Brian Shaw is set to crown the Strongest Man on Earth at the Shaw Classic.
Four-time World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champion Brian Shaw recently announced that he is set to crown the Shaw Classic champion as the Strongest Man on Earth. With his mind set on retirement, the next era of Shaw’s life could be focused on promoting strongman events. With his competition set to crown the Strongest Man on Earth, could this cause conflict with WSM?
One of the most decorated athletes in strongman history, Brian Shaw has become a respected and well-recognized figure in the sport. He has won many major titles in the strongman space and has always placed in the top five at most competitions he’s taken part in. As a result, Shaw has come to be known as the premiere US strongman athlete. While his heyday may be behind him now, Shaw is still competitive and strong as ever. Stepping into his final competition, Shaw has pushed his training to the next level. But it’s not the only thing he’s pushing ahead of the Shaw Classic.
The Strongest Man on Earth
In a recent interview with Paul Ohl, Brian Shaw revealed his vision for the Shaw Classic. Ohl was the creator of the now defunct Fortissimus event and owner of the trademark “Strongest Man on Earth”. Having acquired the trademark, Shaw hopes to crown the winner as the Strongest Man on Earth. With the blessing of Ohl, it appears that Shaw is set to take strongman to the next level.
EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THAT THE STRONGEST MAN ON EARTH WILL OFFICIALLY BE CROWNED AT @theshawclassic IN 2023!
I have officially acquired the trademark for The Strongest Man on Earth from Paul Ohl. Paul organized and ran Fortissimus in 2008 and 2009 where he gave out The Strongest Man on Earth title to the winner.
In 2023 The Shaw Classic will carry on the torch that has been passed from Paul Ohl and Fortissimus and now crown The Strongest Man on Earth.
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Conflict on the Horizon?
While this all may be new and exciting, it does raise a few questions, the biggest of them all is where does the World’s Strongest Man play into all this? The WSM competition has been viewed as the top competition in the strongman world. Crowning the Shaw Classic winner as the Strongest Man on Earth could potentially cause confusion. The title is so similar to that of the WSM that many could question which is the true number one strongman.
All that said, this is still very new and fresh. No controversies or statements have been voiced by WSM and this could all prove to be much ado about nothing. For now, Brian Shaw is looking to shake things up in the strongman world and it could prove to be a very good thing. A little competition never hurt anyone after all.
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News and Editorial Writer at Generation Iron, Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Sound Cloud for in-depth MMA analysis.