Like most sports, bodybuilding brings fame, fortune, and lots of possibilities. While some athletes grab every opportunity, some wait patiently for the right one. 4-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler falls in the second category. The $30 million worth bodybuilder got ample opportunities throughout his career but picked the right one with prudence. A few weeks ago, the IFBB icon appeared in the podcast ‘Cutler Cast’, where he revealed that he turned down a $2000 offer from Joe Weider. 

Weider is the founder of Mr. Olympia. However, after ten years of his demise, Cutler recalled the incident from 1995, where he left the entrepreneur in disbelief.

Jay Cutler had a strong-headed persona even in his maiden years

In the recent podcast from Cutler Cast on his YouTube channel, the bodybuilder candidly talked about his initial days with his manager Matthew M Daniels and David Baye. Sharing an anecdote from 1995, he stated, “So ’95, I won the Tournament of Champions, I’m like the next big guy to win my Pro Card. And at the time, I just refused a contract from Joe Weider.” This baffled the other two, as at that time, people could go to any extent to work with the IFBB co-founder, and Cutler rejected his offer.

However, there was more to it as the 4-time Mr. O winner added, “He goes I wanna give you a contract. So, I sat there, and I’m like, okay, what do you want to offer me? He offered me $2000 a month. This was ’95 and I wasn’t a pro yet, right? So, I actually like, that’s not a lot of money. So, I turned it down.” Stupefied, Weider couldn’t believe the then-rookie bodybuilder, Jay Cutler, rejected the offer by one of the most enviable entrepreneurs at that time.

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Nevertheless, Cutler was resilient enough to tell Weider that he would return next year with his Pro card. And he did that. In fact, the following year, the bodybuilder won a pro card and got another offer from the fitness entrepreneur of $50k per year. This indeed was an astute move from Cutler, who hailed from a humble background.

Cutler had a humble start

Jay Cutler’s path to reaching the pinnacle of his success was rocky. In his initial days, he struggled with a financial crisis. Going to the gym and building up had monetary requirements that the star was barely able to fulfill. He recalled, “I remember I used to scrounge up change with $2 of gas in my truck just to drive.”

But, even when he ran out of money, Cutler never stopped going to the gym. His determination and perseverance got him through. The 4x Mr. Olympia stated, “I didn’t have money, but I was able to go to the gym”.

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Albeit, he had difficulties in his rookie days, the bodybuilder always knew his worth. Thus, turning down a splurging offer to return for more the following year was proof of his self-confidence.