Bodybuilding veteran Shawn Ray has witnessed the sport evolve since his days of performing on stage. In a recent YouTube video, Ray discussed the Open prize money increase slated for the 2025 Arnold Classic and defended Mr. Olympia’s pay structure.
When the smoke cleared and Hadi Choopan won the 2024 Arnold Classic title, Arnold Schwarzenegger took to the stage and kept the excitement alive. He announced a groundbreaking $500,000 boost for the Open winner prize money at the 2025 Arnold Classic, an increase of $200,000 from this year.
With Flex Wheeler arguing that the new Open prize money could make the Mr. Olympia contest ‘secondary’ to the Arnold Classic, many fans are curious how this will affect the competitive landscape. Already, Men’s Open star Nick Walker, who was unable to compete at 2023 Olympia due to injury, has expressed interest in the next Arnold Classic.
Ray, a 1990s bodybuilding star, celebrated for his consistency and completeness, took a closer look at Schwarzenegger’s big decision for 2025. He also defended Mr. Olympia’s pay structure, taking into account that the event features 11 divisions instead of seven.
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Shawn Ray Critical of Arnold Classic’s 500K Open Prize, Says Mr. Olympia Making Sure ‘Everybody Gets More Money’
According to Ray, Mr. Olympia doesn’t need to immediately respond financially to the Arnold Classic’s decision to raise the Open prize money.
“They don’t have to do anything right now, listen, that’s just someone throwing it out there right? Until that show actually happens… Olympia has been bringing up its prize money every single year. There’s only one reason why the sport of bodybuilding got better when I was bodybuilding in the ’90s, that was because someone else like Vince McMann came in raised the stakes and then Joe Weider had to go to the next level and continue to make Olympia the premiere event.”
Ray believes Mr. Olympia is significantly different from the Arnold Classic because you have to qualify for Olympia whereas Schwarzenegger hand-selects who he wants in his lineup each year.
“We’re talking about one division that’s going to get an extra $200,000, you gotta remember, the Olympia has 11 divisions!
You got to qualify to go to the Olympia, you can’t be invited. They hand-select who they want at the show. I think there were eight or nine athletes in the Pro Men’s show in England. At the Arnold Classic in Ohio, I think you had seven or eight guys. “
Ray says the shows do not compare given that Olympia features 11 Pro divisions with athletes all being flown in and put up in hotels.
“They don’t stack up brick by brick. These are two different shows. The Arnold has over 20,000 athletes from fencing to strongman to painting to ballroom dancing and of course, they have bodybuilding but let’s be honest, the Olympia is about the competition.”
“There are 11 Pro divisions. These guys are being flown in, they are all being put up, they are there for multiple days, they got the prize money and the prestige. The Arnold is everything as it relates to inclusivity, it’s about time they are giving away this kind of money for first place. The question is: are they going to do the same for Bikini? Are they going to do the same for Fitness?
While he respects Schwarzenegger’s decision to raise the prize money, he argues the Mr. Olympia event is still the premiere bodybuilding show.
“So, Arnold is putting his money where his passion is and that’s in Men’s Bodybuilding but it really is a winner-take-all show. It’s $500,000 for the winner not $500,000 for fifth place. As it relates to the Olympia platform, that is a Fitness, Bodybuilding, Bikini weekend that the premiere athletes are competing. Arnold’s is a festival. Arnold’s is a festival,” said Shawn Ray.
Ray doesn’t think Mr. Olympia will need to raise the money in 2024 but he assured fans that they will ‘answer that call’ in due time.
“It’s great they threw more money at the Arnold. I think the Olympia, which has been doing every single year adding more and more prize money and prestige, will answer that call.
They don’t have to do it in 2024. I have always argued for more prize money, not for first place but for last place. The more money our last place guy the better off our athletes are.”
He also took issue with the Arnold Classic’s ‘winner-take-all’ format instead of dividing the money equally amongst all divisions.
“I don’t like a winner-take-all. I think these athletes are having the opportunity to make careers out of themselves because there’s more money trickling down. I would have loved to see that extra $200,000 go from the bottom up not from the top down. The Olympia will answer the call in due time.”
Ray underlined that Mr. Olympia will ‘respond in kind’ and is ‘in the process’ of ensuring that every athlete receives more money.
“Mr. Olympia will respond in kind because they are in the process of making sure everybody gets more money,” adds Ray. “That’s the good thing about the Olympia.”
Shawn Ray isn’t the only IFBB Pro to break down the $500,000 shake-up prize increase. Former four-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler also chimed in on the subject. He believes the bump was justified, arguing that the Open class draws in the most fans and is ‘still king’ in the IFBB Pro League.
While the Mr. Olympia organization has yet to make a statement on additional prize money, Ray believes the structure could see a bump on the horizon. Whether they make a move or not, he contends that Mr. Olympia will remain the number one bodybuilding show on the calendar.
RELATED: Shawn Ray Urges Chris Bumstead To Compete in Men’s Open at Mr. Olympia: ‘You’re Foolish Not To’
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