10 Best WWE Arm Wrestling Matches

We found out what it is Mark Henry "does".

Braun Strowman Raw Bobby Lashley
WWE.com

Dumbass.

Stupid dumbass.

We want to read about pro wrestling, not arm wrestling.

Well, you say that, but the YouTube numbers tell an altogether different tale. Within a fortnight, the June 3, 2019 arm wrestling match between Bobby Lashley and Braun Strowman has racked up 14M views on YouTube, handily doubling any other segment uploaded from the same episode of Monday Night RAW. An astonishing 64M viewers, meanwhile, have watched the arm wrestling match between John Cena and Mark Henry uploaded to the platform two years ago. This sports entertainment sub-genre is as over as the godd*mn Road Warriors were in the 1980s, and it's all rather inexplicable. There's a certain appeal to it, in theory - arm wrestling is a definitive flex of machismo, an unspectacular but nonetheless engaging contest - but if simple tests of strength were really that popular, WWE wouldn't be ratings poison right now.

But this list isn't a cynical pursuit of numbers - that is beneath WhatCulture Wrestling, and shame on you for thinking otherwise - but rather an investigation into this improbable phenomenon.

Many wrestling fans view an arm wrestling segment with a shrug, but there must be more to this than meets the eye...

10. Cesaro Vs. Mark Henry

Braun Strowman Raw Bobby Lashley
WWE.com

Mark Henry Vs. Anybody in an arm wrestling contest is more of a mismatch than Vince McMahon Vs. Whichever Poor Prick Just Got Hired As Continuity Script Supervisor.

"Sir...? Didn't the Revival just lose at Super Showd-"

"F*CK OFF PAL."

But Cesaro, while not an actual Olympian-calibre strongman, is freakishly strong even as far as pro wrestlers go; capable of throwing his rivals into the air and tossing them around like pizza dough, he has been described, not unfairly, by Kevin Owens as a "human horse". WWE, unfairly, once compared Mark Henry to another animal, which we don't do, because we're not hapless, awful racists. Suffice to say, Henry is very well-equipped to succeed in the arm wrestling arena. Mark Henry in 2002 won the Arnold Strongman Classic to formally become the world's strongest man.

After much stalling, Cesaro finally clasped hands with Mark Henry...over an announce desk. WWE didn't bother to create a bespoke table for the Main Event occasion, putting even less effort into the segment than Cesaro's association with Paul Heyman.

Heyman made the difference here; after putting his hands on Henry, Cesaro took advantage of the distraction and blindsided his opponent, before trapping him under the table. Arm wrestling segments are a bit sh*t, on this evidence.

But let's continue...

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!