“Better Than Him”: Arnold Schwarzenegger Felt Threatened by a Six-Time Mr. Olympia Winner, Claimed His Biggest Rival

To be the best, sometimes, one must go above and beyond. Most of the greatest athletes have something peculiar. Something extraordinary. Arnold Schwarzenegger is the epitome of success in bodybuilding. However, it is a touchy debate for a day on whether he is the greatest bodybuilder of all time. The 1980 Mr. Olympia contest saw a shift in mindsets for the bodybuilding fraternity. It blew up to a point where former bodybuilder Mike Mentzer thought others deserved the recognition.

Many notable athletes graced the stage of Mr. Olympia’s contests. Lee Haney, Ronnie Coleman, Jay Cutler, and Phil Heath are some of the household names in the event. But, one person to go under the radar is an English bodybuilding legend, Dorian Yates. He was incredible. And Mentzer believed he was better than the Austrian Oak. 

Is Arnold Schwarzenegger the greatest bodybuilder?

In a past interview, Yates explained how Mentzer saw the alarm bells ringing after Dorian received an infamous verbal attack on a magazine from Arnold. The whole story blew out of proportion when Arnold felt the modern bodybuilders were not good enough as Yates defended them, being so-called “the leader,” according to Arnold. 

“Mike told me, ‘Arnold Schwarzenegger is very aware of you, and he’s going to be really bothered because you’re better than him.’ And actually, I couldn’t believe it, and I was like, ‘C’mon man, I ain’t gonna give a sh**. He’s done what he’s done. He’s Arnold,” said Yates. After the dominance showcased in bodybuilding, he gradually transitioned to movies like Dwayne The Rock Johnson did from WWE to become the Scorpion King. 

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Yates continued, “I mean now, he’s in the movies, he is a big star, he is a multimillionaire. He’s not gonna care about who’s Mr. Olympia right now.” After the 1980 contest, Mentzer retired from bodybuilding owing to the events that transpired that day. Many bodybuilders had an issue with the 1980 contest, thinking the officials rigged it from start to finish. 

Yates stood his ground!

In the 1970s, Arnold ruled the competition, winning it six times, then later his seventh at the 1980 Mr. Olympia. Similarly, Yates won six consecutive titles from 1992 to 1997. If the 1980 contest bubble wrapped and dumped away, they stand at six titles each. Having a close relationship with Mentzer, Yates finally knew what he meant after the magazine fiasco. 

“Mike Mentzer said to me, ‘Trust me, you don’t know him. He cares, and he cares a lot.’ That became apparent because a couple of years later, I got the attack in the magazine,” said Yates. The apparent insecurities saw Arnold lose some respect amongst the bodybuilding community. The events unfolded had Yates on a thin line after receiving scathing criticisms. To many, Arnold is the greatest bodybuilder ever to set foot on Earth. For others, the perception is different. Do you think Yates was better than Arnold?

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