Obviously I disagree and I'll explain in detail exactly why.
Ronnie in 1998 would NOT beat Dorian I'm sorry if Ronnie just barely beat Flex in 1998 he's NOT beating Dorian. Flex was much sharper when he faced Dorian in 1993 when he faced Ronnie in 1998. Dorian dominated Flex and the rest of the feild , he was so dominating in fact the judges didn't even need to call him out the in the muscularity round .
To anyone with the excuse Ronnie was ' overlooked ' at the 1998 Mr Olympia please spare me. Yes the general precontes consensus was it was Flex Wheelers show to win ( or lose ) but all that nonsense came to a dead halt when Ronnie showed up in remarkable shape , the judges deemed him the best man at the conclusion of the prejudging , he was NOT overlooked thats exactly why he won.
Now concerning the topic of Dorian's weight advantage which vs Ronnie in 1998 was eight pounds , now for you to write this off as no advantage is pure nonsense . now if we were talking 3 or 4 pounds I'd say Okay but we're talking about a solid eight pounds of dense muscle on a man 1 inch shorter to say it would make no difference is not being honest . case in point Ronnie 1998 vs Ronnie 1999 , guess what he just had an eight pound weight advantage from one year to the next and look how much of a diference it made . Yates at 257lbs dry is a noticably bigger than Ronnie thats just a plain fact .
Now you say the contest comes down to condition , balance & shape. Dorian equals Ronnie 1998 in terms of conditioning and surpasses Ronnie 1999 . balance no question Dorian has better balance of any year Ronnie. and shape. now granted Ronnie does have some better shaped muscles but so does Dorian. Dorian has better calves , abdominals , side head triceps , forearms , I would say lats , Ronnie has his edges in biceps , quads , and etc. from a shape prospective its a push Ronnie may have a more pleasing apperance due to his small waist but he's NOT in the same leauge as Cormier or Flex in terms of shape that would outright dominate.
Now this is a summary of the judging criteria
The comparisons of the compulsory poses cannot be overemphasized
as these comparisons will help the judge to decide
which competitor has the superior physique from the standpoint of
muscular bulk, balanced development, muscular density and
definition.
Ronnie 1998 cannot match Dorian in terms of muscular bulk , balanced development and muscle density or definition ( conditioning ) Ronnie 1999 while can match Dorian in terms of muscular bulk he still trails in terms of balanced development , muscular density and definition ( conditioning ) Dorian simply enjoys these advantages in most of the mandatory poses , this is exactly how he dominated everyone . he was the biggest , dryest , densest , and most balanced . and believe me when a contest is this close bitch-tits are going to come into play especially when one competitor has them and the other does't .
Ronnie beat Flex in 1998 because he was bigger ( muscular bulk ) and had ripped hams & glutes ( definition/conditioning )
2003 I think just based on a 30lb size advantage Ronnie would probably beat Dorian but you never know Nasser was 285 in 1998 and Ronnie beat him at 249lbs so you never know .
wow. this post illistrates how incredibly flawed ND's arguments really are.
You argue that Ronnie and dorian are close in shape because while Ronnie has better shaped arms, quads, body taper, Yates has better shaped
side head triceps and forearms? What the Fuck?

absolutely retarded.
ND- Ronnie's shape advantages are HUGE - see any most muscular, rear lat spread, or any relaxed pose.
its not just about minor stuff like "side head triceps", forearms or abs.
We are talking about major parts of the body here.
Secondly, again, you completely miss the fact that whether dorian was better conditioned is completely irrelevant because he LACKED THE DETAIL head to toe that Ronnie had. Again, see any most muscular, side chest, rear double bi, etc.
again, very weak argument that ignores all the proof exhibited in this thread.
Third, just because THE JUDGES thought it was close between Ronnie and Flex in 1998 HAS NO RELEVANCE to how they would judge Ronnie vs. Dorian.
Why?
Dorian beat Flex because of size.
Ronnie beat Flex because of conditioning, width and to a lesser extent, size.
In ronnie, dorian would face someone with near his size (equal if you choose 1999 over 1998) with a back, better shape etc.
Third, you say that dorian "simply enjoys these advantages in the mandtatory poses"
well, why is it that in all of these comparisons that keep getting posted, dorian comes up short?
answer: "muscular balance" (that does not really exist except in your mind) doesn't help if you have inferior bodyparts combined together on top of a wide waist and blocky structure.


how you cannot see the unbelievable difference in overall shape is unreal

Notice: the dramatic taper that ronnie has. the arms etc. Yes, this is dorian post tear - but his taper didn't change much post tear. The natural body shape remained the same.