Insults, debates and outright challenges raged in the Olympia Press Conference Wednesday afternoon at the Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas. For the second year in a row, WWE superstar Triple H and effusive IFBB pro Bob Cicherillo hosted the three-ring festivities, egging on champion Ronnie Coleman and the 19 men who aim to defeat him Saturday night.
Unlike the women’s press conference that led off the 1 p.m. event, where the best the Fitness, Figure and Bodybuilding athletes could muster in the way of smack talk was a comment from Jen Hendershott about Adela Garcia’s hairstyle, the guys were, for the most part, ready to throw down. Some of the highlights:
• Gustavo Badell, third in the Olympia last year, personally calling out Ronnie Coleman for an impromptu posedown. Gustavo stripped down and stepped onto conference table, while Ronnie declined to do the same. To Gustavo’s claim that he could move up and win the crown, Ronnie replied,
“Somebody ought to take the crack from that fool.”
• Mustafa Mohammad, making the claim that he had the biggest legs in bodybuilding, which led to a friendly thigh-vs.-thigh comparison with Branch Warren. After an equal response to both from the crowd, Cicherillo called the showdown a draw.
• Melvin Anthony and Markus Ruhl scrapped in the ongoing size vs. aesthetics debate, which proved to be a theme throughout the press conference. In response to Melvin, who said he’s sporting a 291/2 inch waist as part of his ultra-aesthetic physique, Markus retorted, “That’s the size of my arm -- that’s the difference.”
• Chris Cormier needing a bleep button a few times as he verbally sparred with Melvin Anthony and Darrem Charles about the overall importance of posing in a bodybuilding contest. “[You guys do] the same s**t, year after year,” he said of their routines. After, however, Chris called a truce and gave props to both for their body of work.
Also notable is what didn’t happen, and that’s a repeat of last year, in which Gunter and Ronnie exchanged words that melted down into a frenetic and unexpected posedown. While Jay and Gunter spoke strongly, saying they have what it takes this year to win it all and beat Ronnie, they seemed willing to save the physical conflict for Saturday.
If the mood permeating the athletes during the conference is any indication, Saturday could be the hardest-fought Olympia competition on record. The big names are coming out with guns blazing, an all-out effort to beat Ronnie, end his streak, and bust open a new chapter in bodybuilding. As Jay said, “I’ve wanted to win the Mr. Olympia since I was 19, and I’m not going to stop until I do.”
