This Iraqi didn’t understand what he was getting himself into when facing off against this U.S Army soldier. He certainly got a lot more than what he bargained for.
The Iraqi man didn’t stand much of a chance in 2010 when going up against this American soldier.
While the U.S. is helping Iraq defeat ISIS and forging diplomatic ties, there is always time for some good old fashioned fun.
(Wakefield19D/YouTube)
Anytime these guys can be seen doing something fun, it is heartwarming. You can just see the camaraderie and the guys can be seen laughing and entertaining a crowd of Iraqi civilians and U.S. soldiers.
In the first arm wrestling match, the Army soldier goes for a quick pin, without playing around. It was so easy that the soldier decided to give the poor guy another chance.
Now that is Army strong!
It soon becomes clear the Army soldier is just toying with the Iraqi, especially during the rematch. It is definitely clear that the Iraqi never stood a chance against the soldier who let his opponent nearly take him all the way down to the pin before he wins the reversal and pins the Iraqi man’s arm again.
Just before the reversal, the soldier indicates with an eye gesture that he’s got it and could even be seen taking a second to wipe off the surface close to where the Iraqi man’s elbow will be when he is inevitably pinned again.
You almost have to wonder how the conversation prior to the arm wrestle came down between the fellows.
Was it an “I’m stronger than you” moment or maybe it was a dare? Arm wrestling has always been one of the macho thing’s guys do, especially if they have some extra time on their hands.
(Wakefield19D/YouTube)
The origins of arm wrestling may trace all the way back to ancient Egypt, but the first documented arm wrestling match happened at a saloon in Petaluma, CA back in 1952 according to Arm Wrestling World. The sport was organized by journalist Bill Soberanes.
Soberanes inspired the creation of the the yearly Petaluma contest, followed by a contest in Northern California and then the California arm wrestling championship.
The arm wrestling website claims that Soberanes eventually joined forces with Dave Devoto to form the very first championship in the world, originally calling the contest, “wrist wrestling.”
Devoto eventually signed a contract in 1969 to have the contest televised on ABC’s Wide World of Sports. The televised arm wrestling contests continued on ABC for some 16 years. Other broadcasters also picked up on the sport, leading to the contest’s popularity around the world.
