The Boogieman vs The Mutant – Finally… Bodybuilding has a new rivalry.
The sport of bodybuilding has been suffering when it regards to entertainment. Finally, after a number of years, at the 2022 New York Pro, a new rivalry was witnessed.
Immediately after Blessing Awodibu was declared the winner of the 2022 New York Pro, 2021 New York Pro Champion, Nick Walker, stepped on stage to trade some words with Blessing Awodibu.
It was evident that both would have their say, and Blessing was the first to strike. Blessing proved himself by winning the Indy Pro and now the New York Pro, just a few days apart. He is now full of confidence, and believes that he can challenge for any title.
Blessing declared he is the real king of New York, since he won in New York. This was a jab at Nick, who won the New York Pro in Tampa, Florida.
Blessing did not waste any time by telling Nick Walker that he will beat him at the 2022 Mr. Olympia. Nick Walker immediately replied by telling Blessing “Have fun looking at my ass in the sidelines”, the same words he told him in the lead-up to the 2021 New York Pro.
The trash talking between Nick and Blessing, started in 2021, in the lead-up to the 2021 New York Pro.
Social media was on fire with both Nick and Blessing, trading words and challenging each other. When it was time to face each other at the 2021 New York Pro, it would be Nick taking the top prize, while Blessing had to eat his words.
While many bodybuilding fans and some media believed that both Blessing and Nick did not like each other, they were all proved wrong when footage surfaced with both Nick and Blessing training together.
Blessing Awodibu proves his critics wrong
Blessing Awodibu, earned his pro card in 2017. After being eligible to turn pro on a number of occasions, winning the 2017 Amateur Arnold Classic, would confirm that Blessing was one of the best amateur bodybuilders in the world.
In the years after turning pro, Blessing Awodibu would become one of the most popular bodybuilders on social media. Blessing has managed to become one of the most popular individuals in the sport, without even stepping on a pro bodybuilding stage.
Fast forward to 2021, Blessing believes he is ready to compete with the big boys on the pro stage. Blessing would quickly realize that the pro circuit is very difficult, and he would learn from his mistakes.
Placing third at the 2021 Indy Pro and a very disappointing sixth at the 2021 New York Pro, many criticized Blessing, with some declaring that his career is practically over.
Blessing took all the criticism and worked in silence, with the goal to prove everybody wrong.
Watching Nick Walker win the 2021 New York Pro, Arnold Classic and placing fifth at the 2021 Mr. Olympia, pushed Blessing to work even harder.
When the 2022 Indy Pro line-up was revealed, many expected Blessing to place in the top five, but nobody predicted that he would dominate the event and win the show.
Even the victory at the Indy Pro did not silence his critics, but Blessing predicted that he would go to New York to win, and he did just that. Blessing qualified for the 2022 Mr. Olympia with two fantastic victories to prove he is one of the best.
The Boogieman vs The mutant: A new rivalry for a new era of bodybuilding
Both Blessing Awodibu aka “The Boogieman” and Nick Walker aka “The Mutant”, both have impressive pro victories on their resume. Blessing is fresh from winning the 2022 Indy Pro and New York Pro, while Nick Walker has won the 2021 New York Pro, Arnold Classic and placed fifth at the 2021 Mr. Olympia.
There was a lot of trash talk between Blessing and Nick in 2021, but it would be Nick who would finish on top, while Blessing had to watch Nick’s success from the sidelines.
In 2022, Nick Walker, would dedicate the year to prepare for the 2022 Mr. Olympia. Nick is on record saying that he is going to the 2022 Mr. Olympia to win. A bold prediction, but anything is possible.
The tables would turn in 2022. Nick Walker would have to watch Blessing Awodibu dominate the 2022 Indy Pro and New York Pro.
Something special was about to happen, in a sport that desperately needed a new rivalry to excite a new generation of fans.
Both Blessing and Nick would meet on stage at the end of the 2022 New York Pro, with Blessing trash talking and Nick Walker responding.
The Mr. Olympia marketing team should be drooling after witnessing what happened between Blessing and Nick at the 2022 New York Pro.
In reality, the focus should be on 2X Mr. Olympia and defending champion Big Ramy, in the lead-up to the 2022 Mr. Olympia. Unfortunately, Big Ramy is not helping himself by literally disappearing from the face of the earth.
