Mitchell Hooper Discusses If Ronnie Coleman Could Have Won World’s Strongest Man Title in His Prime

In the prime of his bodybuilding career, there was no denying the strength and power of Ronnie Coleman. This has led Mitchell Hooper to discuss whether or not Coleman could have taken a World’s Strongest Man title from Mariusz Pudzianowski during his time on top in the early 2000s. 

“Today we are going to be looking at the two titans of strength and bodybuilding from the late 90s early 2000s, I’m sure you guys can guess. We’re going to look at Ronnie Coleman and we’re going to look at Mariusz Pudzianowski and we’re going to compare.

Do you think Ronnie Coleman could have stolen one of those titles from Mariusz? We’re going to break it down head to toe.” 

As the reigning World’s Strongest Man and Arnold Strongman Classic titleholder, Mitchell Hooper has cemented himself as one of the best. Having found success in the wake of Pudzianowski’s career, Hooper never shies away from discussions about who truly boasted next-level strength. 

Coleman immortalized his name in the history of bodybuilding with eight Mr. Olympia titles but was also revered for his head-turning strength. From an 800-pound deadlift and squat to repping out 2,300 pounds on the leg press, Coleman captivated his audience with sheer power. 

Mitchell Hooper Breaks Down If Ronnie Coleman Could Have Won World’s Strongest Man Title in 2005 

Hooper compared Coleman’s 800-pound deadlift to five-time WSM champ Pudzianowski’s 914-pound deadlift, underlining that it wasn’t close. 

“Ronnie 800 pounds by two reps for a deadlift. That is good, nowadays, that is not competitive. Mariusz’s best deadlift was 415 kilos, that’s unfortunately, Ronnie not really close.” 

As for Coleman’s squatting abilities, Hooper believes he could have given Pudzianowski a run for his money. 

“Squatting was one of his most famous things. We have seen that video of his squatting 800 pounds for reps. That is an 800-pound double squat. The best-listed squat by Mariusz is 380 kilos, that is 840 pounds so that’s really quite close.” 

With a bench press of 500 pounds, Hooper was impressed with Coleman’s strength. 

“Bench press, Ronnie Coleman 500-pound bench press for five reps. I could not do that. That would not be possible for me. For squats, I would be close. I could probably do three or four at 800 pounds without knee wraps on.” 

However, Pudzianowski’s bench press personal best was 639 pounds, adding that this lift ‘would destroy anyone’ on the Pro circuit today. 

“Contrast that to Mariusz’s personal best at 290 kilos… that is absurd. I actually don’t even know if I believe that because that is insane and that would destroy anyone on the Pro circuit right now when it comes to bench pressing. He does look like a good bench presser, but.” 

In a hypothetical World’s Strongest Man event, with a ‘moderate level’ of strongman training, Hooper contends that Coleman would have a shot at gold. 

“I think Ronnie could get through them all. I don’t think that’s a problem at all, a 300-pound stone. I think he can pick that up relatively easily. Might not be the smoothest thing in the world, he might not be sprinting from one to the next,” adds Hooper. 

“Eight points means he is now at 59 points [total]. This is a loss [to Mariusz] by one point. But, if he were in the contest, he beat Mariusz in Fingals Fingers, and he beat him in Log Lift, this means those are two points Mariusz would have lost, meaning Mariusz would have been at 58 and Ronnie Coleman at 59.” 

“I think if Ronnie Coleman competed in shape with some moderate level of directed strongman training, I think 2005 World’s Strongest Man is possible that Ronnie Coleman could have been crowned the World’s Strongest Man. Big statement to say he could have dethroned the best of all time when it comes to World’s Strongest Man.” 

As a WSM champion, Hooper ‘genuinely believes’ it’s possible Coleman could have taken one title from Mariusz Pudzianowski at the height of his career. 

“I genuinely think as someone who has won World’s Strongest Man, I genuinely think it would have been possible. He was a genetic freak. He obviously knew how to train hard, he obviously was incredibly strong. It’s possible.” 

Having long made his mark in weightlifting and bodybuilding, athletes today marvel at Coleman’s legendary strength. Bodybuilder, powerlifter, and influencer Larry Wheels showcased his power in the company of Coleman recently. During their collaboration, Wheels managed to squat 600 pounds for 14 reps and was knighted by ‘The King’ for his lifting prowess. 

As one of the strongest bodybuilders to ever compete, Mitchell Hooper is confident Ronnie Coleman could have possibly won a World’s Strongest Man title. While the world will never truly know if Coleman could have defeated Pudzianowski in competition, Hooper refused to dismiss it as a plausible scenario. 

RELATED: Ronnie Coleman Says Stem Cells ‘Best Thing Ever’: ‘It Kept Me From Going Under the Knife’

Watch the full video from Mitchell Hooper’s YouTube channel below: 

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