Michael 'The Monster' Todd: The King's Move, the Comeback, and 50+ and Still Winning

Few arm wrestlers split a room like Michael "The Monster" Todd. To some he's a multi-time world champion and one of the most durable competitors the sport has ever produced; to others he's the man who popularized the most argued-about move at the table. Both things are true — and both are why, well into his 50s, he's still beating world-class pullers.

The Monster from Arkansas

Todd was born June 12, 1973, and fights out of the Hot Springs / Little Rock area of Arkansas — now practically the capital of American arm wrestling, hosting East vs West's US stops. Across his career he's stacked up around a dozen-plus world titles and roughly 20 national titles, competing everywhere from the heavyweight division up to super heavyweight against much bigger men.

By the numbers

Nickname	"The Monster"
Country	USA
Height	6'3" (191 cm)
Weight	232 lb (105 kg)
Biceps	20.5" (52 cm)
Forearm	17.5" (45 cm)
Wrist	9.4" (24 cm)

(Stats per his goldsarm.com profile.)

The King's Move

Todd's name is inseparable from the King's Move — a technique where he gains a height and leverage advantage by dropping his body low, below the level of the table. It came out of necessity: after multiple fractures to his right arm, he could no longer bring the arm in close to his body the way an explosive inside puller needs to. So he reinvented his game around leverage instead of raw close-quarters power. Purists argue about it; the results argue back.

Before the injuries, Todd was known as an explosive inside armwrestler who would sacrifice his hand in the strap and apply a punishing "dead wrist press." The King's Move is what a smart veteran does when his body forces a new plan — adapt or retire.

Ambidextrous — a rare two-armed threat

Most elite pullers have a clearly stronger arm. Todd is genuinely dangerous on both, a true ambidextrous competitor who has posted strong records left and right. That flexibility has kept him relevant across eras and matchups, from King of the Table meetings with the likes of Devon Larratt and Vitaly Laletin, to East vs West title bouts.

Injury, depression, and the comeback

The most compelling part of Todd's story isn't the titles — it's the return. After serious arm injuries and a public battle with depression that pulled him away from the sport, he came back and kept winning at the highest level, including world-title-level results at East vs West's Little Rock events well into his 50s. In a sport where most competitors fade by 40, staying elite past 50 is its own kind of world record.

Legacy

Where does he land among the greatest arm wrestlers of all time? Todd is the modern proof that longevity plus adaptability beats raw prime-years talent over a long enough career. See where he currently sits in the East vs West rankings.

The takeaway

Michael Todd's career is a masterclass in adapting: rebuild your technique around your body, train both arms, and keep showing up. The King's Move will always divide opinion — but a world champion still winning in his 50s, after injuries that would have ended most careers, is impossible to argue with.