any shade directed at Eddie, you're absolutely right but when Thor challenged Brian's reps in 2018 that really rubbed me the wrong way. I can't think of any year from 1977 onward where an athlete actually tried to squeeze out more points by directly challenging another athletes performance specifically out in the open like that. There have been moments where they challenge a judges call, in particular on overhead pressing events interestingly enough, like natural stones and the Viking press, especially in the Douglas Edmunds days. (Jamie Reeves, Flemming Rasmussen and Gerrit Badenhorst come to mind) But what corruption specifically are we talking about? Thor knew he double dipped before they even held the event in 2017 and Colin even specifically talked to him about it before he ever even went out. He did the same thing in 2014 and laughed it off when I was rooting for him to win, no less. Colin called out Elbrus Nigmatullin for the same thing in 2005 except he didn't warn him or award him any of those reps, so he's been consistent with that rule and even gave Thor slack when he hadn't for others in the past. But 2017 Thor had a problem with it and he felt like he was being treated unfairly. If anything it should have been worse IMO. As for the events being stacked in Eddie's favor, 4 out the the 6 events were the same as 2016 when Brian won his 4th title. The events in Thors winning year in 2018 could be argued even favored him specifically. Loading race, deadlift for reps, bus pull and overhead press were all events Thor slays. Mind you, I prefer those kinds of events. It just kinda sucked because I really wanted Thor to win WSM finally. No one deserved it more, ever, but when he finally did it, I didn't even really enjoy it. I guess I should say I didn't really have a problem with Eddie until 2020ish. I was never a fan of his beyond his crazy drive to push through on static events but the whole beef definitely soured me towards him for a while. I actually like the more athletic events and years, so he was never my cup of tea. These days I do think he's a pretty funny guy on social media. At this point, in fact I don't necessarily have a problem with either of them as it's been a while and they are both incredible athletes but at the time I didn't want anything to do with either of them. Not trying to argue by the way, you are absolutely 100% justified in having your own opinion but just wanted to explain what I felt about all that mess.

A couple of days of quiet has been weird.

Is this the reason bish got an invite? Or rather how did he earn his place?

Big Z with old oak log or any log hah Mateusz with vehicle pulls Shaw with max stone and keg toss

@@Kamyen316 YES!! Big Z with the original Austrian Oak!

And rightfully. Is no a thing against WSM though but Giants Live organizers that for years threw shade at him and finally tried to stomp over his reputation with the build to his fight with Eddie the crab Hall. Thor had already cuted ties with them before retiring in 2020, after all they did after that there is just no way Thor comes back. And nevermind WSM is by far the weakest of the big shows nowadays, Thor knows there is not much prestige on it anymore, only sponsors and he already have them... So, yeah, he is better without them.

You're describing power lifting. The roots of strongman are functional strength (Husafell stone carry) and circus (spectacle). But set aside history. What feats of strength will get the largest television audience in the year 2024?

Get your point but if a strongman vs me had lets say a lightish farmers for time, something i could do, say 90kg per hand the stronger man will win?

@@aarons3014 what television? WSM isnt even on TV or id watch it. everyone else streams. Strength is strength. you're either stronger than the other guys or you're not. and no im not talking about powerlifting. that sport is boring AF

@@djrmonix weight classes exist for a reason. no, timed events are just boring imo. sure if youre strong and fast you win but what if a guy is way stronger but not as fast? he is punished for being less athletic. but hes stronger, so you found the fastest strong guy... not the strongest guy.

wow its almost as if to be the strongest man in the world being taller than the other athletes is an advantage

And events like squat, elevated deadlift, conans tend to benefit smaller guys. So there's a give and take

WSM 2020

You have to big names in there to be fair it’s a business.

@@mark4levbut if they are not fit and just there to collect a cheque ?

Mathematically that’s probably correct. If he doesn’t tear his hands open, he probably gets second in the Giant’s Medley (Evan was blazing fast), and that bumps Tom’s points down. The next three events are probably unaffected, but on deadlift, Mitch would likely win or tie for first, and get second on stones. That puts Mitch at about 55 or so and Tom about 51. The catch is that injury is part of the game. Everyone else did the same event and faced the same risks. Mitch said himself he probably needs to do some more yard work to thicken up those callouses. While it was unexpected, it’s something that was unplanned for, while others one way or another (intentionally or not) were prepared for it. So my point is, while Mitch is an exceptional athlete and COULD have won had the hand injury not happened, Tom’s experience and prep were the difference makers in a battle between two gifted strongmen, and he earned #3 unquestionably.

Maybe but the field now is much more competitive. The era of 2 guy being head and shoulders above everyone else is gone