Reason I picked the 2003 Olympia is that so many fans thought Coleman was simply superior to all the rest. Ask other pros who the best/most developed Mr O of all time was and probably most would say Coleman. Many will also say he's ugly and the gut was out of control, but regardless they will also grudgingly admit he was superior in a strict bodybuilding sense.
Regarding lumps, they punished Iris Kyle and perhaps they could do the same with the men. But so many are using site injections, and while obvious, fans seem willing to overlook it if not too distracting. Many will say Flex Wheeler in 93 was perfection, but his calves were fake, so they are willing to overlook it as long as it's not too distracting from the overall look.
Well.... I can only speak for myself, but my ideal would be zero tolerance on obvious, or unseemly site injection use. Clearly site injection is mandatory as the precontest nears, because you need to rotate injection spots, and not just use the glutes, but that can be done in moderation, and need not lead to lumps/bumps etc.
In the case of Coleman.... I say he looked like shit in his last few years. I agree that his sheer mass, and relatively decent conditioning at that weight should prevent him from going too far down the ladder, but top honors can not be given to someone that far out of the aesthetic ideals of bodybuilding. Mass is simply a component, not the end all be all of judging criteria.
As for Flex in 93, yes he should have been penalized for fake calves, maybe not too far down since the rest of him was amazing that year, but in principle, he should have been out of contention for first.
I think that in Iris Kyles case...that was a good call on the part of the judges, and that should be parlayed over into the Mens side of things.
