Mike Mentzer - 1980 Mr Olympia loss - Schwarzenegger wins!

[JohnnyVegas]

Although Mentzer was extremely intelligent, Arnold is a man who knows how to get what he wants.  Although Mentzer may have had a higher IQ (and this is debatable since we don't have any proof of either's IQ score) or at least conducted himself as an intellectual, Arnold knew how to achieve a desired result.  Arnold is a performer, manipulator, entertainer and an excellent speaker.  People are just drawn to him...as much of a gift as a high IQ.

Yes, and having Joe and Ben bankroll your career in THEIR organization had nothing to do with Arnold's success, it was all Arnold.

BTW-Arnold was just as intelligent, much more so actually, than Mentzer ever was.

Mentzer was an Arthur Jones type huckster-making wild speculative claims with no support to back them up whatsoever.

[Moosejay]

the point of Arnold's talking about Mentzer and then sitting down was to make Mentzer look like the agressor and make a fool of himself, Arnold sat down putting Mentzer in the superior position.  Mentzer looked like a fool and should have focused on the contest ahead.  He took the bait and let Arnold get into his head...the result...humiliation.  The last time he felt like that, Szalak beat him.  He had image problems...they contributed to his demise.

Zane himself told me stories that supported that Arnold would not be so bold without a 'posse' around.

[TPSRPBBW-fan1]

Zane himself told me stories that supported that Arnold would not be so bold without a 'posse' around.

i heard something like that on PBBW

[oldman]

How many of you were bodybuilders before Arnold, he made bodybuilding a popular sport.  No bodybuilder is as successful as he is, we are still arguing about him here.
Mentzer had a poor self image, all Arnold had to do was plant that seed in his mind.  A real competitor would have come back the next year and demolished the competition.  Instead Mentzer became a has been...like many others.

[Antony77]

I find it funny and extremely pathetic that the two main HIT proponents (Mike and Arthur Jones) liked to go around claiming that they threatened Arnold with physical violence and he backed down. It's the only little victory they could get over the most visible advocate of volume training, how else could these insecure fucks feel superior to the most succesful bodybuilder of all time.
Mentzer and Arthur Jones had no significant success in life at all except for espousing lifting lumps of iron less than someone else might lift them, that's it! Hardly a fucking accomplishment.

A lot of people want to make out that there was this big rivalry between them but Mike wasn't even a blip on Arnolds radar, Arnold was just too successful, maybe Arnold could have been said to have had a rivalry during is competitive heyday with Sergio Oliva and Sylvester Stallone at the box-office, but Mike Mentzer? Hardly.
What did Mike ever achieve? They only met on stage once and then Mike talked shit about Arnold over and over to every 3rd tier magazine that would listen to him until the day he died, that's it just one small mans inability to move on in his life, talk about a storm in a teacup.

Samir Bannout finished 15th at the 1980 Olympia and 9th at the 1981 Olympia but then won the show in 1983, he didn't freak out because of bad placings but worked hard and reaped the rewards. Was 5th place such a slap in the face for Mentzer that quitting and grousing about it for the rest of his life the only answer? What a fucking loser.

Here's a website that has pictures of the contest in everyone Arnold is superior to Mentzer http://www.builtreport.com/1980olympia.html

Arnold at 80% of his best was still more than enough, and isn't it great that his completely wrong training methods still allowed him to easily outmass Mentzer in the few weeks that Arnold had to prepare. Awesome, simply awesome. Arnold at 6'2 dwarfed the delusional 5'8 Mentzer at every turn.


You can't argue with actual photographic evidence which is the only unbiased source from that time although people like Moosejay would rather take the second hand word of an embittered old has been....... no that's wrong Mike's a 'never was' who couldn't get over his loss. Photo's don't lie so check the website and see for yourself http://www.builtreport.com/1980olympia.html Mike was lucky to get 5th.


Once again compare their back double biceps Arnold is so far beyond Mentzer it's just not funny.

[Pollux]

Arnold would not be so bold without a 'posse' around.

I love Arnold, but I tend to believe that.

[Moosejay]

I find it funny and extremely pathetic that the two main HIT proponents (Mike and Arthur Jones) liked to go around claiming that they threatened Arnold with physical violence and he backed down. It's the only little victory they could get over the most visible advocate of volume training, how else could these insecure fucks feel superior to the most succesful bodybuilder of all time.
Mentzer and Arthur Jones had no significant success in life at all except for espousing lifting lumps of iron less than someone else might lift them, that's it! Hardly a fucking accomplishment.

