“I Cried the Whole Night”: Losing to ‘Chicken With 17-Inch Arms’, 6’2 Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 5-Inch Shorter Rival Left Him “Devastated”

Bodybuilding legend, Arnold Schwarzenegger had an incredible start to his professional bodybuilding career. He won almost every event he attended, from local competitions to the Mr. Universe events in the UK. However, after landing in America and competing against the best bodybuilders, Schwarzenegger got a reality check. In 1987, he lost to an aesthetic icon, Frank Zane, at the Mr. Universe, which left him shattered. 

Recalling it as one of his lowest moments, Schwarzenegger shed light on the matter in his latest Netflix documentary, Arnold. He confessed to being in disbelief and cried the night he lost. Besides that, the Austrian also made a demeaning remark about Zane, which he mentioned in the documentary mockingly, to address his loss.

Arnold Schwarzenegger couldn’t accept his loss 

As per the documentary, after winning his second Mr. Universe title in London, the 75-year-old pro was convinced he would ace every competition from then on. Hence, he got a call from the champion trainer, Joe Wieder, to come and compete in the American Mr. Universe competitions. Without a second thought, Arnie flew to the land of his dreams.

However, little did he know about the finesse of American bodybuilders. The standards were higher, yet he was sure of his triumph. Later, he was announced as the runner-up, which left him “devastated.” “I was considered the unbeatable guy, and now all of a sudden, Frank Zane won. This is terrible. I’m embarrassed,” he expressed. 

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Opining on the matter, even Zane added in the Netflix documentary, “I think he was just used to winning all the time. Landing in this country the first time, getting defeated by, as his words, a chicken with 17-inch arms, that really bothered him.” Arnie was so heartbroken that he “cried the whole night.” He felt like the world was ending and felt estranged from the country. The instance was once spotlighted in an interview years ago. 

Frank Zane thought of Arnold Schwarzenegger as a rookie

In a 2019 interview, in which Zane featured, he shared his thoughts on Arnie’s first impression. He claimed that the Austrian Oak simply felt like a “big smooth guy” without a tan. Hence, Zane did not perceive him as his competition, given his expertise in the field. And Arnie was still a budding athlete back then. 

“I just got beat by a chicken with 17-inch arms,” Arnie remarked on his loss to Zane, who was 5 inches shorter and smaller in size than him. Yet, the latter stole the show with his insane aesthetics and conditioning of the body, something which Arnie couldn’t achieve that year. 

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While Schwarzenegger had a great personality, he often got too competitive which encouraged disregarding comments on his competitors. Nevertheless, he eventually came to terms with his loss and worked harder to match the levels of the country’s athletes.