Some believe making it to the Mr. Olympia is an accomplishment, but not Shawn Ray. In a YouTube video from June 24, 2026, he stressed that if you’re not going to win or earn money, don’t compete at the Mr. Olympia. In addition, he predicted that most top Men’s Open stars won’t be around in three years.
The Mr. Olympia continues to serve as the most prestigious contest in the IFBB Pro League. Since its inception in 1965, the event has helped elevate the sport, featuring countless bodybuilding icons like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dorian Yates, and Ronnie Coleman.
In 2025, Derek Lunsford earned gold at the ‘Super Bowl of Bodybuilding.’ While Regan Grimes and Urs Kalecinski qualified, Ray was adamant that they should have skipped the contest. Ultimately, “The Miracle Bear” landed in 12th place, and Grimes settled for 14th.
With Quinton Eriya being the latest to qualify in 2026, Ray broke down why it would benefit athletes to avoid the Olympia until they’re ready to win it.
Shawn Ray Says Skip Mr. Olympia If You Can’t Win, Projects Top Open Stars Are Gone in 3 Years
In the video, Ray shared that if you can’t win the Mr. Olympia or earn money, ‘don’t go.’
“My positioning is this: for me, the Olympia is hallowed ground. I think if you’re going, you’re going to win, you’re going to at least compete, you’re going to get paid. If none of those things are on the table, don’t go.”
He explained that athletes don’t gain true experience if they can’t break into the first callout.
“There’s no real experience to be gained watching guys better than you get called out ahead of you, and then you come in with the pickup crew. We said that about Regan Grimes. We said that about Urs Kalecinski.
I’ve said that before about numerous guys. I think I even said that about Jon Delarosa, who is a veteran. I said that, not from the point that they are not good enough, some of them just aren’t ready.”
In three years, Ray predicted that most top stars in the Men’s Open will no longer be competing:
“In three years, this guy [Quinton Eriya] is 34 years old. At 34, I don’t think we’ve even heard of Andrew Jacked. At 34, I’m not sure we were even talking about Samson at 34 years old. We were talking about Derek and Nick, they are the exceptions, but in three years, this guy is going to be 34 years old, barely.”
Guess who’s going to be gone? Samson, Andrew Jacked, Derek, and Hadi. There’s four, Brandon Curry and William Bonac. I got six guys in three years, 2029, that will be gone, living their lives in their 40s doing God knows what. I wouldn’t be surprised if Nick Walker is gone by that time.”
In that time, he argued Eriya could take over as a top Men’s Open contender.
“But guess who will be 34 years old, fully matured and ready to rock and roll, who would be the new Andrew Jacked, who would be the new Samson.”
“This guy would be sitting at the top of the Olympia in three years at 34 years old if he paces himself,” shared Shawn Ray.
Eriya has already made it clear he will compete at this year’s Mr. Olympia despite Ray’s call to skip it. Health is never a guarantee, and Eriya emphasized that it’s an opportunity he refuses to miss out on, especially since it would be his debut at the contest.
Looking ahead, Ray sees major turnover shaking up the Men’s Open class. The 2026 Mr. Olympia is scheduled for September 24-27 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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