CWSA's Top 5 Greatest Rivalries in World's Strongest Man History

Back for round 3. Here we run down the Top 5 Greatest Rivalries in World's Strongest Man History. These are rivalries in competition not personal. Unique to the sport of strongman is the high level of camaraderie between the athletes. These guys routinely trained with each other and shared their secrets. In no sport have I ever seen opponents cheer each other on as much as strongmen do. No one ever wants to beat someone on an off day. They want to beat each other at their best.

5) The Scandanavians
This multi-man rivalry spanned the late 90s and into the early 2000s. What was a tight group of friends outside of competition turned into fierce rivals on the field of battle. Jouko Ahola, Magnus Samuelsson, Janne Virtanen, and Svend Karlsen were the best of them. All of these men were immensely strong yet none possessed the total package to let him completely dominate the field. For five years the title bounced around between them, the others nearly always looked on from the other podium positions.

4) Shaw and Savickas
This modern rivalry is still going strong. Once the cloud of politics passed and Savickas finally won his WSM crown by ending the Pudzianowski era he didn't get much time to enjoy it. In 2009, Savicakas's first victory, the up and coming Brian Shaw placed an impressive third. The next year provided Savickas's second win but it came from the first tie in WSM history. Both Savickas and Shaw being even on points, Zydrunas squeaked out the top spot by virtue of more 1st place event finishes. Since then Shaw has won twice to Savicakas's one. Both have had their fitness questioned; Shaw developed nerve problems in his right hand after a bicep tear and Savickas's age and long, non-stop, career in the sport beg the question of how long he can last. Despite the problems, both find themselves fitter and stronger than ever in 2014 and are ready for their showdown in this year's WSM. Who knows how long these two could go on. I can't wait to see where it goes.

3) Kazmaier vs Sigmarsson
This was a rivalry built out fan's fantasies. Bill Kazmaier's dominant reign of WSM was cut short and Jon Pall's rise began immediately afterwards. By 1987, Geoff Capes was ready to retired and there was no one yet ready to challenge the Viking for dominance. There were other contests they all battled in but none on the stage everyone watched. In 1988, dreams came true. Bill Kazmaier back to his best versus Jon Pall Sigmarsson reaching his prime. We got to see a real toe-to-toe slug fest with the duo trading wins back and forth. Kaz cracked on the weight-over-the-bar event, one in which he was known to be Jon Pall's better, and Sigmarsson seized the win on the MacGlashan Stones. 1989 featured a sub-par Sigmarsson and a fit Kazmaier quickly ravaged by injury and therefore didn't contain the true rematch we were craving for. The next year Bill made way for O.D. Wilson to be the American challenger and the dream was gone. We only got one, but for one brief moment we saw the clash we all wished for.

2) Sigmarsson and Capes
Old vs young, veteran vs rising star. The Capes vs Sigmarsson battle may be what made WSM what it is today. The earliest years were a novelty and then Bill Kazmaier took a strangle hold on the title for three years leaving no real room for drama. Geoff Capes got to see first hand the era of Kazmaier as one of the few non-American competitors. Once Kaz stepped aside, or had been cast aside depending on who you ask, the title for WSM was wide open and finally took on a more international flavour. Capes and Sigmarsson rose to the top and alternated victories for four years.
Their battle was what made the competition compelling. Both had different strengths and body types. Jon Pall was strong, flashy, and fiercely determined with the physique of a body builder and loads charisma. Capes was heavier and not nearly as lean, but he was the natural athlete. A former Olympian and Highland games champion Geoff wasn't nearly as statically strong but could adapt and learn any event. Their battles lasted until Capes declined to retirement just as Sigmarsson reached his prime. What might have been if these two met in their primes, we'll never know.

1) Savickas and Pudzianowski
This rivalry may never have hit the heights and drama it did without forces at play beyond the athletes control. Savickas and Pudzianowski hit the scene together. Rarely in sport do two dominant rising stars arrive at the same time but here they were in 2002 surging to the front of the pack. Pudzianowski was first and Savickas second for two years in a row. In 2004 neither man was first, but they were still on the podium. Savickas managed to be one better than Pudzianowski but came up short of having a title of his own.
The greatest tragedy to strength sports occurred in 2005 when IFSA, the organizaiton previously run as an athletes union, cut ties with the WSM and set out to creat their own rival contests. Savickas went with IFSA and Pudzianowski stayed with WSM. For WSM 2006 only Pudzianowski remained of the top six finishers from the previous year. For four years they were apart. In that time Pudzianowski won three more WSM titles to become the first man to win a legendary five titles, though he did it against what can only be described as a weaker athlete field. Savickas won two IFSA World Championship titles against tougher fields of Strongmen but that competition could never hold the prestige and history of WSM.
Finally in 2009, with IFSA dissolved, both sides of Strongman sport were reunited and we were given the showdown of a lifetime. Four years in the making, WSM 2009 was a clash of legends that played out better you could script it. The battle went back and forth until it all ended with a showdown between the two on the Atlas Stones. Savickas finally turned the tide on Pudzianowski and was crowned World's Strongest Man.