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 gentleman he is, said, 'Why don't we let Arnold explain to us right here and now his exact reasons for wanting to have two weight classes?'
"Arnold barked, 'Boyer, let's 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 b***h standing there and trying to walk all over us. I interjected and asked Arnold why he was so reluctant to see the open class introduced.
"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 chose 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 gentleman - he didn't deserve that response. You're the one who's acting like a baby, literally! Arnold 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 sweater 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 am 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 others 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 must 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 the 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 all was not as it should have been.
"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 officials' table. In contrast, Bill Pearl had honorably removed himself from the judging panel, as he had spent time training with Chris Dickerson.
"At times, the contest was like a circus. We had Franco Columbu - one of Arnold's weak-willed nambypamby 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 halfway 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 through the same torturous process again for a similar reward. At no point since 1980 have I been even slightly tempted to consider the possibility of competing. I don't miss 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 a view of the physique he could have built in future years.
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