No one questions Arnold Schwarzenegger’s contribution to making bodybuilding more mainstream. Nor do they doubt his legendary achievement in the sport. Arnold Schwarzenegger will forever be the original record-setter. However, what many people question even today is Arnie’s 1980 return and seventh Mr. Olympia title win. The controversial edition of that year’s Mr. Olympia often finds its way into conversations on the golden era.

So when six-time Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates sat for a chat with Patrick Bet-David, The Austrian Oak came up. Inevitably, the conversation led to the controversial 1980 Mr. Olympia. That year, Schwarzenegger surprised everyone with a last-minute entry into the competition and caused a massive uproar after winning the Mr. Olympia. One of the bodybuilders he defeated was Yates’s mentor, Mike Mentzer.

Dorian Yates on Arnold Schwarzenegger deserving the win

While talking about controversies in bodybuilding, Yates mentioned Schwarzenegger’s seventh title win. Valuetainment founder Patrick Bet-David said, “When he (Schwarzenegger) got on stage, a lot of experts said he didn’t look like he was ready to win the whole thing.” However, The Shadow didn’t comment on Schwarzenegger deserving the win.

“No, I don’t know,” said the six-time Mr. Olympia. The Englishman said he couldn’t be the judge as he wasn’t there. Unfortunately, there isn’t much video of the contest either. Yates alleged that the seven-time Mr. Olympia hid the footage to suppress any future scrutiny. Hence, only a few images are available. “I mean, look at pictures, and it’s not a lot of video around,” Yates said.

“I think Arnold bought it all up so you can’t watch it anymore,” added Yates. However, judging from the pictures, Yates thought the Austrian Oak didn’t look like his best self onstage. Yet, he praised Arnie’s size and genetics. “He’s a big man, he’s tall and he’s wide and made the other guys look a little bit small,” The Shadow said about the Austrian. However, the 1980 Mr. Olympia changed the bodybuilding landscape.

How bodybuilding fans and competitors reacted

While bodybuilding fans rejoiced to see the Austrian Oak return to the bodybuilding stage, many didn’t support the decision. Many thought bodybuilders like Boyer Coe, Mike Mentzer, or Frank Zane deserved the 1980 Mr. Olympia title. Even bodybuilding magazines didn’t write favorably about the contest. The competitors didn’t think Arnold Schwarzenegger should’ve won.

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Defending Mr. Olympia, Frank Zane boycotted the contest the following year. However, no one was quite as displeased as Mike Mentzer. The decision infuriated Yates’s mentor so much that he retired from bodybuilding. He also had a verbal altercation with Arnold Schwarzenegger backstage.

Dorian Yates never got along with the bodybuilding legend. Besides saying Arnie bought and hid the footage, Yates also said he has barely ever spoken to the Austrian Oak.

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