Phil cares , he's emo and wants the adoration , Ronnie is beloved and respected because he was genuine and humble the opposite of Phil , Phil will beat Ronnie's record but he will never has the respect Ronnie commands.
Hmm...? ND, have you ever spoken to Phil?
I personally don't consider him to be arrogant. In 2012, when I saw him at the Arnold, I asked him if he felt he might be able to win 9x Sandows, given his age, with respect to Ronnie's age when he started winning [Phil was just under 32 when he became Mr. Olympia in 2011, whereas Ronnie was around 34.5 years old when he did].
Phil replied "I'm just taking it one show at a time, Matt."
That's right - Phil and I are on a first name basis.
Or were - it's been around five years since we spoke last, as I stopped covering expos in 2014, when my kids became more interactive.
Anyway, I felt that Phil's statement was pretty realistic - and not at all arrogant.
ND, do you suppose the nonstop attacks online factor in to why Phil himself goes in attack mode? Because I think it does. He has people telling him he "looks like shit" all day...meanwhile he is 7x Mr. Olympia. Don't you think that would affect anyone, after a while?
