The controversial decisions at the Mr. Olympia.
The sport of bodybuilding has always been controversial, Evolutionofbodybuilding.net takes a look at a number of controversial decisions over the years.
Focusing on the Mr. Olympia contest, since its creation, there have been a number of very controversial decisions in regards who won the event.
Since the birth of the Mr. Olympia, there have been only 16 Mr. Olympia winners in the last 57 years.
The longest run of victories have been for 8 years, both accomplished by Lee Haney and Ronnie Coleman. A number of other competitors had decent runs as well. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Phil Heath have won seven, while Dorian Yates won six and Jay Cutler accomplished four victories.
The controversial Mr. Olympia decisions throughout the years
Evolutionofbodybuilding.net reviews a number of controversial decisions throughout the years at the Mr. Olympia contest.
1980 Mr. Olympia
In 1980, The Mr. Olympia took place in Australia, with a deep line-up of the best bodybuilders in the world. Defending champion, Frank Zane, had just recovered from a very serious injury and the late Chris Dickerson was labeled as one of his main challengers. Meanwhile, Arnold Schwarzenegger originally planned to be a commentator at the event, but nobody knew that he was also going to compete.
When the news that Arnold Schwarzenegger came out of retirement and was going to compete, the other competitors were not happy, to the point that Mike Mentzer and Arnold almost traded punches.
When the dust cleared, it would be Arnold Schwarzenegger who would would lift the Sandow trophy, to the sound of jeers from the crowd. Arnold was already a famous actor and the bodybuilding world could sense something was funny about the final decision.
The event was also scheduled to be aired on TV, but this was immediately cancelled as many believed the decision at the event was just too controversial.
1981 Mr. Olympia
After the nightmare of the 1980 Mr. Olympia, a number of prominent bodybuilders would boycott the 1981 Mr. Olympia.
The Weider’s would have to convince a number of veteran bodybuilders that were passed their prime to compete to add more competitors to the line-up. Mike Katz, Ed Corney, Mike Katz and others were included in the event.
Franco Columbu was the surprise entry at the 1981 Mr. Olympia, with Arnold Schwarzenegger at his side.
Stars such as Frank Zane, Mike Mentzer, Boter Coe and Dennis Tinerino refused to compete.
The 1981 Mr. Olympia would end up being more controversial than the 1980 Mr. Olympia, in fact it is regarded as the darkest day in the history of the Mr. Olympia.
Franco Columbu was way past his best, he recovered from a very serious leg injury that he suffered during a Strongman event. It was evident that Franco had a serious gyno problem and overall he was not a true contender for the title.
Going into the event, Chris Dickerson was the favorite to lift the title after he was denied the previous year. Tom Platz, Roy Callander and Danny Padilla could also be said that they were at their best at the 1981 Mr. Olympia.
When the judges handed in their decision, it would be Franco Columbu would would win the 1981 Mr. Olympia. A truly shocking decision that the audience did not approve of.
The bodybuilders left the stage in protest, with Tom Platz being the gentleman he is, being the only remaining bodybuilder on stage to take a photo with Ben Weider and Franco Columbu.
The title could have went to a number of competitors, but unfortunately the judges most probably made the wrong decision on that evening.
Lee Haney saves the sport
The Weider’s had to do damage control after the horrible 1981 Mr. Olympia. In 1982, Chris Dickerson edged past Frank Zane, Casey Viator and the new star Samir Bannout. It was a fair decision, but many believed Samir was robbed at this event.
In 1983, Samir Bannout was the rightful winner, defeating the incredible Mohamed Makkawy and the new star Lee Haney.
Samir Bannout was going into the 1984 Mr. Olympia as the favorite to win and defend his title, but he would end up losing to the young Lee Haney.
Haney was a gift from heaven to the Weider’s. He was the biggest and best bodybuilder to ever step on the Mr. Olympia stage in the modern era. A thick back, small waist and perfect proportions, would see Lee Haney win eight consecutive Mr. Olympia titles.
Lee Haney dominated the sport from 1984 to 1991. Rich Gaspari and Lee Labrada were the only two bodybuilders that pushed Lee Haney to the limit, but it can be said Lee Haney was unbeatable during his era.
The Dorian Yates era – Controversial decisions return
What was questionable, was Dorian’s final years at the top in 1996 and 1997. Competing with some serious injuries, many believe that Shawn Ray and the late Nasser El Sonbaty were robbed from winning the Mr. Olympia title.
In 1996, Shawn Ray was much more balanced compared to a injured Dorian Yates, who appeared bigger, but was not on the same level as Shawn Ray. It would be Dorian Yates who wins his fifth title.
Another example was in 1997, it would be Dorian Yates last Mr. Olympia contest, he was injured again and he still managed to defeat a very good Nasser El Sonbaty.