A lot of people want to make out that there was this big rivalry between them but Mike wasn't even a blip on Arnolds radar, Arnold was just too successful, maybe Arnold could have been said to have had a rivalry during is competitive heyday with Sergio Oliva and Sylvester Stallone at the box-office, but Mike Mentzer? Hardly.
What did Mike ever achieve? They only met on stage once and then Mike talked shit about Arnold over and over to every 3rd tier magazine that would listen to him until the day he died, that's it just one small mans inability to move on in his life, talk about a storm in a teacup.

Samir Bannout finished 15th at the 1980 Olympia and 9th at the 1981 Olympia but then won the show in 1983, he didn't freak out because of bad placings but worked hard and reaped the rewards. Was 5th place such a slap in the face for Mentzer that quitting and grousing about it for the rest of his life the only answer? What a fucking loser.

Here's a website that has pictures of the contest in everyone Arnold is superior to Mentzer http://www.builtreport.com/1980olympia.html

Arnold at 80% of his best was still more than enough, and isn't it great that his completely wrong training methods still allowed him to easily outmass Mentzer in the few weaks that Arnold had to prepare. Awesome, simply awesome. Arnold at 6'2 dwarfed the delusional 5'8 Mentzer at every turn.


You can't argue with actual photographic evidence which is the only unbiased source from that time although people like Moosejay would rather take the second hand word of an embittered old has been....... no that's wrong Mike's a 'never was' who couldn't get over his loss. Photo's don't lie so check the website and see for yourself http://www.builtreport.com/1980olympia.html Mike was lucky to get 5th.


Once again compare their back double biceps Arnold is so far beyond Mentzer it's just not funny.

A is not hitting a BDB there, its a FDB

[Antony77]

A is not hitting a BDB there, its a FDB

And your point is? Arnolds back looks much better than Mentzers, and Arnold isn't even hitting a back shot!
Bigger thicker, and a lot wider. But forget the back look at their arms, Arnolds make Mikes look very small.

[TrueGrit]

Gayer than men in speedos arguing about who has the bigger stomach

[Antony77]

Alright after reading Mikes interview again I've got to say that I don't get at all where he's coming from. He honestly believes that Arnold robbed him of the Olympia title because Arnold had the judges in his pocket....... which makes absolutely no sense at all.
Now if Mike had finished second to Arnold then maybe an argument could be made for Arnold robbing him but... Mike... finished... 5th! So even if Arnold had never entered the contest Mike would have finished 4th not first as his crazy ass seems to think.
And what about the 3 other guys that finished ahead of him Dickerson, Zane and Coe? Did they all have the judges in their pockets as well? Well I guess they must have since Mentzer is 100% certain that he deserved to win, so why didn't he go around trashing the other guys, at all? Why is Arnold the only one who he trashed at every opportunity.

Mike seems to be like one of those introverted outcast emo kids at high school who fixate on the popular kids with hate and jealousy as the cause of their unhappiness seeing them as having everything they feel that only they deserve. So they start fantasizing about righteous justice along the lines of Columbine.

[JOCKTHEGLIDE]

And your point is?

that you have 67 posts.........

[Antony77]

that you have 67 posts.........

Wow you've really humbled me with your mighty post count it's a good thing you waited until you hit 500 before laying the smack down on a humble newb, if you had tried it at 300 you'd only have embarrassed yourself. I bet when you reached 500 you celebrated, because now that true status had been achieved let all uppity newbs tremble in fear! 
Anyway enough bullshit do you have anything to add to the conversation at all?

[Moosejay]

And your point is? Arnolds back looks much better than Mentzers, and Arnold isn't even hitting a back shot!
Bigger thicker, and a lot wider. But forget the back look at their arms, Arnolds make Mikes look very small.

that you are " Captain Fanboy"

[JOCKTHEGLIDE]

Anyway enough bullshit do you have anything to add to the conversation at all?

and.........

[Antony77]

that you are " Captain Fanboy"

And here I was under the mistaken impression that I was simply a realist in a land of crazy Mentzer fanatics (is there any other kind), but all this time I was simply blinded by my love of Arnold..... oh and all the photographic evidence and stuff.

Captain Fanboy will not quit until someone convinces me that all the photo's of Arnold from 1980 were shopped, and that he doesn't look twice as big as Mentzer and that all photo's were in fact part of the Arnold Propaganda machine.
So until that day you'll have to forgive me if I don't simply accept the extremely bitter rantings of an old meth addict...... who I won't say is simply trying to relive past glory because hey he never had any.

[jaejonna]

Mentzer was one of the original drinkers of 'haterade'

[The Wizard]

Arnold played on his confidence but when challenged back down. Many many stories from the old guys. He is currently sucking up to one ex pro BIGtime to avoid him going to the press with some damning written and signed (by Arnold) evidence

He talked the talk behind Jesse Ventura's back on the set of predator too but backed down face to face

Who cares though, he was and is THE best and most successful bodybuilder the sport will ever see

[hipolito mejia]

Mentzer was one of the original drinkers of 'haterade'

But he has a point..

why  do you think that Arnold was whining about  not having an all for one contest??


