The Men’s Open landscape has drastically changed since the 2024 Mr. Olympia wrapped up in Las Vegas, Nevada. In a recent YouTube video shared on November 3, 2024, bodybuilding coach Chris Aceto discussed Chris Bumstead competing at the 2025 Mr. Olympia if he wins Prague, and predicted Nick Walker’s next show would be at the Pittsburgh Pro.
Chris Bumstead walked away with his sixth consecutive Classic Physique Olympia title at the event’s 60th anniversary. After laying claim to gold, ‘Cbum’ announced his retirement, something he’s long-teased within the bodybuilding community for years. However, before having a chance to reflect on his big win, Bumstead announced his participation at the 2024 EVLS Prague Pro in the Men’s Open class.
Meanwhile, Nick Walker, who bowed out of the Mr. Olympia contest for the last two years, is itching to make his comeback to the stage. With that, conversations about what contest he’ll enter have consumed fans of bodybuilding, leading Chris Aceto to break down what’s next for two of the sport’s biggest stars.
Chris Aceto Discusses Nick Walker’s Next Show, Says Chris Bumstead Will Do Open 2025 Mr. Olympia If He Wins Prague: ‘I’ll Guarantee It’
Aceto believes Bumstead will have the opportunity to stand out with new poses on the bodybuilding stage, like his front lat spread.
“Keep in mind, he’s doing poses that he’s not done in the past,” explains Aceto. “Front lat which is incredible.”
One of Aceto’s concerns is that Bumstead might struggle to challenge other Open bodybuilders in the back double biceps pose due to a lack of thickness. He made it clear that Bumstead will compete at the 2025 Mr. Olympia in the Open if he wins the 2024 EVLS Prague Pro.
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“I’ve only seen him against other guys in the Classic division. Well, he’s really good. Does he have the thickness on the back double to challenge people?” wonders Aceto. “Absolutely yes [if he wins Prague, he’ll do the 2025 Mr. Olympia in the Open]. I’ll guarantee it. Because he just beat one of the guys who is a headliner at the Olympia.”
Aceto doesn’t believe Bumstead could get past Samson Dauda and says he won’t attempt the Open Mr. Olympia unless he qualifies by winning a Pro show.
“No, he can’t beat Samson, no,” adds Aceto. “No, he would not do that [go to Open Mr. Olympia without qualifying].
He’s a phenomenal bodybuilder, phenomenal accomplishments but I would imagine that he would think it’s the backdoor approach. Not that people wouldn’t, other people may do it.”
Aceto is confident Bumstead would never enter the Open Mr. Olympia without having qualified first.
“The face of Classic bodybuilding. With that comes this odd responsibility, not responsibility but burden,” he shares. “He would never do it because he’s – whether he wins this show or not, he’s going to prove to himself that the Classic champion can win Open shows, not that a Classic champion can slide into the Olympia without having qualified.”
He believes it would make sense for Walker to compete at the Pittsburgh Pro and New York Pro to solidify his 2025 comeback.
“I agree with what he had to say. I said the problem is not his problem it’s just the idea is that people want to see him fail anyway. That’s the way people are,” shares Aceto. “Probably, maybe Pittsburgh [is his next show]. Yeah, those two shows back to back [Pittsburgh and New York Pro]. Totally, if you’re going to do one, you do them both.”
According to Walker, he wouldn’t be surprised if Bumstead won in Prague. As for Walker’s next bodybuilding contest, he refused to reveal which event he was targeting but emphasized that he wanted to compete in multiple contests, similar to the trajectory Samson Dauda had taken as of late.
The Open division is on track to see some explosive battles on the horizon. Bumstead and Walker, who now compete in the same category, are both in interesting positions as they pursue qualifications for the 2025 Mr. Olympia.
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