From Ronnie Coleman's dominance to Arnold Schwarzenegger's 1980 comeback- Here are the top bodybuilding moments

From Arnold to Ronnie and every amazing twist and turn in between, here they are! The best of the best: the most memorable moments in the history of the Mr. Olympia contest.

‘Pumping Iron’ Breaks New Ground

Much of the filming of the ever-glorified bodybuilding flick Pumping Iron, starring, among others, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Franco Columbu, Lou Ferrigno, and Mike Katz, didn’t actually take place at the Olympia, but the film’s chronicling of the 1975 Mr. O did more to bring the sport to the masses than any other single event since the contest’s inception, in 1965.

Ronnie’s Leapfrog Year

We knew a new champion would be crowned in ’98, what with Dorian Yates finally on the shelf, but the so-called experts expected it to be Flex Wheeler, still widely considered the best bodybuilder never to win an Olympia. But Coleman, a former also-ran who had cracked the top six only once and finished a distant ninth the year before, bested the favored Wheeler.

The Hulk Hits the Stage

Schwarzenegger was big, as were others before him, but nothing like what he faced with the 6’5″, 270-pound Lou Ferrigno at Madison Square Garden in 1974. Though he easily defeated Ferrigno, the Hulk would proceed to help bring the sport to the mainstream.

Jay Beats Ronnie Coleman Almost

Coleman wasn’t supposed to just win his fourth Olympia in 2001. He was supposed to be able to sleepwalk through his posing routine and still cruise to a 50-point victory. Jay Cutler thought otherwise. Placing eighth at the O a year earlier, Cutler showed up more shredded than an Enron bank statement and actually led Coleman through pre-judging.

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