Perhaps both figuratively and literally, Rubiel “Neckzilla” Mosquera might be the biggest disruptor to enter the pro league scene in the 2023 season. After earning his IFBB Pro card by winning the amateur event in the Friday night event at the EVLS Prague Pro, less than twenty-four hours later he turned in what might be the most discussed 4th place finish of the season, capping off a wild weekend that saw him go from being a question mark, to beating the IFBB’s current leader in Men’s Open wins (Nathan Deasha), on the way to becoming the most talked-about competitor in all of bodybuilding.
In the immediate aftermath of his whirlwind weekend in Prague, there was some speculation as to whether bodybuilding fans would see Mosquera pull his version of a Neck (God) zilla style takeover of the Japan Pro the following weekend. However, those rumors seemed to dissipate as quickly as they appeared, and instead he popped up for an impromptu appearance at the Dubai Muscle Show, where he managed to wow 8x Olympia champion, Ronnie Coleman, with an on-demand guest spot.
According to the latest reports from Mosquera’s coach, IFBB Hall of Famer Chris Cormier, right now they’re currently targeting the 2024 New York Pro as Rubiel’s next stop, which means that bodybuilding fans might have to wait until next spring to see if the sequel for Neckzilla can come back better than the original.
Historically the New York Pro has been a proving ground for some of bodybuilding’s top talent, including former two-time Olympia champ Big Ramy, who launched his career into the stratosphere overnight after his historic win there over a decade ago, back in 2013. If Mosquera draws on the feedback from the judges by spending his offseason adding size to his upper half to balance out his physique, and compliment what already might be the most ridiculous legs in the sport, at the very least, he’ll turn what’s already a hallmark event on the schedule into must see TV. And, if he meets or, better yet, exceeds those expectations, then it might be a foreshadowing of what’s in store for the next decade, when he could potentially follow in Ramy’s footsteps as the next true anomaly to win the Mr. Olympia title.
