The night of the 1992 Olympia in Helsinki Finland saw Dorian Yates start his six-year stronghold on the competition. But on that night in the Ice Hall, there was a bodybuilding icon making his return to the scene after a gap of 17 years. This man was carrying a dense 290-pound, well-defined muscle into the competition. This man was Lou Ferrigno, who had put bodybuilding on the map in the ’70s alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger. This comeback didn’t turn out the way he wanted, but it was admirable for his effort and heart. Ferrigno talked about the decision he made to come back on stage after a 17-year hiatus for a very personal reason.

Ferrigno won the IFBB Mr. Universe in 1973 and 1974, but the title that always eluded him was the prestigious Mr. Olympia. In his first attempt in 1974, he finished second to Schwarzenegger. After a few more instances where he would fall short Ferrigno changed paths and became TV’s Incredible Hulk in 1977 and later nearly signed for former WWE mogul Vince McMahon, before deciding on a comeback to the bodybuilding stage at the age of 42.

Lou Ferrigno made a comeback to “please” himself

In November 2017, Ferrigno sat down with former fellow bodybuilder Shawn Ray for the Generation Iron Fitness & Bodybuilding network. During the conversation, Ferrigno narrated his journey from Teenage National Championships to Olympia and Incredible Hulk before making a stunning return to bodybuilding. Ferrigno had a great rivalry with Arnold Schwarzenegger and his huge frame at 6’5″ often made him stand out. However, he was unable to beat ‘The Austrian Oak’ for the title of Mr. Olympia and eventually left the sport to pursue a career in acting before his return.

The Incredible Hulk star said, “I woke up one morning and I said I wanna compete one more time because I never reached my full potential. But at the same time, I look in the magazine and I’m looking at you, In the magazine I’m looking at Dorian Yates I’m saying to myself, man these guys got striations in their bu**, striations in the lower back I mean they look phenomenal.”

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Ferrigno further added, “I remember when I first competed with you guys, I was the oldest one in the competition,” he remembered. He admitted to being nervous since he hadn’t been on the stage in 17 years. The bodybuilding champion also said that to compete with the likes of Dorian Yates, he had to at least be 300 lbs or more. 

Despite, finishing 12th in his comeback, Ferrigno had little regrets. He said, It was a whole new experience but I remember I had a great time. I was disappointed because I came 12th but I said to myself that’s okay because it’s the first comeback in 17 years and look at the guys I am competing with.”

Going into the competition Ferrigno followed his training routine from his heydays but paid closer attention to his lifting form to maximize each exercise. But he also made big changes to his diet. Ferrigno said he ate twice as much, give or take, as he did in 1975, and he spread his food out over five meals, rather than three. However, there was another reason as well for him to come back after 17 years.

Best Comebacks in Competitive Bodybuilding

Ferrigno and his father had a love-hate relationship with his father being pretty authoritative when it came to his career. Ferrigno had to unfortunately compete many times just to please his father. But this time, he wanted to do something for himself. Ferrigno revealed, “And that is why later on I came back to competition 17 years later: not to please him, not to please anybody else, but to please myself.” However, are you aware things could have been different for Ferrigno before his 1992 comeback and it involved former WWE owner Vince McMahon.

Vince McMahon tried to lure Ferrigno in his ill-fated WBF

Vince McMahon offered Ferrigno a two-year contract reportedly worth nearly $500,000 a year to join his new venture, the World Bodybuilding Federation (WBF) which seemed to be enough for him to leave IFBB. McMahon began to advertise that the 1992 WBF show would pit the legend Ferrigno against the company’s reigning champion, Gary Strydom.

But Ferrigno was yet to sign officially for WBF and McMahon’s insistence that the WBF, rather than the athletes, would own the rights to their merchandise delayed his signing. As the negotiations dragged on Ferrigno changed his mind and announced his big return to Olympia after a 17-year absence. WBF would fold in the same year.

Watch this story: Bodybuilding Legend Lou Ferrigno Gained a Whooping 6x Profit on His 325 Million Mansion He Bought in 1980

What do you think about Ferrigno’s comeback at the 1992 Mr. Olympia? Who was your favorite competitor that year? Let us know in the comments.