when dorian competed and you read what the other guys said, they never thought they could actually beat dorian.
the said the judging criteria needed to change.
those same guys, with the same judging criteria and same judges, actually thought they could beat ronnie.
dillet, kevin, flex, shawn, etc.
(if have to post the quotes that will be ignored by hulkster, etc. when reality sets in, then so be it).
also, the conditioning of flex, shawn, dillet, nasser, etc. were at an all time high when they competed against dorian. they knew they had to be at their best if they stood a chance for 2nd place.
once, he retired, they got much worse. they were no longer motivated to beat some mo they dominated countless times, if he was mr. olympia or not.
yes, they got older, but ronnie got better as he got older.
also, they thought they didnt even have to work as hard to beat ronnie, but with dorian they knew they had to work harder then ever.