The fans and media believed it was Nasser El Sonbaty who should have been crowned Mr. Olympia, but it would be Dorian Yates who walked home with the title again.
How can a almost perfect Nasser El Sonbaty be defeated by a Dorian Yates who practically had no triceps and biceps. Yes, they say the back wins the show, but Dorian had just too many injuries to defend his title.
Near the end of his career, Nasser unfortunately totally went against the sport of bodybuilding and also turned against some of his closest friends.
Dorian had a number of qualities that gave him the advantage in the sport during his reign. Dorian was mysterious, the nickname “The Shadow” was a perfect fit for him. Dorian opened a vast market across Europe and other parts of the world, which worked in favor of the Mr. Olympia brand.
Say hello to Ronnie Coleman – Did he deserve eight Mr. Olympia titles?
Dorian Yates walked away from the sport in 1997 due to his serious injuries. The 1998 Mr. Olympia title was vacant and one man was labeled as the favorite to win the title.
Ken ‘Flex’ Wheeler went into the 1998 Mr. Olympia as the favorite to win the title. Flex had one of the best physiques to ever grace the bodybuilding stage and he was at the top of his career. Close behind was Kevin Levrone, Shawn Ray, Nasser El Sonbaty, but it was Flex who had the upper hand.
When it was time 1998 Mr. Olympia weekend arrived, nobody would every believe, Ronnie Coleman, a bodybuilder who placed in the bottom part of the standings, would challenge for the title. In 1997, Coleman finished in ninth place, nobody expected him to challenge Flex for the title.
As the competitors walked on stage, Ronnie Coleman left the audience in shock with a physique that had incredible size, definition and near perfect aesthetics.
At the end, it would be Ronnie Coleman and Flex Wheeler on stage fighting for the Mr. Olympia title. The judges decided that Ronnie Coleman would be the new Mr. Olympia, with Flex Wheeler turning his back to the crowd in protest.
Ronnie Coleman would dominate the sport for eight years, but this was not without controversy. The fans loved Ronnie Colemen, he was a great ambassador to the sport, and this could have probably helped Coleman keep his title more than he should have.
During Ronnie Coleman’s reign, Kevin Levrone was very close to defeating Coleman in 2000 and 2002. But the judges favored the bigger Ronnie Coleman. There was a time when Coleman could not control his mid-section, but this still did not convince the judges to mark him down.
Cashing in on the Ronnie Coleman – Jay Cutler rivalry
The best thing that could ever happen to bodybuilding, especially the Mr. Olympia, was the rivalry between Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler.
While Ronnie Coleman was starting his dominance, a young, blond kid named Jay Cutler was working his way up.
Jay Cutler was the poster boy that Joe Weider and the bodybuilding industry dreamed about. He would immediately sell magazines and possibly start a new era in the sport of bodybuilding. At the 1999 Mr. Olympia, Jay Cutler would place 15th and at the 2000 Mr. Olympia, he would move up to ninth.
2001 would be the breakout year for Jay Cutler as he would end up challenging Ronnie Coleman for the title. It would be a very close decision, with Ronnie Coleman winning the event.
Cutler did not agree with the result and ended up skipping the 2002 Mr. Olympia. In the meantime, Jay Cutler would dominate the Arnold Classic between 2002-2004, winning three consecutive titles.
Jay Cutler returned to the Mr. Olympia in 2003, placing second to a less dominant Ronnie Coleman. Cutler would continue to place second in 2004 and 2005.
Finally in 2006, Jay Cutler would put a end to Ronnie Coleman’s reign and deny him his record breaking ninth Mr. Olympia title.
Even though Jay Cutler could have easily been crowned Mr. Olympia in 2001, the judges decided to stick to Ronnie. Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler sold tickets and the promoters milked this rivalry from 2001 up to 2006. It was a great moment in bodybuilding history.
The Ronnie Coleman – Jay Cutler era was most probably the most exciting time during the Mr. Olympia era to date.
Jay Cutler is the champion… but not without controversy
Jay Cutler won the Mr. Olympia in 2006, opening the door to possibly a new dominant era in the sport of bodybuilding.
Jay Cutler’s true dominance did not last long as in 2007, the decision of Jay Cutler winning was not without controversy.
It must be noted, that some of Jay Cutler’s best years were fighting Ronnie Coleman for the title. By the time he won the Mr. Olympia, Jay Cutler could have possibly been slightly past his prime.
In 2007, Jay Cutler would find a Victor Martinez who was in incredible form. In 2006, Victor finished in third and he was the man that would push Cutler in 2007.
At the 2007 Mr. Olympia, Jay Cutler was slightly off, compared to his previous years, and many actually believed Victor Martinez should have actually won.
