Joe Weider’s Olympia fitness and performance weekend, 2014. The 50th Mr.Olympia title on the line, the greatest bodybuilding show in history and undoubtedly one of the greatest shows on earth. If you haven’t seen it yet, check out the AWESOME promo here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXJLMDGHM7w
We all know that the legendary Phil Heath won his 4th Mr.Olympia title, but did he deserve it? I mean, seriously though, Kai Greene, his biggest rival, was in top shape. We can all agree that he was in his best shape yet. But did Phil he really earn the Sandow? Let’s break this down..
The Gift vs The Predator
We’re talking about two athletes who are the best in the industry today. They are the best at what they do and oh boy do they pack a punch. We’re also looking at two athletes who really don’t like each other. There has been a lot of trash talk, ugliness and hatred involved. And the drama, oh lord, was just too much.
Personally, as a person, I like Kai better. He is a great, humble and an inspiring figure. He has really worked from the ground up, been on the streets with nowhere to go, and from there, made his way to the greatest bodybuilding stage in history!
But, with that said, I still believe that Phil is a better bodybuilder. He has THE BEST genetics I have ever seen, thus far. Period. His muscles are just fuller, his waist smaller and aesthetically just stunning.
The prejudging:
Just look at that AWE. God damn, that is nearly flawless. I haven’t seen symmetry like this since Flex Wheeler! Take note that he has really improved on his back, but, Kai still has one of the best backs in history. Definitely better than Phil’s. But that condition though.. just WOW.
Here’s Kai at the prejudging.
It is so hard to compare the two because they’re just so good. Now, though Kai has the better back, the waist matters here, with Phil clearly having the smaller one, and thus, we can see a better taper on him, which in turn makes his back look bigger.
The two of them just dominated the stage with their massive physiques and they didn’t disappoint. This was a really close call, and as bodybuilding.com rightly put it, If you liked Phil, you’d think Phil was going to win, and if you liked Kai, you’d think Kai was going to win.
The Posedown:
There has been a lot of talk about how while Kai actually improved from the prejudging, Phil actually worsened. His gut was bloated in a few poses and Kai was EXTREMELY conditioned. He pushed Phil to the absolute limits.
Here are the two:
But still, clearly, Kai didn’t make the cut. He won the Fan’s Choice Award by a large margin, but he’ll have to wait another year to dethrone The Gift. All in all, it was a great year for the industry and as the weekend drew to a close, there was a mix of emotions for the fans, but we can all unanimously say that it ended on an epic note.
Now, let’s get to some of the controversial aspects of the competition. With a sport as big as this, politics, is just unavoidable. Here’s what people have to say about what happened..
Firstly, Phil plays it quite unfair on stage. I agree with this point. He gets too close to the competitors and tries to overshadow them by bringing his arms in front of them. He seriously pissed Kai off on stage by doing this and things started heating up to a point where the judges had to separate the two by bringing Wolf in between them. Too’s training breaks this down very well. Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufhHws4lP8o
There has also been talk about how Phil actually oversteps the line to appear bigger. That’s just ugly if you ask me.
Secondly, people say that Phil won, not only because he is the better bodybuilder, but also because he is a huge influence in the industry. He was sponsored by MuscleTech, is sponsored by Muscle & Fitness and Flex – Weider Publications, Smart Shake, Energycare and Schiek. While Kai is only sponsored by MuscleMeds and Flex. The argument is that Phil promotes many brands and makes the industry a lot of money. And after all, it all boils down to that, doesn’t it?
Lastly, people also say that Kai Greene’s past, also affects his chances of winning the title. They don’t want a guy who has done porn and has a shady past, to be an ambassador of the sport.
I call bullshit on the last two points and that is no way to judge an athlete on such a level. But hey, what can we do about it?
Who do you think should have won? Be sure to leave your opinion in the comments below.
Thank you for reading and be sure to check back for more!
the bodybuilding rant 