The 2025 World Toe Wrestling Championship

If you’ve ever wondered whether toe wrestling is “just a laugh,” the 2025 World Toe Wrestling Championship answered that: absolutely not.

On 30th August 2025, hundreds of fans, families, first-timers, and battle-hardened veterans made their way to The Bentley Brook Inn in Fenny Bentley, Ashbourne for a day that somehow managed to be hilarious, emotional, brutal, and euphoric all at once.

This year wasn’t just a tournament. It was a statement. Bigger stage. Bigger production. Bigger crowds. Bigger drama. And the biggest prize pot toe wrestling has ever seen - £11,000 split across the men’s and women’s divisions.

And yes, it rained. A lot. But like any proud Derbyshire tradition, we partied on anyway.

Back to the roots - and a Toefest to remember

While The Bentley Brook Inn has become an iconic modern arena for the World Championships, the true historic home of toe wrestling is The Royal Oak in Wetton - the birthplace where the sport first found its feet, before later becoming a long-running tradition at venues like The Bentley Brook Inn. This year, with the Market Place in Ashbourne under renovation, it felt right to bring the world back to one of toe wrestling’s most legendary stomping grounds.

Returning to The Bentley Brook Inn felt like coming home. There’s something about hosting a world championship in a proper pub venue, surrounded by the countryside and the sport’s living history, that just fits. 

You could feel the energy from the moment people arrived, tunes blaring, old rivals greeting each other like no time had passed, new challengers eyeing up the Toedium, and fans gathering early to get the best view of the action.

For the first time ever, we introduced a live-action screen above the Toedium. Suddenly, every grimace, twist, toe-lock, and minute shift of control was visible to the entire crowd, not just the people pressed right up to the stage. Add walkout songs for every competitor, 3D graphics, and proper photo moments, and it felt like toe wrestling had stepped into its next era - louder, sharper, and more of a spectacle, while still being unmistakably toe wrestling at heart.

Two years ago, this sport was tucked into a pub corner with a handful of people craning their necks to catch a glimpse. Now we’re building a true fight-night experience, without losing the chaos, community, and sheer silliness that make toe wrestling what it is.

A crowd of legends, locals, first-timers… and a cat

Hundreds of people flowed through the venue all day long. There were Fenny Bentley locals who’ve watched toe wrestling for years, multi-generation toe wrestling families who treat Worlds like a holiday, hardcore fans who know every nickname in the bracket, and wide-eyed first-timers who wandered in asking, “what on earth is toe wrestling and why am I suddenly obsessed?” We even had competitors travelling from as far afield as Perth, Australia, proof that this little Derbyshire tradition now has global pull.

The crowd also debuted a brand-new unofficial chant this year: “Break his toe!”. We’re not saying we endorse it. We are saying the atmosphere was that intense. And yes, for reasons no one can fully explain, a cat attended. Toe wrestling really is for everyone.

The most stacked tournament in years

We hit full tournament capacity: 16 women and 16 men, a complete bracket and the maximum number of fighters we can run through in a single world championship day. Even better, every competitor’s entry money was donated to the MSA Trust, and together we raised the biggest total we ever have for their work. If you’re not familiar with the cause, we’d encourage you to look them up, learn what they do, and consider donating. It’s a charity close to our community, and we’re proud to support them in the loudest way we know how.

Women’s final: a 25-minute war that shook toe wrestling history

If toe wrestling had an Oscars category, the women’s final would’ve swept it.

Seven-time world champion Lisa “Twinkletoes” Shenton came into 2025 as the heartbeat of the women’s game, the most decorated women's fighter in modern toe wrestling history. But this year had other plans. In an absolutely dramatic semi-final upset, Lisa was knocked out by a reluctant first-timer turned dark horse, Emily “Baby Predatoe” Beech, daughter of the legendary Paul “Predatoe” Beech. The Beech lineage runs deep in this sport, and Emily stepped onto the Toedium carrying both the legacy and the pressure that comes with that name.

The semi-final was fierce, controversial, and instantly historic. Lisa’s famous diamanté toenails caused battle wounds for her earlier opponents, leading to a taped-up nail mid-tournament and a brand-new ruleset now headed into the official World Toe Wrestling Federation rulebook. That’s how you know a sport is alive, it evolves when the stakes get real.

Emily’s win set up a final nobody saw coming. On the other side of the Toedium sat "Toedio Ruth", Lisa’s partner, her training partner, and now her final-boss replacement. Lisa and Ruth are engaged, and Ruth had her own fire in this tournament, not only fighting for pride and family, but with the hope that a championship win could help fund their wedding.

What followed was nothing short of a war. Twenty-five minutes of deadlock. Two athletes refusing to yield an inch. Heels bruising into steel, cores shaking, leg muscles screaming, lactic acid building, toes tearing, and still both woman refused to go down. The toe wrestling arena at The Bentley Brook felt like a pressure cooker. The Beech's were shouting from the sidelines, Lisa was living every referee call like a battlefield commander, and the crowd was so locked-in you could hear collective gasps every time someone broke position.

Then came the final toe-down. Emily claimed it.

She broke into tears immediately, adrenaline dumping into the realisation that she had just become World Champion, and that the Beech family was back on top. She left the Toedium with £5,000, the TWC World Toe Wrestling Championship belt, and a place in toe wrestling folklore alongside her mother and father. Ruth hobbled off with the runner-up prize and the respect of everyone in attendance. If you ever want a perfect example of toe wrestling grit, show someone that match.

