History’s Most Bizarre WSM Competitions

If you tune into the World’s Strongest Man (WSM) today, you know exactly what to expect. You’re going to see massive human beings deadlifting giant tires, hoisting Atlas stones, and pulling trucks. It’s a standardized, professional sport where safety protocols (mostly) rule the day.

But if you rewind the tape to the late 70s, 80s, and 90s, the competition looked less like an athletic contest and more like a fever dream devised by a bored television producer.

In its early years, WSM wasn’t just about finding the strongest human; it was about creating a television spectacle. This “entertainment-first” mentality led to some of the most bizarre, dangerous, and frankly hilarious events in sports history. From using actual human models as squat weight to launching people into snowbanks, the organizers tried it all.

Let’s take a walk through the weirdest chapter of strength history. Here are the top 5 weirdest Strongman events ever devised.

1. The Refrigerator Race (1977): The Most Dangerous Strongman Event in History

The year was 1977. The location was Universal Studios, California. The event was the inaugural World’s Strongest Man, and the organizers were desperate for something that looked good on TV. Their solution? The Refrigerator Race—strapping a full-sized, roughly 400-pound refrigerator to the backs of the competitors for a sprint.

On paper, it sounded like a relatable test of strength—everyone knows how heavy a fridge is. In practice, it was a biomechanical nightmare.

The sheer awkwardness of the load meant the center of gravity was high and unstable. During the race, legendary bodybuilder and strongman Franco Columbu was blazing down the track, actually leading the pack. Suddenly, his leg buckled under the immense, shifting weight. The result was a horrific injury: a dislocated knee that looked as painful as it sounds.

Why it was so weird: It wasn’t just a heavy carry; it was an unwieldy, dangerous prop that had no business being on a human back during a sprint. Columbu’s injury was so severe he received a reported $1 million settlement and was out of competition for three years. The event was immediately scrapped, only returning in 2004 with significant safety modifications. It stands as the perfect example of the “trial by fire” nature of early Strongman history.

2. The Playboy Squat: WSM’s Most Controversial Lift

If the Refrigerator Race was about danger, the Playboy Squat was about pure, unadulterated 1980s glamour.

Appearing in 1980 and again in 1997, this event took the classic squat lift and gave it a “Vegas” makeover. Instead of iron plates, the barbell was loaded with a large platform. Sitting on that platform? Actual Playboy Playmates and showgirls.

The 1980 event was even held at the Playboy Mansion in New Jersey. The visual of massive powerlifters grunting through squats while meticulously poised models waved to the crowd from a cage on their backs is an image that perfectly encapsulates the era.

Why it was so weird: It turned a serious compound lift into a circus act. While the weight was legitimate (often exceeding 600+ lbs as they added more models), the variable of “live weight” is tricky. Humans shift and move, unlike iron plates. But the real absurdity was the blatant attempt to sex up a sport that involves sweaty men lifting heavy objects. It was a marketing gimmick through and through, designed to keep viewers glued to the screen.

3. The Sledge Push (1984): A Bizarre Nordic Strongman Challenge

In 1984, the WSM traveled to Mora, Sweden, and the organizers decided to lean heavily into the local climate. The result was the Sledge Push, an event that felt less like a competition and more like a dangerous prank.

The premise was simple: Push a heavy wooden sledge 80 meters down a snowy, icy course. To add weight, the sledges were loaded with passengers (often locals or officials). The problem? Friction—or the lack thereof.

Once these massive athletes got the sledges moving on the ice, they built up tremendous momentum. However, unlike a modern “prowler” sled on turf, these wooden sledges had zero braking mechanisms.

Why it was so weird: Chaos ensued. As competitors reached the finish line or hit a patch of uneven ice, they often lost control. We saw sledges careening off course, launching the terrified passengers straight into deep snowbanks. It was a slapstick comedy routine disguised as a strength event. While no one was seriously hurt, the sight of passengers flying through the Nordic air remains one of the funniest moments in Giants Live history archives.

4. Arm Wrestling Catastrophe (1995): The Injury That Changed the Sport

Arm wrestling seems like the ultimate bar bet test of strength, so it made sense to include it in the World’s Strongest Man. Or so they thought.

The 1995 competition featured a bracket-style arm wrestling tournament. The marquee matchup was between Swedish powerhouse Magnus Samuelsson (who would later win the 1998 WSM title) and the 6’11” Australian giant, Nathan Jones.

Jones was massive but inexperienced in technical arm wrestling. Samuelsson, a former arm wrestler, had hands like vice grips. When the “Go!” signal dropped, Jones applied brute force with poor technique, twisting his body violently. Samuelsson held firm. The result was a sickening snap heard around the world.

