CLAW came out of a joke between friends. Actress, carnie, and entrepreneur Jennifer Hoyt Tidwell and salon owner Jodie Plaisance were having a drink together at a bar and decided to arm wrestle out of boredom. Jennifer won easily, and Jodie demanded a rematch. When that rematch ended in similar defeat, Jodie suggested weight training together so she could avenge herself. During these training sessions, the two smacktalked themselves into characters in a fantasy arm wrestling league: Prim Reaper vs. MoJo the Underdog. They asked fellow weightlifters and, eventually everyone they encountered anywhere, if they'd be interested in joining their fake league. Everyone said yes. Shortly thereafter they convened a meeting of all interested parties in the backroom of Blue Moon Diner, including key theater comrades Sian Richards (Nurse Cheryl), Jude Silveira (The Ref), Bree Luck (Stiletto Southpaw), Opal Lechmanski (Opal), and Steph Finn (Trixie 'The Vault' Mancini). Two hours of hard labor later, CLAW was born. The first bout, in February of 2008, begat a movement that could not be stopped, and has now grown and evolved into a sustainable circus for our community and beyond.