Lee Haney went to win 8 Mr. O!! without that kind of embarrasing controversy!

[Antony77]

These rumours that Arnold was repeatedly threatened and backed down could be true but then again they do sound like the usual popular urban legends where celebrities are involved. They are also very school yard my dad could beat up your dad type of bragging that guys who are into bodybuilding like to engage in.
Arnold certainly garnered enough jealousy from people because of his amazing success that shit talking and rumour-mongering were par for the course.

But I know that shit like that really happens, people like to talk tough but back down when you stand up to them. I Remember one time I met King Kamali when we were both standing in line at the local Starbucks I was ahead of him in the line and got the last cinnamon bagel, when King heard that there were none left he threatened to hit me if I didn't hand it over so I got right in his face and said "try it bitch" and like a bitch he backed down and wouldn't meet my eyes. Swear to god! I wouldn't make this up.

[Relentless]

Arnold played on his confidence but when challenged back down. Many many stories from the old guys. He is currently sucking up to one ex pro BIGtime to avoid him going to the press with some damning written and signed (by Arnold) evidence

He talked the talk behind Jesse Ventura's back on the set of predator too but backed down face to face

Who cares though, he was and is THE best and most successful bodybuilder the sport will ever see

Jesse would whip Arnold's ass all over the place.

[Moosejay]

Jesse would whip Arnold's ass all over the place.

A was getting his ass beat by a southern good ole boy in gym...Franco junped in and bit the guy on the leg

If A wants the ex-pro to keep quiet, he better pony up the moolah

[Antony77]

A was getting his ass beat by a southern good ole boy in gym...Franco junped in and bit the guy on the leg

And then they had to amputate the leg because Franco had rabies, and the Southern guy sued Arnold for a billion dollars but the case was thrown out of court because the judge was a woman who after meeting Arnold privately in chambers for several hours declared "case dismissed!" Arnold appearing disheveled was quoted as saying "now that's hot justice!"

[slaveboy1980]

The controversy of controversies.

The 1980 Mr Olympia contest staged in Sydney, Australia, remains by far the most controversial in the event's history. The contention centers on the participation of Arnold Schwarzenegger, who had announced his retirement from competition in 1975 after winning six consecutive Mr. Olympia titles.
Seemingly only in Sydney to do commentary for CBS TV , Arnold stunned the bodybuilding world on the eve of the contest by declaring that he was returning to competition in pursuit of a seventh title.

Two days before the contest, Mike had that same " death's door feeling " which again confined him to bed for a whole day. By the morning of the contest, though, he had fully recovered. He was 225 pounds and more cut than he'd ever been. " I looked my best , but I didn't feel at my best.  It just didn't feel like a normal contest; no one was being their usual selves. There was a strain and tension in the air all the way though."

WHO TERMINATED WHOM!

That strain and tension came to an electrifying climax at the competitors meeting held the morning of the contest. Fifteen of the 16 athletes had signed a petition asking that the two weight classes be abolished and that the Olympia should be contested as one open class. The one athlete not in agreement was Arnold Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Whatever the rights & wrongs , facts and misconceptions , theories and myths surrounded the 1980 Me. Olympia contest , in the interests of this narrative, it's important to understand that Mike Mentzer felt he was cheated in Sydney, and that sinister machinations were afoot. His belief is that certain forces , fueled by ignorance and sycophancy, combined to thrust an undeserving Arnold to first place and relegate him - perceived as owning the best physique in the contest - " ridiculous " fifth place.

This is how Mike recalls that fateful day. " There were maybe 50 people at the competitors meeting and as usual, Arnold wanted to be the center of attention. In every situation, he tries to be the standout, and on this occasion, he was the only athlete of the 16 in the contest who wanted to keep the two weight classes. " He said something to denigrate Samir Bannout that I thought was uncalled for. I passed on that, feeling Samir should have defended himself. As the debate progressed, there was a lot of arguing between Arnold and some of the guys. I wasn't really concerned one way or the other - I thought I could win anyway. Then Boyer Coe stood up and , as the gentlemen he is , said , " Why don't we let Arnold explain to us right here and now his exact reasons for wanted to have two weight classes? "

