Let’s just say last year didn’t go as expected for Evan “T-Rex” Singleton.
Considered one of the front-runners for the 2022 Giants Live World Tour Finals, the former professional wrestler suffered a significant setback in September 2022 when he tore his right distal biceps tendon during a training session. The injury not only knocked Singleton out of competing in a contest in which he finished third overall in 2021, but it also prevented him from making his first appearance at the Rogue Invitational.
However, more than a year removed from undergoing surgery to reattach his biceps tendon, Singleton has proven he’s still a force to be reckoned with by adding two titles to his strongman resume over the last few months. Coming off victories at the 2023 Giants Live Strongman Classic and the 2023 Giants Live World Open, the Pennsylvania native has plenty of confidence about his chances of winning the 2023 Rogue Invitational, which will take place from Oct. 27-29 in Round Rock, Texas.
As part of their “Road To The Invitational” series, Rogue Fitness spotlighted Singleton’s comeback campaign in a video posted on their YouTube channel on Oct. 18, 2023.
After making it clear that he wants to be the World’s Strongest Man and win the upcoming Rogue Invitational, Singleton left no doubt about his desire to become the face of the sport he’s competed in since 2018.
“I want the average, casual viewer to think of strongman and picture me,” he said emphatically. “That’s what I want.”
Singleton, who stands 6-feet, 6 inches tall and weighs about 351 pounds (159 kilograms), played “every sport at least once” growing up. Although he didn’t shift his focus to strongman until a serious head injury forced him to retire from pro wrestling, he credited his diverse athletic background with giving him the skills that have helped him become a standout in the strength sports world.
And despite having to call it quits on his WWE dream, Singleton learned some valuable lessons that have carried over to his current line of work.
“A lot of my mentality, my attitude, my aggression, I got all of that from wrestling,” he explained. “There is something that drives me to be better than what I was yesterday and to be better than my competition, to be stronger than anything that I run into.”
Fully healed from the injury that left him unable to compete in 2022, Singleton showcased his impressive upper body strength by practicing the Fingal’s Fingers and Log Press. Both movements require strong shoulders, triceps, and core. Supersetting the movements in succession also challenges competitors’ cardiovascular conditioning.
Singleton sounded quite optimistic about his chances of winning that event at the Invitational, as he believes his cardio and ability to lift the Fingal’s Fingers and heavy log should put him in an advantageous position.
On the other hand, the humble competitor highlighted that he needs to work on his clean technique to prepare for the Axle Press — an exercise he hasn’t worked on in over two years.
“I’m going to really fine-tune and really work on the clean so that it’s efficient, it’s precise, and it’s accurate every single rep so I can conserve as much energy for the press,” Singleton explained. “If I get it to my shoulders, it’s going up.”
Singleton admitted that the movement “felt hard” during his training session. However, he was only 50 pounds (22.7 kilograms) away from the expected competition weight, which means he may still have a shot at taking home top honors in the event.
“I am coming in the most complete and the hungriest that I’ve ever been in my life,” Singleton said. “I am pushing as hard as I can to give everything that I can on competition day, and there isn’t anybody that’s going to stop me.”
Overall, the 31-year-old seems mentally and physically prepared to do some serious damage at Dell Diamond later this month. With a pair of recent wins under his belt and an opportunity to secure at least one more before 2023 comes to a close, don’t underestimate T-Rex’s chances of leaving the Lone Star State as the Rogue Invitational’s strongman champion.
Featured Image: Rogue Fitness / YouTube
