Only Flex knows, His version is , he was carjacked by a gang of Asians and kicked all their asses. The rumor was he was grossly out of shape and didn't want to embarrass himself on-stage
Dingding! We have a winner

I understand the man had health issues. I can relate to that to a degree. But his main problem was simply that he was fucking LAZY. Even if he didn't really deserve it, he would've won the 98 Olympia if he was in shape. Ronnie was overlooked at first and a top-notch Flex would probably have kept the spotlight off Ron until it was too late.
Screw Flex. Cocky asshole.