We all discuss the greats, the champions who have shaped the bodybuilding sport into what it is today. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dorian Yates, Ronnie Coleman, Phil Heath; all of them are champions of great merit. But what about the other competitors who push them into that stratosphere; with the same amount of talent but were never able to win an Olympia title? Who is the greatest runner-up?
Check out our list of bodybuilders never to win the ultimate bodybuilding competition.
Kai Greene
From 2011 to 2014 Kai Greene had to grit his teeth and concede defeat to his main rival Phil Heath. In 2015 Mr. Olympia, many believed he deserved the win, but it wasn’t to be.
Victor Martinez
Víctor Martínez is an International Federation of BodyBuilders professional bodybuilder, and the second Dominican bodybuilder to turn professional, the first being Tony Domenench from Puerto Plata, who turned pro in 1995. Martinez should’ve captured the Olympia championship in 2007 up against Jay Cutler who admittedly was off his game that year, and many believed that Martinez should have been the champ. But the judges saw it differently, and the Sandow slipped through his fingers. Some legal troubles further hindering his career, Martinez’s talent would never go on to be fully recognized.
Flex Wheeler
Kenneth “Flex” Wheeler, described by Arnold as one of the greatest bodybuilders he had ever seen. Remarkably talented bodybuilder with championship potential, but had the unfortunate luck of competing against both Dorian Yates and Ronnie Coleman – the two former great Olympia champs in their own right. Flex like Levrone was faced with the daunting task of having to face off with great like Yates and Coleman. Wheeler’s story is more interesting because he had a terrible and near fatal car accident that sidelined him for quite some time.
Kevin Levrone
Levrone is IFBB Hall of Famer and is truly an exceptional bodybuilder, but just like Flex, Kevin was faced with the very difficult task of having to face off with great like Yates and Coleman. He’d won almost every other competition easily, yet the bronze Sandow would always allude him. He made a comeback this year’s Mr. Olympia and recently confirms, he will be competing in Olympia 2017.
Shawn Ray
Shawn Ray the man possessed with a striated and complete physique, Ray was absolutely a great, with the potential that was both fully realized and yet not enough to overcome the beast that was Dorian Yates. The reason? Many points to the fact that compared to many other bodybuilders at the time, Ray was considered undersized. Luck just didn’t appear to be on his side.
Let us know in the comments, who else do you think could have been the Mr. Olympia champion?
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Tough to keep Branch off that list
BRANCH WARREN SHOULD NOT BE ON THE LIST EVER…
i love the guy, but no….
Wolf > Branch
I don’t think he should be on there either just tough to keep him off.
BRANCH WARREN NEVER HAD A PLEASING BODY FOR ANY EYES THAN FOR HIS WIFE… TRISH… 1985 NATURAL MR AMERICA JOHN STEWART LOOKS MUCH BETTER THAN BRANCH EVER WAS… EVEN TODAY AT 65 YRS… EXCEPTION FOR HIS 1995 DEBUT… WHERE HE LOOKED A LITTLE BIT NORMAL 😀
Branch Warren was one of the hardest working BB’s. But he does not deserve to be on the list, nor does Dennis Wolf ( Mr No Calves).
YAY… BUT NOT KAI…
KAI IS AN ANGRY, BLOCKY, DISCONTENDED BODYBUILDER THAT SHOULD TAKE SECOND PLACE 7 TIMES TILL HE COULD KNOCK DOWN PHIL IN 2019… TO ALL OF MY FANS THAT FOLLOW MY WAY FROM 1985 NATURAL MR AMERICA TO THE 2022 NATURAL MR AMERICA AT 70 YRS OF AGE… KEEP TRAINING… STOP COMPLAINING… BE A GOOD SPORTSMAN AND A GENTLEMAN… AND MOST OF ALL, LOVE AND WORSHIP JESUS CHRIST, BECAUSE HE CREATED YOU FOR THE SAME REASON PS: “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD SPAKE BY ME, AND HIS WORD WAS IN MY TONGUE… THE GOD OF ISRAEL SAID, THE ROCK ISRAEL SPAKE TO ME,… AND HE SHALL BE AS THE LIGHT OF THE MORNING, WHEN THE SUN RISETH, EVEN A MORNING WITHOUT CLOUDS; AS THE TENDER GRASS SPRINGING OUT OF THE EARTH BY CLEAR SHINING AFTER RAIN…. YET HE HATH MADE WITH ME AN EVERLASTING COVENANT ORDERED IN ALL THINGS, AND SURE: FOR THIS IS ALL MY SALVATION, AND ALL MY DESIRE.” (II SAMUEL 23:2-5) FACEBOOK.COM/LOVEJOYPEACEFOREVER
SOMEBODY HAS TO TAKE THE RUNNER UP…
Mentzer should’ve best Arnold in 80 and Danny Padilla blew Franco off the stage in 81
Big VIC
Im next bodybuilding from Jason Gillespie
Lvrone for sure.
The best of the best in the bodybuilding industry
You forgot Robbie Robinson he should have won at least 2
Robbie Robinson did not posses the calves to win a Mr O. That said, it was a fact that when he was on the cover of Weider Mags, sales went down. That was just another reason why things were not always equal when it came to judging.
Frank McGrath should be there
Anand KS Reddy kai Greene
Champion is only 1. Maybe that yr has better
You forgot Nasser El Sonbaty in 1996.
John Rambo
Martinez 07
i agree with 4 out of 5 where as shawn ray was always up against better guys then him.
also dennis wolf should be in this list.
Deserved to? If you only looked away from who actually won you mean?
Saying they deserved to win an Olympia means they should have beaten an actual Mr Olympia one specific year. That is only the case for Victor Martinez. None of the others deserved to win despite having amazing physiques
No Way Arnold should have won in Australia. What a joke. And Sergio Oliva was way better than Arnold. But Weider could sell more magazines with Arnold than Oliva. SO…..Arnold won!
Yea – why even compete in bodybuilding, it’s all fixed…they just end up giving it to the best built and best conditioned guy anyway! (sarcasm intended). I like seeing comments from ASSBAGS who never competed in their life on who should have won some contest based on photos in a magazine.
Well, Gee whiz, Talk about ASS BAGS. Please remove your B& W photo b4 we all throw up. HAHAHA…. I wasn’t old enough to attend any of the Arnold VS Sergio contests. But living in Los Angeles years later, bodybuilders talk. I have worked out with Frank Zane, and I knew Dammy Padilla, Franco, and most of those guys. We ate at the same places for breakfast, and sometimes they let me hang with them at night at the clubs. They were older, but we trained in the same gym. World Gym, in Santa Monica. Joe Gold ( who had sold Gold’s Gym) was the owner. It is common knowledge that Arnold should not have beat Sergio on at least 2 occassions. Author and bodybuilder Rick Wayne, told me this, as well as other bodybuiders. As for Arnold’s last win in Australia, I WAS THERE. His upper body looked good. But his legs?? NO WAY he shoulda won. And I have photos of me and Arnold ( I was a fan). Why do you think there was a boycott by so many bodybuiders after that Olympia? Why do you think CBS, who was going to air that show on t.v. said ” We can never air this contest ? Even the novices at CBS who were there knew Arnold should not have won. So, get your facts straight Brett Yokley.
I just saw your response. Just comes off as desperate! You didn’t need to rattle off your whole resume of who you knew to try to position your credibility. Settle down and have another beer, relax.