In order to win, one man lays it all on the line…all his dignity at least.

There’s a certain purity to a tug-of-war. It’s a straightforward contest of physical strength and determination without any of the cunning and trickery of other contests.

This following video is either a perfect example of this description, or it completely discredits it. I’m honestly not sure which. You be the judge as you witness this tug-of-warrior put on facial expressions not seen since the heyday of Jim Carrey’s career.

At this event in Shenyang City, Liaoning Province in China, the star of the video grabs hold and treats the audience to his full range of emotions starting with anger.

Followed by fear…

And finally, the most important of all: victory.

As the saying goes, he who laughs last laughs best, and our man of the hour looks mighty pleased with how things went. Was he trying to psyche out his opponents all along, or was that the look of pure passion and intensity while abandoning any sense self-regard?

I don’t know, but either way he will go down as the greatest tug-or-war player that I have ever witnessed, thus replacing the shiba inu who didn’t want to go walkies from last year.

Source, images: Twitter/@toychan via Toychan