What Big Ramy is doing, is not healthy for the sport of bodybuilding and it is having a very negative impact on the Mr. Olympia.
The media will now surely focus on the colorful characters of Blessing Awodibu and Nick Walker in the lead-up to the 2022 Olympia Weekend.
Bodybuilding needs a rivalry
As far as we can remember, bodybuilding, especially the Mr. Olympia, has always had a rivalry between the main bodybuilders.
The build-up to any main event in the history of bodybuilding, was always focused between the top two bodybuilders, the defending champion and the challenger or rising star.
Some of the main rivalries in the sport of bodybuilding
• Arnold Schwarzenegger vs Sergio Oliva and later Lou Ferrigno
• Franco Columbu vs Frank Zane
• Samir Bannout vs Lee Haney
• Lee Haney vs Lee Labrada and later Rich Gaspari, Mike Christian and finally Dorian Yates
• Dorian Yates vs Kevin Levrone, Flex Wheeler and Shawn Ray
• Ronnie Coleman vs Flex Wheeler, Kevin Levrone
• King Kamal vs Craig Titus
• Ronnie Coleman vs Jay Cutler
• Jay Cutler vs Victor Martinez and Dexter Jackson
• Phil Heath vs Kai Greene and Shawn Rhoden
• Big Ramy vs Brandon Curry
As noted, the main rivalry is usually between the defending Mr. Olympia champion and the main rival who is trying to dethrone the defending champion.
Unfortunately, the rivalry between Big Ramy and Brandon Curry was not successful. As analyzed in a number of articles by Evolutionofbodybuilding.net, Big Ramy, not using social media and making himself available is truly damaging the sport.
The build-up to the 2022 Mr. Olympia, will most probably take a different path. A path that will most probably not focus on the winner and challenger. This is something that we are all not used to, especially for the Olympia Weekend.
Instead of focusing on the top challengers, such as Big Ramy, Brandon Curry, Hadi Choopan and William Bonac, the Mr. Olympia marketing team, will now focus on what is more exciting, Blessing Awodibu and Nick Walker.
The rivalry between Blessing and Nick is very similar to the great battles between King Kamali and Craig Titus. Kamali and Craig were never likely to challenge for the Mr. Olympia title, but their battles on stage were some of the best witnessed by bodybuilding fans.
Blessing Awodibu and Nick Walker will say they are going to the Mr. Olympia to win the event, but the real battle will be between each other.
If Nick places higher than Blessing, he will prove once and for all he is better than Blessing. If Blessing places higher than Nick, Nick will surely be aggravated, and the battle between the two will continue for many years to come, regardless of their placing.
Blessing Awodibu is the new Kai Greene
Blessing Awodibu, way before his recent victories, has always showed that he has a lot to offer to the sport of bodybuilding.
When scrolling through Blessing’s social media, it is evident that he invests a lot of his time to produce entertaining videos, that are always positive.
The sport of bodybuilding can be very negative and dark sometimes, but Blessing is a breath of fresh air, thanks to his fun and outgoing character.
There have been many colorful characters in the past, but Blessing has the physique to back him up. In many ways, he is very similar to what Kai Greene offered the sport in his prime.
When Kai Greene was present at a press conference, guest posing event or competing, the bodybuilding world always expected something different.
It was always exciting to watch Kai Greene pose, as he always invested a lot of time to perfect it. Blessing Awodibu is literally a split image of Kai Greene, in regards to his stage presence and character.
It was very easy for Blessing to learn from Kai Greene, as the two have spent a lot of time in the gym together in recent years.
The road to the 2022 Mr. Olympia will be exciting
Whatever the other bodybuilders do in the lead-up to the 2022 Mr. Olympia, the fans will now be focused on what Blessing Awodibu and Nick Walker do.
Blessing’s two victories will hopefully help him secure a new sponsor, since he was let go by Redcon1, just weeks before his victory at the 2022 Indy Pro.
Blessing is already on record saying that he will do everything in his power, to help make the 2022 Mr. Olympia one of the best events in recent years.
On the other side of the fence, Nick Walker will be using his popular social media and his sponsor’s social media to help in the build-up to the 2022 Mr. Olympia.
The next few months will be very exciting for the sport we love.
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