Why it was so weird: Jones suffered a spiral fracture of the humerus. His arm literally snapped in half on live television. This event highlighted a critical flaw in WSM logic: being strong at lifting stones does not prepare your bones for the specific torsional stress of arm wrestling. The injury was so graphic that WSM essentially abandoned head-to-head combat sports involving joint manipulation immediately after.

5. Pole Push: The Forgotten Combat Event of World’s Strongest Man

The 1994 WSM in Sun City, South Africa, gave us the Pole Push. Picture Sumo wrestling, but instead of grabbing each other’s belts, the two competitors are holding opposite ends of a long wooden pole.

The goal was to push your opponent out of a circular arena using the pole as the conduit for your force. It was visceral, primal, and incredibly violent.

Why it was so weird: It was a hybrid of tug-of-war and a street fight. Because the athletes were separated by the pole, they could generate immense running starts and slam into the pole, transferring shockwaves into their opponent’s chest and ribs. It wasn’t just about strength; it was about who could tolerate the most pain in their sternum.

Like the arm wrestle, it was a “combat” event that proved too dangerous to keep as a staple, stripping away the technical beauty of lifting for raw, aggressive shoving.

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Other Unusual WSM Events: Bar Bending, Sausage Holds, and Carries

While the top five take the cake, the history of WSM is littered with other honorable mentions of absurdity:

• Bar Bending: Competitors literally had to bend iron bars over their heads or necks, a feat that was hard to judge and prone to cheating.
• Sausage Holds: In Germany, athletes once held giant sausages for time.
• Cheese Deadlifts: Lifting giant wheels of cheese, a classic example of using local culture to influence event design.

Modern Strongman Events: How Safety and Standardization Replaced Chaos

Today, the sport has evolved. You won’t see athletes sprinting with appliances or pushing people into snowbanks. Modern organizers like Giants Live and the Arnold Strongman Classic focus on standardized equipment—logs, axles, deadlift bars, and stones.

This shift was necessary. As the athletes became stronger (and the prize money grew), the risk of career-ending injury from a novelty event became unacceptable. While we miss the chaos of the 80s, the sport is better for its professionalism. We can now marvel at 500kg deadlifts rather than worrying if a fridge is going to snap someone’s leg.

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5 Key Takeaways from WSM History

1. Entertainment Over Sport: The early World’s Strongest Man competitions were designed primarily for TV ratings, leading to gimmick-heavy events that prioritized spectacle over safety.
2. The Danger Factor: Novelty events like the Refrigerator Race and Arm Wrestling caused gruesome, career-altering injuries, forcing the sport to evolve.
3. Use of “Live” Weight: Events like the Playboy Squat and Sledge Push used actual people as resistance, introducing unpredictable variables and a high level of absurdity.
4. Combat Events Failed: Attempts to introduce direct head-to-head combat (Pole Push, Arm Wrestling) often resulted in injury rather than a fair test of strength.
5. Standardization: Modern Strongman has moved away from “weird” local customs toward standardized equipment (barbells, stones, logs) to ensure athlete safety and fair judging.

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Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why did WSM organizers create such bizarre events? The World’s Strongest Man was originally conceived by founders David P. Webster and Douglas Edmunds as a television entertainment special, not a regulated sport. They prioritized spectacle and audience engagement over standardized athletic testing.

2. What happened to Franco Columbu in the 1977 refrigerator race? Franco Columbu suffered a horrific knee dislocation while leading the race. The shifting weight of the refrigerator caused his leg to buckle, forcing him to retire from the competition for three years.

3. Did the arm wrestling event continue after Nathan Jones’s injury? No, arm wrestling was essentially abandoned after the 1995 incident where Magnus Samuelsson broke Nathan Jones’s arm. The event posed a catastrophic injury risk and did not align with the sport’s evolution.

4. Why was sumo wrestling included in WSM competitions? Sumo wrestling, notably seen in 1982, was included to integrate local customs into the global tour. While Bill Kazmaier famously won the event, it was eventually discontinued due to high injury risks.

5. Was the Playboy squat actually a legitimate strength event? Technically, yes. The weight lifted was legitimate. However, the design—using Playboy models as the “plates”—was a marketing gimmick intended to add glamour to the broadcast.

6. How did the pole push differ from sumo wrestling? The Pole Push required two strongmen to hold opposite ends of a wooden pole and drive their opponent out of the arena. It was less about technique and more about raw, explosive power and traction.

7. Are there modern equivalents to these weird events? Generally, no. Modern Strongman has standardized around safe, heavy events. While some entertainment-focused shows may feature safer novelty challenges, dangerous “wild west” events are a thing of the past.