Actually having known both Mike and Arnold, the truth is that when Mentzer first came out on the scene, Arnold liked him very much. In fact he is quoted in a magazine back in 1977 as saying that "Mentzer impresses me not only with his fantastic physique, but the fact that he is very intelligent, articulate and well mannered." Mentzer made the mistake of writing articles, shortly afterwards, that claimed Arnold's training system was totally wrong and the only reason Arnold got so good was because he had great genetics." He tried to say Arnold and everyone who trained like him was wrong and that Heavy Duty was the only logical way to train. One thing about Arnold is that he won't tolerate someone saying that he is wrong or misguided. If you turn on him, he will make you his enemy and go out of his way to get some sort of revenge. Mentzer did have a strong sense of honor and justice and the sport of bodybuilding during the late 70's early 80's was an extremely important part of his life. When he finished 5th in 1980 and Arnold won, his real sense of purpose was shattered. Everything he was living for, in his eyes, became a horrible joke. That, combined with amphetamine abuse, caused his decline. Arnold did call Mike when Ray was sick, and they had words. They sort of buried the hatchet. Nowadays, Arnold admits to having regrets about some of the tactics he pulled when he was younger. Mentzer probably should have gotten past the 80 Olympia, regrouped, and he may have gone on to win it.