Men’s final: strongman vs dynasty, ending in the first resignation we’ve ever seen

On the men’s side, the final had a mythic vibe from the start.

Reigning champion Ben “Toe-Tal Destruction” Woodroffe, now a four-time consecutive World Champion, faced the newcomer who had bulldozed his way through the bracket, Kasey "The Big Toe" Brooks. One of the world’s strongest natural strongmen… and somehow a toe wrestling rookie.

Kasey’s raw power was terrifying. Ben’s style was speed, experience, and a kind of surgical strategy you only learn after years on the Toedium. The final was best-of-five, and Ben surged to a 2-0 lead with sharp breakaways while Kasey, in his first ever Worlds, overthought his approach. Then came the third bout... and Ben broke Kasey’s toe.

After a gut-wrenching pause, Kasey made the bravest call a competitor can make - he resigned. Not out of fear, but out of respect for his long-term health and for the reality that toe wrestling is no joke when two athletes collide for real stakes. It was the first resignation in World Championship final history, and it proved something important, toe wrestling is funny right up until the moment you realise how real it is.

Ben took the belt and the £5,000 cheque, before being swarmed by his parents on stage. The nerves that had haunted him all week vanished in a second. Another title secured - but with stronger challengers arriving every year, Ben’s hardest battles are still ahead. 

Kasey walked away battered but smiling, with the runner-up prize, a pair of Vibram FiveFingers, and a promise to return in 2026 ready for war again.

The Australian toe-lifting legend who made it anyway

Every championship needs a hero who shouldn’t even be there… but is.

This year it was Chris "D.B. Cooper" Beecroft, a toe-strength phenomenon from Perth, Australia. We invited him after seeing his completely ludicrous videos lifting insane weights with his toes (24kg at the time), and believing that freakish foot power might translate well to the Toedium. But his journey to Ashbourne was chaos: passports lost, flights missed, no sleep for more than a day, and a last-second landing in London on the morning of the tournament. Somehow, after all that, he still made it to Ashbourne only a couple of hours before he had to compete.

Exhausted and wrecked from travel, he stepped on stage against veteran Clive aka "Dr. Scholl" and still gave him a proper fight. Clive later said Chris was the best first-timer he’d ever faced. With a bit more rest and prep? We might have watched a historic upset. Either way, Chris is toe wrestling’s newest folk legend, and one thing is certain: he’ll be back.

So… what actually is toe wrestling?

If you’re new here, welcome. Here’s the simple version.

Two competitors sit opposite each other on the Toedium - the official toe wrestling board. They interlock big toes and battle best-of-three rounds. Hands and bums must stay on the floor at all times, the non-competing leg stays in the air, and a round is won by forcing your opponent’s foot to touch the upright post. It’s a strange sport until you see it live… and then you realise it’s a full-body fight of leverage, endurance, and nerve.

Huge thanks to our 2025 sponsor: Vibram FiveFingers

We can’t talk about 2025 without shouting out the sponsor that levelled up the entire championship: Vibram FiveFingers. Their support helped us deliver our biggest prize pot ever, fuelled training plans for several athletes, and kicked off a true partnership around foot strength and performance. They’re obsessed, in the best way, with building stronger feet, and toe wrestlers are basically the final boss of that mission. This year’s champions were made of grit, but they were backed by a sponsor who genuinely believes in the sport. We’re proud to be building this future together.

Why toe wrestling is exploding right now

The sport is growing fast for three simple reasons. First, the stakes have changed. When world champions are taking home five grand, toe wrestling becomes something you train for, not just something you try on a dare. Second, the barrier to entry is beautifully low. You don’t need a gym, special kit, or years of background; you can start training toe strength and lock toes with a friend at home today. And third, people are hungry for quirky events with real heart and grit. Toe wrestling sits proudly alongside brilliant and beloved British traditions like bog snorkelling, worm charming, and the conker championships, all of them fantastic in their own right, but toe wrestling has a unique competitive edge that keeps pulling serious athletes in.

And yes, we’ll say it... England has basically never lost at this sport.

So if you’re reading this from anywhere else in the world, we’re politely (and aggressively) inviting you to come take the belt.

Next stop: the 2026 season starts in London

If 2025 was our biggest World Championship yet, 2026 is going even further. The next major stop is the TWC European Toe Wrestling Championship on 12th April 2026 in London (venue announcement coming soon). Expect tighter rules, bigger entertainment, more tech (including futuristic VAR-style developments), and an atmosphere designed to blow the roof off.

We’ll also be running smaller lead-up events in the build-up, like training workshops, community sessions, and friendly entry tournaments. Think of them as the on-ramp before you step onto the Toedium for real.

Want to compete? It’s simple. Head to our website, register your interest, and we’ll be in touch with the details. If you’re nervous, here’s the truth: you’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain. Train a bit, show up, lock toes. You might be closer to greatness than you think.

2025 proved something powerful. Toe wrestling isn’t just a quirky tradition anymore - it’s a growing global sport with real stakes, real stories, and a community that gets louder every year. We’re proud of how far this has come, and we’re just getting started.

Register your interest, tell a mate, and follow our socials for updates.

Next year will be bigger.

And someone new is going to walk away with that belt.