When Joe Weider created the Mr. Olympia in 1965, he envisioned that his show would become the biggest in bodybuilding, but he may not have even understood how massive his creation would become.
The Olympia has become a force all its own in sports, and one reason why is the athletes themselves. The Olympia stage has been the platform for many of bodybuilding’s greatest rivalries, and their face-offs have only added to the show’s significance. These ten rivalries, listed in chronological order, show exactly why the 60th Olympia at Resorts World in Las Vegas, NV, on Oct. 11-12, will be a destination for thousands and have the attention of millions around the world.
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Courtesy of Weider Health & Fitness
Lee Haney vs. Lee Labrada
By 1989, Lee Labrada was ready to take his swings at the champ. Labrada was the much smaller of the two greats, but his symmetry, shape, and world-class posing made him a threat that defeated many men larger than him.
Bodybuilding’s version of David vs. Goliath took place twice in 1989 and 1990, but both times Lee Haney retained his world title, while Labrada finished second on both occasions. By 1995, Labrada saw his next career move and began forging his legacy in the supplement world by launching Labrada Nutrition. He is also the father of current star Hunter Labrada, who hopes to bring the Sandow Trophy to the family in the future.
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Robert Reiff; Courtesy of Weider Health & Fitness
Ronnie Coleman vs. Flex Wheeler
Flex Wheeler and Ronnie Coleman were on the same stage bur were rarely being compared in their early days. Wheeler was busy trying to dethrone Yates while Coleman was simply trying to work his way up the pro ranks.
Yates would retire from the stage in 1998, and many fans thought Wheeler was the next champion in waiting. No one gave Coleman any serious consideration because he had finished ninth in the 1997 Olympia. However, Coleman took to the stage in Madison Square Garden in his ultimate form and pulled off the upset of the century by knocking Wheeler down to second place.
The 1999 Olympia was billed as the rematch between the two greats. Could Wheeler right the wrong from 1998, or was Coleman here to stay? It turned out to be the latter because Coleman won the second of his eight Sandow Trophies that year. When the decision was announced, Wheeler initially turned his back on the fans and judges before congratulating Coleman. He then removed his silver medal and signaled that he should be number one.
Wheeler does have four Arnold Classic titles to his credit, but he never was able to claim the gold on the Olympia stage.
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Bill Comstock
Jay Cutler vs. Phil Heath
Cutler was the first man to regain the title, but he was also the first to lose it to two different champions. The other was “The Gift” Phil Heath. Cutler actually served as a mentor for Heath as he was coming up in the sport, but Cutler never dreamed that Heath would face off on the Olympia stage less than five years after turning pro.
They first met in 2008 when Jackson upset Cutler. Heath was in third place that year. When Cutler regained the title one year later, Heath was relegated to fifth place due to food poisoning before the contest.
They finally met on center stage in 2010, and Cutler won his fourth and final Olympia. One year later, Heath took the torch and became the 13th Mr. Olympia by defeating Cutler, who had suffered a biceps injury during his prep. Their last encounter was in 2013. Heath dominated the show while Cutler finished sixth in what would be his final contest
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Courtesy of Weider Health & Fitness
Frank Zane vs. Franco Columbu
Bodybuilding was not always a big man’s game in the 1970’s, and two of the best in the world were in the under 200-pound category. Three-time Mr. Olympia Frank Zane and two-time winner Franco Columbu were both very popular with fans, and they shared the Olympia stage on four occasions. Zane’s incredible shape and symmetry was matched up with Columbu’s density and mass.
Columbu placed higher than Zane in three of those matchups. In the end, Zane did end up with more Sandow Trophies – three to two. However, Zane never defeated Columbu to win any of his titles.
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Jack Mitchell / Getty; jasonellisfitnessphotography.com
Frank Zane vs. Robby Robinson
Another rival that Zane had to contend with was “The Black Prince” Robby Robinson. Two of Zane’s Olympia wins came at Robinson’s expense as the runner-up in 1977 and 1978.
Robinson did go on to win an Olympia, but it wasn’t “the” Olympia. In 1994, Robinson was the inaugural Masters Olympia champion. While he defeated several worthy contenders that year, including Lou Ferrigno, Zane was not one of them. Both men are long retired from the stage now, but both still promote fitness and inspire multiple generations of fans.
