By now we have all seen the list of competitors set to square off in Columbus, Ohio in 2 months. Missing from the men’s list are Branch Warren, Dennis Wolf, Evan Centopani, Shawn Rhoden, Kai Greene, Jay Cutler, and Phil Heath. I can understand why Kai, Jay, and Phil aren’t competing. Jay enjoys the spotlight of the Mr. Olympia and certainly doesn’t want to risk potentially losing at the Arnold on his first show back from injury. Kai is the world’s #2 bodybuilder and firmly believes he can knock off Phil with another full year to prepare – regardless of who preps him for the contest. And Phil is the reigning and two-time Mr. Olympia; he’s not doing the Arnold just to pick up a trophy and fat pay check.
So that leaves four guys: Branch, Dennis, Evan, and Shawn. I’m a little perplexed by the 2010 and 2011 defending Arnold Champion taking this show off. Granted he didn’t come in at his best at the last Mr. Olympia, but with several elite bodybuilders taking the show off he would have a much easier path to his 3rd consecutive title in as many years. Probably seeing that he needs a break to fully let his torn quad return to full strength and reestablish his near unbeatable legs; this much needed rest time could reinvigorate Branch’s career for several more years to come.
Branch made a good move, but what in the heck is Evan Centopani thinking? I understand that the guy is a perfectionist and feels that he is only competing against himself, but let’s get real, this is his competition to take and he’s letting it slip through his fingers. I heard on Heavy Muscle Radio that he’s planning on doing the Hartford Europa. So let me get this straight, he’s doing the Hartford Europa instead of a major contest like the Arnold? A $10,000 first place check vs. a $150,000 first place check? I know the guy doesn’t like to travel, but good god that’s taking it a step too far. I’m sure Evan makes great money with Universal Nutrition and Muscular Development as sponsors, but c’mon, he’s a young guy and has a family to support. Bodybuilding won’t last forever and these pay days have a shelf life. Evan isn’t like some of the other guys who are taking the show off who really need to bring up particular body parts. All he needs to do is work on presentation and coming in peaked on the day of the show. Now that he’s working with Chris Aceto you can all but guarantee he won’t screw up the last 2 weeks. Hopefully Evan won’t regret sitting this show out, but hindsight is always 20/20.
And then there’s the Big Bad Wolf. Dennis is the back to back Arnold Classic runner up. With Branch out of the contest you would think he would be the heir apparent and certainly accept an invite to the competition. Could it be possible that he’s taking the first half of the year off to finally bring up his calves and lower back? Highly doubtful. Then what are his motives? Does Dennis honestly think he has what it takes to knock off Phil and Kai? I think Dennis is a great bodybuilder and a true freak of freaks, but when you talk about guys who have maxed out their physiques, I think of Wolf. From the front he’s Mr. Olympia and from the back he’s good enough to win the Arnold; I had him over Branch last year. But he just doesn’t have the mass from behind to beat a guy like Phil or Kai. Like Evan, Dennis dropped the ball on passing on this contest.
Nobody had a better year last year then Shawn Rhoden. He got that baseball sized hernia removed from his abs, hooked up with Aceto, and bada-bing, bada-boom he turned in one of the best seasons from a bodybuilder that we have seen since Kevin Levrone. He just ripped through contests one after the other, taking out the top guys in the sport with the greatest of ease. I can’t say I blame the guy for taking this show off. He made a ton of money last year and he still needs another 10lb on his frame to really have a fighters chance to beat Phil at the Mr. Olympia. Unfortunately, you can already see where the hype train is going for the Olympia and regardless of how well Shawn or Kai look next year, it’s billed to be a Phil vs. Jay showdown. Shawn needs to pick his shows carefully next year and look towards 2014 for what could be Flexatron’s real standout season and push to dethrone Phil Heath.
I’ve heard the debate that it’s very hard for bodybuilders to peak twice a year. And with the Arnold and Olympia being 6 months apart that doesn’t give competitors any time during the year for an offseason or a much needed break. Well that’s fine and dandy, but the reality is that unless you’re the current Mr. Olympia, an offseason or break is a luxury you don’t have. You don’t see tier 2 bodybuilders like Hidetada Yamagishi, Toney Freeman, or Johnnie Jackson only doing the Dallas Europa as their lone show of the season. I firmly believe that Evan, Dennis, Branch, and Shawn need to take a good look at themselves in the mirror and ask, “If a near perfect Kai Greene couldn’t take out Phil, then how could I?” Or maybe there’s another reason they’re all skipping the Arnold?
To me, I see what’s really happening with the cop outs of the Arnold Classic. Bodybuilding is moving to Europe and there’s nothing we can do about it. Look at what happened this past year: From Mr. Olympia we went to The Sheru and from there we went onto the European tour. The European tour offered big prize money to winners and runners up. In Prague, the winner received $60,000 and the runner up earned $30,000. Consider the PBW Tampa Pro winner, Shawn Rhoden, only received $10,000 for his victory. These guys are learning that it makes financial sense to skip the earlier shows and focus their attention on the fall season, while they’re already in shape. Not only is there more money to be made overseas, but it also gives them an opportunity to have a real off season to make improvements.
It’s not surprising that bodybuilding could have a new landscape in the next several years. Strength sports like strongman, powerlifting, and Olympic lifting are vastly more popular in Europe than America. Aaron Singerman recently made the comment that Jarka Lorie might find that moving the Masters Mr. Olympia to Europe might be considerably more profitable than on South Beach Miami. And although The Sheru Classic isn’t in Europe, bodybuilding has shown to be extremely popular in India. Bodybuilding may prove after all that it fits in the same category as Formula 1 racing and soccer, it just doesn’t fit into American sports culture. And that’s fine, as long as it has a home and continues to expand, then it’s all for the better.
The solution could be raising prize money at American shows or it could be a simple calendar shuffle by pushing the Arnold Classic from the spring to the fall. With anything there’s always politics that get in the way of logic. On the bright side, at least our favorite pro bodybuilders will be more accessible to fans at the Arnold Expo this year. And we may get to see Cedric McMillian push his way to the top of the rankings with a major pro win to his credit or witness history as Dexter Jackson could tie Flex Wheeler’s record of 4 Arnold Classic victories. Quite remarkable considering the sport had all but written off The Blade up until recently. Regardless of the cop outs and sit outs, I’m looking forward to the Arnold Classic as it’s the greatest freak show on earth!
Once again, to talk shit to Matt you can find him on Twitter, @MattMeinrod
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