Mr. Olympia is the biggest stage for any bodybuilder in the world. It’s the ultimate challenge for bodybuilders to prove they are the best. There have been several great rivalries on the biggest platform for bodybuilding. However, no one tops the biggest rivalry between 8X Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman and 4X Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler.

It was the most intense rivalry in the history of Mr. Olympia. Although Coleman defeated Cutler many times. But in the end, his perseverance worked, and he beat the mighty Coleman in 2006. Jay Cutler once opened up on his YouTube channel about the relationship Jay shared with Ronnie Coleman. Moreover, he revealed how the magazines at that time played a substantial role in creating the image of their relationship in the public mind.

Did Jay Cutler and Ronnie Coleman hate each other?

This question might not be that important now, but once, it was a vast question among bodybuilding fans. The intense rivalry they had on the stage didn’t reveal much, as it was a professional platform. Moreover, there was no social media back then. As a result, a person could not acknowledge his emotions at once to millions like in current situations.

Cutler revealed why people thought Ronnie and Jay hated each other. He said, “You know people question because the magazines back then built this up to kind of hate each other, and the truth of matter is… I don’t think we, I think we had respect for each other, but we weren’t really necessarily friends. We didn’t call each other on the phone.” 

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He added, “But my first experience, just so you guys know, was, you know, I completed the Olympia first time in 99.” Ronnie won his second that year at Mandalay Bay. And his first one-on-one experience over call was when Ronnie called him to congratulate him for winning the ‘Night of Champions’.

The bodybuilding rivalry between Cutler and Coleman

One of the most famous rivalries in bodybuilding almost lasted a decade. Moreover, the whole time it was pretty neck to neck. Cutler first made his appearance opposite Coleman in 1999. However, the first time he came to considerable attention was during the 2001 Olympia when he stood the runner-up. In contrast, many people felt he should have won some titles that were awarded to Coleman by the judges.

However, by statistics, Coleman is still way ahead as he has won eight titles. On the other hand, Cutler has managed to win only four. But, the interesting part is that Cutler had been the runner-up of the competition six times, which makes him one of the most consistent bodybuilders of all time.

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Chiefly, there was a rivalry between the two greats of the sport. To follow, there stood an abundance of mutual respect. And there might be a tinge of friendship somewhere. But the one thing that never stood between these two legends was hatred towards each other. Do you think this is the greatest rivalry in bodybuilding history?