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Kevin Horton; Ralph Dehaan
Dorian Yates vs. Shawn Ray
Shawn Ray was one of the greats of all-time. From 1988 until 2001, Ray made his mark as a legend that could beat men over 50 pounds heavier than he was. Throughout that entire span, there were only two men he never beat – Lee Haney and Dorian Yates.
Yates and Ray were matched up seven times on the Olympia stage, and Yates swept him every year. The closest Ray ever got to him was second in 1994 and 1996. The latter year is considered one of the most controversial decisions in bodybuilding history because many fans felt Ray was at his best while Yates was off the mark. Many years later, Yates himself even revealed that he didn’t feel he was at his best that year. The judges felt he was good enough that day to retain the title, which was all that mattered.
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Courtesy of Weider Health & Fitness
Lee Haney vs. Rich Gaspari
There have been many training partners that have talked about facing off on the Olympia stage, but Lee Haney and Rich Gaspari actually made that conversation a reality.
Haney and Gaspari trained together in the early 1980’s while Haney was in his early pro years and Gaspari was working to jump from the amateur to the pro ranks. By 1985, they were sharing the stage at the Olympia; Haney as the brand-new champion and Gaspari as a young up-and-comer. Haney would win that show while Gaspari finished third.
In 1986, the two men were shoulder-to-shoulder as the top two contenders for the victory. Once again, Haney was the victor, but Gaspari was now in second place. There was a lot of discussion whether the smaller, but shredded Gaspari could dethrone the bigger and symmetrical champion in Haney.
Unfortunately for Gaspari, it never happened. He finished second to Haney twice more in 1987 and 1988. In 1989, Gaspari did make his own history by winning the inaugural Arnold Classic in 1989, a title Haney never pursued.
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Bill Comstock
Phil Heath vs. Kai Greene
The premiere matchup of the 2010’s was Heath and Kai Greene. Their opposition was both professional and personal at times and is one of the only rivalries where officials were concerned an actual fight may break out.
Their focus on each other started at the 2009 Olympia, where Greene placed fourth to Heath’s fifth. Heath reported he suffered food poisoning, which resulted in his finish. They faced off again at the 2010 Arnold Classic, and Greene won again.
That would be the last time Heath’s name was announced before Greene’s. Heath placed second to Cutler at the 2010 Olympia while Greene placed seventh. ‘The Gift” then won the Olympia in 2011 and began a string of seven wins in a row.
Greene never got closer than second up until 2014, when they faced off literally and figuratively for the last time. Greene never stepped on the Olympia stage as a competitor again, but he did win three 2016 Arnold Classic shows – USA, Australia, and Brazil. Those were his last shows to date.
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Courtesy of Weider Health & Fitness
Arnold Schwarzenegger vs. Sergio Oliva
The early years of the Mr. Olympia contest saw Larry Scott emerge as champion twice before retiring in 1966. Scott was followed by Sergio Oliva Sr., who went back-to-back in 1967 and 1968. Oliva thought he was going to make light work of the field in 1969 as well, but then a young and massive Austrian showed up.
Arnold Schwarzenegger had won every other title there was to win at that point, and he wanted to add the Mr. Olympia title to that trophy case. Oliva would claim that third straight victory, but Schwarzenegger was certain his time would come.
That time would be the following year. After upsetting Oliva at the Mr. World contest in 1970, he went on to defeat Oliva again at the Olympia that same year. Oliva was not in the 1971 contest, and Schwarzenegger repeated as champion. 1972 saw them face off one more time, and “The Austrian Oak” got the better of Oliva in what was considered a controversial call at the time. The two champions never faced off again, but over a half-century later, some bodybuilding historians still talk about those matchups.
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Kevin Horton
Ronnie Coleman vs. Jay Cutler
The number one Olympia rivalry comes down to eight-time Mr. O Ronnie Coleman, and four-time Mr. O Jay Cutler. Why? These two massive phenoms filled the top two Olympia places more than any other duo on or off our list at a remarkable five times (2000-2001, 2004-2006), respectively.