Jay Cutler winning in 2007 did not go down well with Victor Martinez. Victor knew he was better that day, but the judges saw it differently. Unfortunately for Victor Martinez, he would end up having to mourn the loss of his sister, who was murdered in 2009 and then Victor would end up in jail for a number of years. This derailed Victor during the best years of his career. Victor would make a very successful comeback, but he would never reach the level he had in 2007.
In 2008, not even the judges or the promoters could save Jay Cutler. Jay walked on stage with visible water retention and ended up losing to a much smaller but conditioned Dexter Jackson.
The Mr. Olympia title was Dexter’s to take home, and Cutler admitted that he let Dexter take the title away from him.
It was not over, as in 2009, Jay Cutler would accomplish something that nobody has ever done on the Mr. Olympia stage. He would win his title back.
Some of the media actually believed that Jay Cutler’s career was practically over, but in 2009, Jay Cutler stepped on stage in most probably his best ever condition.
The defending champion Dexter Jackson would fall to third, while Branch Warren would emerge to be Jay Cutler’s shock challenger. Regardless who challenged Jay Cutler, nobody could come close.
Jay Cutler would end up winning his Mr. Olympia title back, making it three victories. Meanwhile, climbing the ranks was a very young Phil Heath.
In 2010, Jay cutler would defend his title for the last time, opening the door for Phil Heath to start his dominance on the Mr. Olympia stage.
The Phil Heath – Kai Greene Era: The new rivalry
Phil Heath defeated a injured Jay Cutler in 2011. It was evident that Jay Cutler knew there was a big possibility that he would lose his title in 2011 to Phil Heath.
Phil Heath presented an incredible physique, his 3D look left no chance for his rivals. Phil Heath would be untouchable for a number of years, but he had to battle his biggest rival, Kai Greene, who was following close behind.
Between 2012 and 2014, Kai Greene would place second to Phil Heath three consecutive times. Unfortunately, after 2014, the bodybuilding world would never see Kai Greene step on the Mr. Olympia stage again, due to some behind the scenes problems.
After the Kai Greene – Phil Heath rivalry, Phil Heath would face challenges from Dexter Jackson, Big Ramy and finally the late Shawn Rhoden, the man he would lose his title to in 2018. Phil Heath would go on to win seven consecutive Mr. Olympia titles.
While Phil Heath vs Kai Greene sold tickets, Phil Heath did not have any real challengers, and unfortunately, many believed Phil Heath was not the greatest ambassador to the sport during his reign.
Kai Greene would have fit in perfectly as a Mr. Olympia and he would have had great success as an ambassador to the sport and the Mr. Olympia brand, but Kai Greene’s past unfortunately could have been the reason why he would never win the title.
Shawn Rhoden, the vacant title and the Big Ramy era
Phil Heath started to have serious abdominal problems near the end of his reign. Shawn Rhoden exposed this in 2018, when he defeated the great Phil Heath.
The late Shawn Rhoden was on his way to dominate the sport. Unfortunately, some serious legal issues in his personal life ended up destroying his career. AMI, the former owners of the Olympia brand, decided to suspend Shawn Rhoden and his title was made vacant in 2019.
The 2019 Mr. Olympia title was won by Brandon Curry. Unfortunately, Brandon had a very difficult time promoting the Olympia brand, as the world was devastated by Covid.
In 2020, Brandon Curry would be defeated by Big Ramy and the Mr. Olympia title to its new home in Egypt.
In 2021, Ramy would defend his title, defeating a much improved Brandon Curry. In regards to promoting the Mr. Olympia brand, the last few years have been not been the best.
The worst years for the Mr. Olympia brand
When The “Shadow” Doreen Yates was the reigning Mr. Olympia, he did disappear to the UK after he won the title, but he would still make himself available for photo shoots, magazines and guest posing.
Fast forward to 2022, Big Ramy is Mr. Olympia, he is the best bodybuilder in the world and the bodybuilding world never see him.
The moment after Big Ramy wins the Mr. Olympia title, he gets paid and gets on a plane and disappears to Egypt. Ramy does not make him self available for guest posing appearances or even, it is very rare that he makes himself available to the English speaking bodybuilding media.
Other bodybuilders are stealing the spotlight while Big Ramy should be the one that everybody follows.
If Joe Weider was around today, would he let Big Ramy get away with this? Definitely not, Joe Weider would as much as possible, take advantage of Big Ramy’s popularity from all over the world, and try to cash in on it.
The Olympia brand is exploding in Egypt and other countries, but how does this help the brand in the USA, the home of the Mr. Olympia?
In 2022, Big Ramy did not travel to Pittsburgh to guest pose at Jim Manion’s Pittsburgh Pro. Big Ramy was the highlight of the event, with hundreds of fans coming to the show, just to get a glimpse of Big Ramy in the off-season.
Unfortunately, Big Ramy did not get on the plane to travel to Pittsburgh and he received a tremendous backlash from the press and even his manager/coach Dennis James.
Main photo by Muscletime.
