Mr Olympia 2014
The 50th Mr. Olympia competition kicked off
Friday night with a stellar and contentious
prejudging that featured great showings by Dexter
Jackson, Shawn Rhoden, and Dennis Wolf—not
just the two competitors who produced the most
sparks at Thursday's press conference. There
were whispers that maybe one of these three
could do what no one in this decade has done
since Jay Cutler in 2011: squeeze in between Phil
Heath and Kai Greene.
But in the end, this was a two-man contest
between two competitors who no longer need last
names in bodybuilding debates. They're just Phil
and Kai, and at the end of the evening, they stood
alone.
THE TOP 6
1ST PHIL HEATH
Phil Heath was very tight and brought great
aesthetics as always, but for some reason his abs
seemed less defined and almost bloated in some
poses. He was very good, but not at his best
ever. That said, I thought the competition was
very close, and—as with the 212—would likely
come down to the final posedown. I had Heath
with a razor-thin edge heading into finals, and
that ended up being enough.
2ND KAI GREENE
Kai Greene brought his best conditioning to date,
pushing Phil Heath to the absolute edge. I would
argue that Greene was actually the leanest
competitor onstage, outshining even Heath in this
regard. The fans seemed to agree, as he ran
away with the Fan's Choice Award by a large
margin. This was as great an opportunity as
Greene has had, but Heath ended up holding the
50th Sandow. Next year will once again be
fascinating to watch.
3RD SHAWN RHODEN
Last year's drop to 4th place wasn't the sign of a
decline. If anything, " Flexatron " was more
impressive than ever at age 39 in his 4th
Olympia. Bigger, fuller, and more defined than any
previous version we've seen on this stage or any
other, Rhoden certainly brought his best. His best
just wasn't quite enough with Phil and Kai on
point.
4TH DENNIS WOLF
A fascinating rivalry is blossoming between Wolf
and Shawn Rhoden. They've gone back and forth
in recent years in both the Olympia and the Arnold
Classic, with each man figuring out how to gain
an edge on the other from competition to
competition. Wolf was as huge and defined as
ever, and you could see his mixed feelings in his
face as he walked up to accept the 4th-place
check.
4 DEXTER JACKSON
The ageless Jackson continues to amaze—or is it
even surprising anymore?—with his peerless
conditioning and world-class symmetry. This was
his 15th appearance on the Olympia stage, having
won the competition in 2008, and he hasn't been
outside of the top six since 2001. Let that sink in
for a second. He cemented his place as one of the
all-time greats of this competition long ago,
regardless of how many Sandows he has in his
trophy case.
6TH BRANCH WARREN
Warren's re-entry into the top six was one of the
great stories of the night. His 9th-place finish
last year had many fans wondering how much he
had left in the tank. He answered conclusively
tonight: plenty. His incredible conditioning was
reminiscent of the Branch Warren of old, and he
was as big as ever.
The 50th Mr. Olympia competition kicked off
Friday night with a stellar and contentious
prejudging that featured great showings by Dexter
Jackson, Shawn Rhoden, and Dennis Wolf—not
just the two competitors who produced the most
sparks at Thursday's press conference. There
were whispers that maybe one of these three
could do what no one in this decade has done
since Jay Cutler in 2011: squeeze in between Phil
Heath and Kai Greene.
But in the end, this was a two-man contest
between two competitors who no longer need last
names in bodybuilding debates. They're just Phil
and Kai, and at the end of the evening, they stood
alone.
THE TOP 6
1ST PHIL HEATH
Phil Heath was very tight and brought great
aesthetics as always, but for some reason his abs
seemed less defined and almost bloated in some
poses. He was very good, but not at his best
ever. That said, I thought the competition was
very close, and—as with the 212—would likely
come down to the final posedown. I had Heath
with a razor-thin edge heading into finals, and
that ended up being enough.
2ND KAI GREENE
Kai Greene brought his best conditioning to date,
pushing Phil Heath to the absolute edge. I would
argue that Greene was actually the leanest
competitor onstage, outshining even Heath in this
regard. The fans seemed to agree, as he ran
away with the Fan's Choice Award by a large
margin. This was as great an opportunity as
Greene has had, but Heath ended up holding the
50th Sandow. Next year will once again be
fascinating to watch.
3RD SHAWN RHODEN
Last year's drop to 4th place wasn't the sign of a
decline. If anything, " Flexatron " was more
impressive than ever at age 39 in his 4th
Olympia. Bigger, fuller, and more defined than any
previous version we've seen on this stage or any
other, Rhoden certainly brought his best. His best
just wasn't quite enough with Phil and Kai on
point.
4TH DENNIS WOLF
A fascinating rivalry is blossoming between Wolf
and Shawn Rhoden. They've gone back and forth
in recent years in both the Olympia and the Arnold
Classic, with each man figuring out how to gain
an edge on the other from competition to
competition. Wolf was as huge and defined as
ever, and you could see his mixed feelings in his
face as he walked up to accept the 4th-place
check.
4 DEXTER JACKSON
The ageless Jackson continues to amaze—or is it
even surprising anymore?—with his peerless
conditioning and world-class symmetry. This was
his 15th appearance on the Olympia stage, having
won the competition in 2008, and he hasn't been
outside of the top six since 2001. Let that sink in
for a second. He cemented his place as one of the
all-time greats of this competition long ago,
regardless of how many Sandows he has in his
trophy case.
6TH BRANCH WARREN
Warren's re-entry into the top six was one of the
great stories of the night. His 9th-place finish
last year had many fans wondering how much he
had left in the tank. He answered conclusively
tonight: plenty. His incredible conditioning was
reminiscent of the Branch Warren of old, and he
was as big as ever.
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