A call to Arms makes groundbreaking TV

Header image for Interrobang article CREDIT: AMC

AMC is the television station that has brought us such hits as Mad Men, Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead, some of the most acclaimed and popular series of all time. These programs have given us many thrills, chills and blood spills. There is one thing they have not given the viewers enough of, however: arm wrestling. Thankfully, AMC recently launched a new series titled Game of Arms that more than makes up for their complete lack of arm wrestling content up to this point.

Game of Arms is a reality show that premiered in late February on AMC. The series showcases the elite athletes who compete in the fast-rising sport of team arm wrestling. Each team has five members, with each member competing in a best three-out-of-five match against a member of the other team. The winner of each match earns $250. The team that wins the most matches also splits $1,000. The competitions generally take place in factories and warehouses, although it won't be long before these events are being held in Madison Square Garden or Wembley Stadium.

The debut episode featured an intense battle between the Sacramento Arm Benders and the New York City Arms Control. Of course you would expect to see a New York team in every league, but it was nice to see Sacramento represented. The city does not have a professional sports franchise, unless you count the NBA's Sacramento Kings, which I do not.

We learn about the backstory of the competitors. Believe it or not, arm wrestling is not a full-time job, so the athletes spend their days as average working joes. One is a veterinary consultant. Another is a Christian Evangelist. But when they punch out at the end of the day, these men head home, briefly talk to their families, and then focus on what is truly important — arm strength.

Weeks of intense training lead to the big day, as Sacramento and New York arm wrestlers file into the hallowed grounds of “Abandoned Repair Shop” to go to war. Indeed it is all out arm-ageddon between the two squads, leading to a thrilling finale. Sacramento's Kenny Hughes, a former child arm wrestling prodigy whose wrists have been getting too much of a workout as of late from lifting beer bottles, tangles with New York's Mike Selearis, a high school chemistry teacher by day, seven-time national arm wrestling champion by night. The rivalry between these two will no doubt be looked at in the same way as Muhammad Ali versus Joe Frazier, Larry Bird versus Magic Johnson and Tonya Harding versus Nancy Kerrigan.

Though only two episodes have aired at time of writing, it is clear that Game of Arms is well on its way to becoming a phenomenon that leads to plenty of water cooler talk the next day. So what is the next step? Well, I see AMC taking a cue from World Wrestling Entertainment, which recently launched a 24/7 online network. Clearly, the A in AMC will soon stand for Arm Wrestling. Not only will Game of Arms be expanded from a once a week, one-hour program to a nightly, three hour extravaganza, but the rest of their schedule will also incorporate the sport into their storylines. How much better would it have been if Walter White arm wrestled Gus Fring for his freedom instead of [SPOILER ALERT] blowing him up? And what if instead of shagging every trollop who bats her eyelashes at him, Don Draper instead arm wrestled other men for money to support his wife and children? As for The Walking Dead, well, let me just say that I am extremely tempted to buy the domain name armwrestlingzombies.com in preparation for the inevitable changes to that program.

Catch Game of Arms Tuesdays at 10 p.m. EST on AMC, or visit amctv.com to stream full episodes.