Mike Mentzer, the first-ever bodybuilder to get a perfect score, was in a heated long-term feud with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Mentzer believed Arnold stole the 1980 Mr. Olympia trophy and that Mentzer was the deserved winner.
In a YouTube video posted by OOFA Fitness, the narrator explains, “Mike retired without ever winning an Olympia title believing Arnold rigged the 1980 contest stealing his trophy”
In the video, what Mentzer believes about the 1980 contest was revealed. He says, “At the 1980 Olympia the only people who saw Arnold as the winner were the seven judges and his closest friends.”
Mentzer and Arnold got into a feud at the 1980 contest according to Tom Platz, one of the contestants that year. Platz, who spoke at a seminar in Switzerland, said, “I remember Arnold said something about Mike’s stomach. Arnold said, ‘Hey you have a fat stomach anyhow.’”
Platz added that this infuriated Mentzer and he charged at Arnold. That bitterness stayed with Mentzer for a long time. He died at the age of 49 in 2001. It is said that Mentzer gave up on bodybuilding after the 1980 competition where he finished fifth.
Arnold won his seventh Mr. Olympia title that year. The former Governor of California won his first title in 1970. He went on to win six more titles in 10 years.
Jay Cutler talks about the 1980 feud between Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mike Mentzer
In a video posted on his YouTube channel, Jay Cutler talked about the feud between Arnold and Mentzer.
He said (via Colosseum strength), “Mike Mentzer claims he should have won the 1980 Mr. Olympia in Sydney and Arnold won. They were talking about how controversial it was and he was saying how he quit bodybuilding after because he got fifth at that show and I did hear from people that were there that Mike should’ve won.”
The Sterling-born bodybuilder, Cutler, has been a Mr. Olympia winner four times. He won the competition in 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2010. He is also a six-time runner-up at the contest, the most in history.
Arnold and Mike Mentzer 1980 pic.twitter.com/buei1yXv5A
— OLDTIME Bodybuilding and LiftingOldSchoolNutrition (@OldtimeL) March 25, 2023
Cutler further talked about Mentzer’s history. He said, “He [Mentzer] got into bodybuilding at 11, picked up a magazine, saw a photo, and he was hooked after that. He bodybuild for a while, he was great, competed for his first show at 18, did really well as a teenager but then he got injured. So, he stepped away from competition.
“Then, he ended up competing and did the Mr. America. Robbie Robinson was second and some Roy was first. Eventually, he leads to the Olympia stage. Back then they had over 200 and under. I believe he might have won the division but didn’t win the overall and the overall winner is the one that carried the title. It was Franco that year. So he may have won one of those.”
Mentzer was found dead in his apartment in Rolling Hills, California, on June 10, 2001. He died due to heart complications. He was inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame a year later.