Neither Fux nor Francois ever even got top 5 or 6 at the Olympia, I think to be considered top tier you need this pre-requisite at least.
Yeah Francois won the AC in 95 but why did he only get 7th at the Olympia that year? I dont think the 95 AC was very competitive (relatively speaking) as none of the top 6 at the Olympia in 95 even competed in the AC and the NOC in 95 was much more competitive, with both Nasser and Vince Taylor in top shape competing, as well as Ronnie Coleman.
Nasser was 7th and Ronnie didn't even place (he tied with several others for 16th place) in their first Olympia. But they got better and better over time and became top tier. Same thing with Mike, who only competed in 2 Olympias. And he was already sick in 1996, although not seriously.
My point is that Colitis made Mike retire very early from competition, way before he reached his peak. But in the time he competed, he won his first 4 pro shows that included the Arnold Classic, so he was no slouch. He had a great physique and competed at around 260 lb. He was very consistent and focused as well, with a level head unlike guys like Flex and Paul.
He placed 7th in the 95 Olympia because he was holding water and couldn't duplicate his Arnold Classic condition. But like Sherief says, I think he'd have placed maybe 5th at the most if he'd come in shape. Still not bad for a rookie.
