The Biggest Mismatch in Arm Wrestling?

There's a difference, there's a difference between practice and competition Chance, you can't find out. We have a full out brawl right there on the, on the stage. Chance Shaw is an American arm wrestler who is well known among top pullers in the country. He is currently ranked number nine in the U.S. on the right hand in the super heavyweight division. He recently ran through Tom Nelson in a five round supermatch and has supermatch wins over Sabin Badulescu and Zarab Tavberidze. Standing at six feet tall or 183 centimeters and weighing around 130 kilos or 287 pounds, he is known for his aggressiveness and offensive style at the table. Over the years, he has proven to be a formidable opponent against some of North America's best, but could he really have a chance against Devin Larratt? It's no secret that Devin Larratt is number one in all of North America, and to many, this call out seemed like a long shot. Regardless, the matchup was made and was set to take place at East versus West 14 on August 10th, 2024. Just four months prior to this, Devin lost his rematch against LaVon, before that defeating Georgi Spetkov and Denis Saplenkov in late 2023. With Devin having such high status and facing such high caliber opponents internationally, what made Chance think that he stood a chance? The answer may just be this practice poll between the two months before the match. Here, Chance is seen getting multiple pins on Devin in rapid succession, with Devin eventually able to get the stop just above the pin pad. It is likely that Chance gained a lot of confidence from this poll, seeing as he flashed pin Devin multiple times. However, a quick glance in the comment section of literally any video on the internet of Devin getting pinned in practice will be sure to remind you. Practice is not always a reflection of what will happen in a match, and often it is a whole different story, especially when it comes to Devin Larratt. Devin had lost a lot of weight since his match with LaVon. The preparation for those matches is grueling, and often the priority afterwards is just to get healthy, which of course involves stopping the use of certain supplements. In addition to this, he had just recently finished a multiple day water fast before this practice poll, and if you can imagine not consuming anything but water for nearly a week, it's safe to say you aren't going to exactly be at your strongest. Regardless, Chance thought that he had a shot and wanted the supermatch. Devin gladly accepted and saw it as an opportunity to teach him a lesson. What we got was a match that was surprisingly entertaining, and really had a little bit of everything. Immediately, Chance Shaw drives sideways and his wrist gets kicked back by Devin's pronation. Devin's hand ends up just an inch from the pin pad before his elbow comes off the back of the pad. It was unclear if Devin pulled off the back to avoid the pin, or if Chance pushed him off the back, but the refs deem it was the latter, giving Chance a foul, taking us to a round 1 restart. He goes into a flop press position, and this time it looks clear that he drives Devin's elbow off the back of the pad. However, for some reason, this time they give the foul to Devin, and both athletes now have one foul. We go to yet another restart. Despite what Chance thought was an early start from Devin, the match was not stopped, and we now see Devin in complete control, as he begins to taunt his opponent. The match briefly stops in the center in a hook, as Devin continues to talk. Chance throws his shoulder forward and attempts another flop press, which is caught by Devin. However, during this, Devin's elbow comes off the pad once again, and they give him his second foul of the round, awarding round 1 to Chance Shaw. This is a huge moral victory for Chance, as he probably already knows he cannot win this match. The idea of anyone who bet money on Devin Lara in a shutout stake losing their money is probably already enough for Chance to take this as a win. But the real battle is not over, and Devin will have to avoid these fouls if he wants to start getting wins in this match. Devin takes a moment to voice his opinion on the matter. We go to round 2, and it is 1-0, Chance Shaw. Devin said he's coming forward with the shoulder, let's see if he actually does that. Devin with his own top roll attempt, Chance only goes for the full flop wrist press. Chance that hasn't been called from referees. Devin Lara holding that position, Chance Shaw given an opportunity to think what he can do from there, and there is the pin from Devin Lara, gonna stamp his authority onto the match, it's 1-1. The match stops in the middle of the table, and Chance starts to drive sideways, again with his wrist kicked back. Devin makes small, repeated top roll surges as Chance holds and smiles for the camera, in what admittedly would make a great social media profile picture. The match then transitions to a hook, and Chance has nothing left for Devin, who savors the moment before smashing Chance to the pad. It feels like the victories for Chance in this match may be over, as he makes a sobering admission between rounds. But before we make it to round 3, we get quite a bizarre moment on stage. The show rolls on, and we go to round 3. Hanging tears, his son Emir absolutely stage side, got a great view of this one, he's coming for the main event, and Devin Lara has the brakes on and starts to tore, but Chance with a massive push again. Down come the hands, Shaw wrapped first, now Lara. On the table right now, that's close, now Lara, and away we go, and a big drive to the side, and Devin has taken control of the hand and wrist now, Chance Shaw pushing forward on the inside, bad position there for Chance, needs to be careful, elbow in an ugly position, and he's blocked off there, no limits Devin Lara. Chance attempts the same surges as earlier in the match, but it's clear the gas tank is depleted. Devin is able to hold fairly easily, and finishes the match with a violent surge. Round 4 just seems like a formality at this point, as Chance likely has nothing left to challenge the Canadian. 2-1 Devin. Closing Chance first, close your hands, close your hands, don't move, say it, go! Big attack from Chance Shaw, cannot extend, Devin Lara has the brakes on there and starts to go to work himself, Chance Shaw horribly extended, trying to stay with that arm. Closing Chance first, here we go, close your hands, close your hands, don't move, go! Massive drive again from Chance, but couldn't find what he was looking for. Don't do it Chance, don't quit, stay in there Chance, stay in there, don't do it Chance, stay in there, stay in there Chance, stay in there Chance, stay in there Chance, stay in there Chance, stay in there, he told Bart Wood he would take the strap off of Chance, and he has done so. And that was the prediction. And he goes over to Johnny Walker, gives him the strap, Bart Wood closes his hands, There is the pin, no limit, Devin Lara with the win! After more smack talk, a foul, and a strap malfunction, round four ultimately ends in a flash pin from Devin. To give credit where it's due, Chance Shaw showed great heart and continued to battle all the way through. In the end, he was just up against a stronger and more experienced opponent, and I really don't think Chance lost any stock in the arm wrestling world by losing this match. So was this the biggest mismatch in professional arm wrestling? I certainly don't think so. If Devin had done a Levan style prep and pushed himself as hard as he could, I think that answer could have been yes. But even still, I think most people, including myself, were surprised by how hard he was able to push Devin in round one, and it showed that while Chance might not be at the very top of the super heavyweight division, he is a very formidable opponent who continues to improve and shouldn't ever be taken lightly. For Devin, this was likely a match that he enjoyed a lot, and one where he didn't have to have as aggressive or taxing of a prep as he would for other pullers near the top of the world rankings. To me, this was a very entertaining match, and I tip my hat to both competitors who made this match one to remember.