Strongest Man On Earth Is Cancelled

In a not so surprising turn of events, Brian Shaw recently announced that his annual strongman show, Strongest Man on Earth would not be returning this year — if ever. The lack of surprise stems from the fact that last year's show was both the biggest it had ever been — in terms of scale, anyway — and also ended up running at a significant loss.

The reality of strongman is that it is still an extremely niche sport. There is a reason these events can't obtain sponsors outside of gym equipment manufacturers and supplement companies. I laud Brian Shaw for putting so much energy and personal money into making an event that aimed to be a meaningful accomplishment to win, while also taking care of the athletes involved. The feats of strength demanded of competitors might have worked against the show, given its placement in the strongman season — and the number of pull-outs past lineups experienced due to athletes focusing on other shows.

Brian Shaw is also in the midst of dealing with a multi-year cellulitis infection, which could potentially cost him a leg. As much as I didn't care for how Shaw handled his split with Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Arnold Strongman Classic event, he's otherwise been an amazing ambassador for the sport and his achievements are genuinely legendary. Hopefully a reduced workload — and a break from the PEDs — will allow for a full recovery.

We are now left with World's Strongest Man, the Arnold Strongman Classic and the Rogue Invitational as the major shows of note. Strongman has definitely seen a surge in popularity, but it started from a very humble place, and mainstream acceptance is a long way off — if it is attainable or even desirable.

PUBLISHED: 2026-05-23