People often ask who is the greatest strongman in the World ever and two names are often discussed: Mariusz Pudzianowski (Poland) + Zydrunas Savickas (Lithuania)
In this FULL TV SHOW they fight for the Super Series World Championship title at the Arnold Classic in Ohio (2004).
The then Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger who puts the expo on each year can be seen enjoying the strongman with his celebrity friends (including Sylvester Stallone ) amongst the crowd watching.
Prior to the Arnolds in 2004, Zydrunas Savickas had been solid but was yet to win a Super Series Grand Prix.
But, Big Z had podiumed 8 times in 2003 and he he had won the the Arnold Classic in Ohio.
Big Z, came to the Arnold Classic 2004, as the favourite to win.
The Super Series and the Arnold Classic in this year had joined forces, and had made this contest the final Series stop. The Series would decide the World Championship Series.
Athletes who competed at contests gained points that then accumulated over the Series, and this final event of the that years series would then crown the 'ifsa World Champion'.(this ended in 2005)
The Polish Strongman Mariusz Pudzianowski came to the Arnold Classic with a points lead in the Series, and he was hoping to replicate his WSM winning form and win here and thus become both WSM winner in 2003 and the Super Series World Champion, as well as the Arnold Classic title winner so much was up for grabs over the weekend of action.
Other stars at the show included WSM winner Svend Karlsen (WSM 2001) as well as the winner of the WSM title that hadn't yet been decided in 2004 Vasyl Virastyuk of Ukraine.
Plus, Mark Henry the WWE wrestler and Arnold winner in 2002 was apart of the referee team
Savickas went on to win 8 x Arnold Classic titles, 6 x Giants Live Titles including 3x Europe's Strongest Man wins, and he cemented his legend with 4 x WSM titles, as well. Though Pudzianowski would go on to win 5 WSM titles before moving to MMA.
After this year, the 'World's Strongest Man Super Series', as it was known from 2005 onwards, was the first time a formatted path was created for athletes to make it to the 'World's Strongest Man'. The man who created the 'WSM Qualifying Tour' concept is the same man who produced, presented and voiced this show in 2004. That man is Colin Bryce, who founded Giants Live in 2009 which has been the WSM Qualifying vehicle ever since.
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The Official 'World's Strongest Man' Qualifying Tour
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