One of the reasons why Jay Cutler was deemed one of the most iconic bodybuilders was his legacy. The 4x Mr. Olympia rose to fame after battling multiple onstage wars with his fellow champion Ronnie Coleman. And since then, he transitioned from being one of the top choices on stage to an unbelievably shredded icon to date.
In his recent video, he reminisced about his time as a newbie and his journey from pro-card to Olympia. While on a casual walk, he spoke about the National championships and a huge regret about the same. Cutler’s pro card win was a celebration for his entire family. Yet, he missed out on something that stuck with him to date.
Given the aesthetic side of the bodybuilding industry, many athletes were popular across various magazines. Cutler, having won multiple Mr. Olympias, was also fortunate enough to have his physique and face printed across several. But before he embarked upon his journey to the Sandow, he recalled his humble beginnings:
“So Tom (Prince) got second at the USA (Championships), very controversial, so he was in line to win the Nationals in ’96. And then I came in and beat him”
This title gave the shredded icon his pro card right away. In the presence of friends and family, who were sure that the veteran would bag it, Cutler etched his name into the industry. However, there was a small regret that stuck with him throughout the years.
Although Cutler got his pro status in this show, he did not win the overall contest. Willie Stalling bagged the overall title and found his name and photo at Gold’s Gym as the national champion. Cutler admitted:
“I never got my picture as a national champion at Gold’s Gym, and that bothered me to this day. Like if I could change something it would be having my picture on the wall”
Eventually, Cutler ended up making it big on the Olympia stage, quad-stomping his way to victory. But being a critique of himself, the icon is always transparent to point out his flaws.
How Jay Cutler and Ronnie Coleman’s iconic 2005 moment felt like
The 2005 Mr. Olympia finals saw onstage rivals Cutler and Coleman lock horns as they posed and flaunted their best. At that time, the mere mention of the icons together was enough to get fans hyped up about the show. In a viral video clip, both of them roasted each other during the pose showdown, all in good humor.
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However, on his TikTok, Cutler admitted how that wasn’t his best physique. He saw better conditioning in himself later on. In fact, the following year itself, his physique managed to break Coleman’s eight-year long streak and win the Olympia.
