It's not the judges fault , they only judge what's before them
The reason the ' sport ' sucks today is drugs , IGF-1 and GH and their abuses
I normally agree with much of what you post but this time, I have to disagree.
The judges didn't have to choose Branch over Dexter 2009 but they did.
The judges didn't have to place Wheeler ahead of Cormier in 1999 but they did.
If the judges want to award a certain type of physique, they have the power to do so. Since the criteria is not given any official scoring value (at least, it is not presented as such) it is very easy for the judges to support any look that they subconsciously agree upon.
If they want a certain look, they can support it. If a person has a sickening belly, they could be judged down for it if the judges so decided. If a person poses by doing only shaking their backsides, the judges could mark them down for that.
I know that they judge to a criteria, you've pointed this out a million times. But unless there is a breakdown of the value each part of the criteria and it is showed in a way that the fans, bodybuilders and judges can see at a glance, then that criteria, in many respects, means nothing.
If the sports wants to control its direction, the judges have every opportunity to be able to do so.
If the sport wants to favour a certain look, they should weight the points system and the judging towards those aspects of a physique that favour that look.
But when they reward the most conditioned big guy with seemingly little regard to aesthetics and presentation, then step by step, you will
only have physiques up that are conditioned and big. If being able to move like Makkawy or Labrada has no bearing on the result, then being able to move like them will be a thing of the past. Well, that has already happened...
Is all of this the fault of the insulin etc as you suggest? Sure. But the judges don't
have to reward it...