" Arnold barked , ' Boyer, lets talk like adults here. ' That really irked me , because Boyer made his plea with no hint of malice. In addition, this was the IFBB's event, but here was this big Prussian son of a bitch standing there acting like a Nazi and trying to walk all over us. " For some reason , that question pissed him off. He seemed like a guy out of control as he turned to face me, his upper lip curled around like a snarling animal. We were debating the issue of weight classes, but Arnold choose to snap at me. ' Mike Mentzer, we all know Zane beat you last year because you have a big stomach! '

" I was seated 20 feet away from Arnold, who was standing holding court, and I perhaps allowed that comment to irritate me too much, as on impulse, I bolted toward him. As I approached him, I decided I wouldn't hit him, but nevertheless I was surprised when Arnold sat down: I scared him! He sat as I continued to berate him. Wagging my finger at him, I told him, ' Look, Arnold, Boyer Coe said what he did as a gentlemen- he didn't deserve that response. You're the one who's acting like a baby,literally! ' Armold couldn't look me in the eye. He went from being a frantic hysterical adolescent to shrinking away like an injured child. "

Not for the first time in the history of bodybuilding, Joe Weider stepped in and defused the situation. He advised Arnold to accept the voices of the other 15. The debate ended as Arnold proclaimed, " I withdraw my objection. "

DECISION DOWN UNDER

" Throughout that meeting, Arnold had on a tight-knit weather that made him look skinny. I was curious to see what he looked like once he stripped down. When he did, I remember looking at him and thinking, Not only and I going to win this contest, but I'm going to beat Arnold Schwarzenegger as well!

" When I was called fifth, I was totally shocked. It was just a ridiculous placing, made more ridiculous by an out-of-shape Arnold winning. As for the other who finished ahead of me, I knew Frank Zane [ third ], due to an accident he had sustained four months earlier, wasn't as good as he had been the previous year. I mist say that Chris Dickerson [ second ] and Boyer Coe [ fourth ] were in phenomenal shape, particularly Chris. I felt he and I were the ones in absolute peak condition, and we should have been top two.

" The majority of observers at the 1980 Mr. Olympia, with the exception of the judging panel, didn't have Arnold in the top five. The crowd booed Arnold at the contest's conclusion, and there were a number of things that took place during the prejudging that perhaps should have provided an indication that as was not as it should have bee.

" Several of the judges were close friends of Arnold. Boyer Coe told me afterwards that he saw Reg Park, one of the judges, actually coaching Arnold from the official's table. In contrast, Bill Pearl had honorably removed himself from the judging panel, as he had spent some time training with Chris Dickerson.

" At times, the contest was like a circus. We had Franco Columbu- one of Arnold's weak-willed namby-pamy lackeys - coming onstage with a towel, a comb and oil, to go through a little act with Arnold at the expense of everybody else. I could quote other anomalies, but possibly the most pertinent is that CBS Sports flew half away around the world to tape the event and then never televised it. The word was that they were convinced it was a fix. " The record may show Arnold Schwarzenegger as the 1980 Mr. Olympia champion, but he wasn't the best bodybuilder onstage that day - not by a mile. "

In the immediate aftermath of the contest, several top names stated they would never compete again. They would later reverse their decisions and return to the contest dais. But even as he was announced fifth, Mike knew he would never compete again: " There was no way I was going to put myself though the same tortuous process again for a similar reward. At no point since 1980 have I been even sligthtly tempted to consider the possibility of competing. I don'tmiss it. "

Of all of its repercussions, it is difficult not to nominate Mike's premature retirement at 29 as being the major consequence of the 1980 Mr. Olympia contest. It effectively denied the sport of a view of the physique he could have built in future years.

move on. 

[Antony77]

If you are famous there will be hundreds of rumours about you that probably aren't true or maybe they are but you will usually find them all in trashy tabloid rags or in Arnolds case passed down through the generations from person to person like the legends of yor.
Moosejay I know you have subscriptions to National Enquirer and Star magazine.

There are even"rumours" about Mike Mentzer and he wasn't even famous at all for gods sake. Quoted from Wikapedia so they must be true:

"Mentzer suffered a mental breakdown. According to Peter McGough, editor-in-chief of FLEX magazine, stories began to surface of Mentzer exhibiting some very erratic behavior. Stories of him running naked through the streets, directing traffic, telling prophecies about the end of the world, being arrested by the police numerous times and even waiting for aliens to land were all published in magazines at one point or another. Popular bodybuilding writer Dan Duchaine even suggested that Mentzer was drinking his own urine at the time. Mentzer denied this in a 2001 interview with Ironman magazine. Nonetheless, according to McGough, some of these stories are true. Mentzer was also regularly institutionalized between 1985 up until 1990."

WOW, I don't care what Arnold did, Mentzer drank his own pee! EEWWW!

[oldman]

is there something wrong with running naked through the streets directing traffic? ...really, is there?  will someone tell me please, I might have a problem!