There is no going into a safe house around the fact that Arnold Schwarzenegger is the most popular bodybuilder in the history of the sport. Although it is factually correct that a couple of bodybuilders have more Mr. Olympia titles than Schwarzenegger but one can’t deny that the Austrian athlete has unmatched popularity.
A primary reason behind the same is Schwarzenegger’s successful decision to enter other professions namely showbiz and politics. Other than owning businesses, the 75-year old is a household name across the globe for being part of multiple blockbuster movies as an actor and producer.
Schwarzenegger, a Republican candidate, exhausted his limits of serving as a Governor twice on the back of comprehensive victories in 2003 and 2006.
What did Arnold Schwarzenegger do to win 1980 Mr. Olympia?
Nicknamed “Austrian Oak”, Schwarzenegger has had his share of controversies as well. The biggest of them all was related to bodybuilding with respect to the coveted Mr. Olympia competition in 1980.
For the unversed, Schwarzenegger had announced his retirement from bodybuilding to focus on acting career after having won six consecutive Mr. Olympia titles between 1970-1975. However, the legend surprisingly opted to come out of retirement to contest the competition in 1980.
In spite of his past record and reputation, Schwarzenegger wasn’t being taken seriously by many including his opponents. While bodybuilders were used to prepare for a full year for Mr. Olympia, the prospect of Schwarzenegger entering the competition with an aim of lifting his seventh title after just weeks of preparation was nothing but a stuff of dreams for experts.
Initially expected to host the tournament, Schwarzenegger made an official announcement of contesting only a day before the event. Needed to bulk up in a bid to prepare for the titular character in John Milius’ ‘Conan The Barbarian’ (1982), it was while training for the movie that Schwarzenegger thought of making an astonishing comeback despite refusing to do the same after initial suggestions from people.
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“We’re going to start shooting the first few scenes [of Conan The Barbarian] in October, and so I really wanted to be muscular because the idea was that Conan was a very muscular, heroic looking guy, and that I should be in top shape… the closer I came to this competition more people started speculating on the idea that I would be competing and the more I started thinking about the possibility,” Schwarzenegger had said about his move back in the day.
That being said, Schwarzenegger has faced severe criticism over the years for winning 1980 Mr. Olympia. From accusations of him registering after the registration date was over to the judges not giving a fair decision to the whole competition being rigged had surfaced publicly. Furthermore, one of Schwarzenegger’s fellow competitor had even broke his trophy backstage after the result was announced.
If Schwarzenegger getting booed for winning the competition at the time wasn’t enough, the disappointment was such that television channels distanced themselves from the competition. Additionally, even rules of judging were changed after Schwarzenegger was believed to have won merely because of his “stage presence” and regardless of not being at his level best physically.
