I received in the mail today a copy of the latest Flex Magazine. I was surprised because I forgot they were giving away free year long subscriptions at the Olympia Expo this year.
I decided to flip through it and came across the HARD TIMES section written by a Greg Merritt, it is entitled, "Heath goes Greene'
Phil comes off like us Getbiggers would expect him to. And I quote...
The Rivalry "Kai is an amazing person. As far as bodybuilding is concerned. He's an awesome champion. He's just not a Mr. Olympia champion. And I feel like he's a guy who wants what I have and I'm just standing in his way just like Jay and Ronnie his way. And it's a war. So I don't feel sorry for him at all. I'm trying to win. This is my title."
Hard Work " I just think he has the wrong idea about me. I think he thinks it's all about gifts and bullshit. But at the end of the day, hard work beats talent if talent doesn't work hard. And I worked my ass off to be where I am in this world and he cannot discredit that anymore after what he saw tonight and last night."
Respect "I don't hate the dude, I just want him to respect me. Because I never disrespected him. He disrespected me first. As a champ you should never be disrespected by someone who isn't the champ. You aint cocky if you complete the task. If I say I'm going to win and then I win, that's not cocky. That's just telling it like it is. I refuse to let anyone disrespect my hard work and talent. I refuse to do that anymore. I'm a three-time Mr. Olympia. I deserve his respect."
Hard Life "No one has gone through what I went through this year, period." And Kai has been able to tell his story about his hardships in life. But he's not the only person. And I think the way I've been portrayed is as if Phil has this easy-ass life. They didn't know what I went through at 3 years old, having a broken home and stuff like that because it's not for them to know about. That's my personal life. I just feel like sometime Kai plays the victim. And people will come up to me and say, "Why do you have animosity towards him?" And I don't have animosity towards anyone. It's just that he's not the only one that goes through stuff."
Disrespect "He disrespected me by signing that poster as Mr. Olympia and he's been signing his autographs all weekend as 2013 Mr. Olympia. I have photos to prove it. If I were to do that, people would say Phil is cocky. When did I ever do that? I never signed Mr. Olympia till I was Mr. Olympia. I never touched a Sandow until I was able to touch my own. So that's the respect I've had for this sport. But why do people look at me as if I'm some arrogant asshole, but he can do it? I can't play by his rules. I can't get away with the same things that Kai Greene does. Fans should judge us on an even playing field, because if he were judged by the same standards that are applied to me they wouldn't be fans of him"
Role Model " When did I ever come after him? Never. He always comes after me and said I was gifted as if I didn't have to work to be Mr. Olympia. He should know that I worked my ass off just like him and he can't accept it. His fans don't like it because he's brainwashed them. It's very apparent. On paper, you put him and me together, and I'm going to be a better pick than he is for being a role model than he is. And everybody knows what I'm talking about. You look at my personal life, you look at my accomplishments onstage and offstage. I travel the world and promote this sport, and I give back to the community. And yet he gets looked at through a different lens and he gets to skate by. These are facts. I'm sorry. It may sound negative. But people do know this, and people don't address this ever".
Though Phil has some points, I think it's safe to say Kai may not own any Sandows but he owns Mr. Olympia's mind.
Discuss.
