get a fucking grip,,,,, gunter is no where near the golden group of 90's fame...
yates, levrone, sheawn ray, nasser, cormier, dillet, flex, labrada, coleman, haney even ..etc etc etc i could add more
id put gunther in the group with the mike mataratzo's of the world
I take your point, but I do think you're being a bit harsh.
Mazz had crazy arms and calves. That was it for him, really. Has back was thin, his quads were reminiscent of Boyer Coe's (strong development but terrible shape with no sweep), and he had decent abs and okay pecs when he was ripped. Good shoulders, too.
When Gunter hit his stride, he had it all except maybe calves. His arms were certainly not as freaky as Mike Matarrazzo's, but the overall "package" -- ugh, how I hate that word -- he brought circa '02 was light years beyond anything Boston Mike could've ever dreamt of.
Did he deserve to beat Ronnie that year? I actually thought so, but only because Ronnie beat Ronnie and over-depleted. When he tried to compensate for that at the Show of Strength, it was obvious he'd filled out, but his arms were still lacking and his gut was very prominent. People say the judges gifted Gunter a win there to drum up interest for future pro shows, but based on the compulsories, I honestly can't ever see Ronnie winning that show. He could've won the way he looked at the '01 Olympia, when he was off but not by a mile. But '01 and '02 are different beasts altogether.
I would've liked to have seen a prime Levrone or Cormier show up around that time. Chris should've been second in the '99 Olympia behind Ronnie, closely followed by Shawn Ray, Levrone, THEN Flex Oiler. And Kevin had the goods to topple Ronnie at his weakest, but by that point the man had lost his wheels and most of his upper-back thickness :|
