Here's my honest/humble opinion and I know I am going heavily against the grain here..
I think the IFBB Mr. Olympia is outdated and boring. Today, people want better production value and a lot more for their money. The days of overly drugged up guys on stage dancing to sensual music while douched in baby oil to then be solely judged by a panel of older men is slowly falling to the wayside. Mainstream isn't attracted to that shit and if it's not, there goes the largest stream of revenue. The niche market that the Mr. Olympia caters to just isn't big enough. Throughout the country, you very rarely see the old school bodybuilders at every local gym with the 2-gallon water jug and the incessant need to pose in front of every mirror. Mainstream doesn't like it because it quite frankly doesn't look good on magazine covers, instead it conveys the message that with enough hormones pumped into your system and a little bit of weight lifting, you too can look like a pharmaceutical experiment. Frankly, I hear less and less men at the gyms wanting to look like a Shawn Rhodden or Ramy, because women don't like that look, guys like Ryan Reynolds are more along the lines of what women like. The only people that find these mass monsters attractive are unfortunately other straight guys and to a lesser extent (surprise surprise) gay men. I know some of you will argue that the Rock is pretty massive compared to Reynolds and women like him a lot. Yes, but he is also a pretty good looking face (nice facial features), a shitload of charisma and swag, plus most importantly money and a lot of it. Whereas most IFBB pros have as much charisma as a dirty doorknob.
I think it's time the IFBB bring in new and more exciting blood to help them sail into the next decade. Because if not, I also see the Mr. Olympia going the same direction as the Ms. Olympia contest. People want a true picture of health and sexuality when they see these "athletes". The biggest I think they should have ever been allowed to get was the size of IFBB pros back in the early 70's. Today, these guys frankly look hideous.
If this is a true venture, I see nothing less than the Rock's show being the best show. That guy is insanely talented and failure is not an option towards whatever he works at. He's mere star power (Hollywood + WWe) alone will bring millions of new fans. Plus, these are very different times than the 70's - 90's. People in general care less about the subculture the Olympia is based upon. It's just not as exciting as it once was based on the allure these IFBB pros had. There isn't an Arnold anymore and there clearly will never be another. Also, there was always a sense of wonder as to how these guys got so big, but today, we know too damn well how they are doing it, literally down to the dose of every substance they use. And if drug/dosing details weren't enough, you now realize more than ever that many of these pros are lazy as fuck and barely put any real hard work into their bodybuilding (I know a handful of top IFBB pros that are fucking slackers, eat junk throughout most of the year and only put in real hard work + diet during the last 1-2 months). Many rely so heavily on the drugs, that actual weightlifting and dieting takes a backseat due to what they already take.
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