Rank The Mr Olympia Winners 1 -13

[Big Beat]

Based on quality of physique for their time, dominance over rivals, longevity at the top and contest wins how do you rank the 13 illustrious names below?

Larry Scott
Sergio Oliva
Arnold
Franco Columbu
Frank Zane
Chris Dickerson
Samir Bannout
Lee Haney
Dorian Yates
Ronnie Coleman
Jay Cutler
Dexter Jackson
Phil Heath


I'll have go, personal opinion only:

1. Ronnie has the wins and the greatest body to ever step on the Olympia stage.

2. Haney for his dominance and for making the jump to a top quality physique at 240lbs plus.

3. Arnold. More than the two above I see Arnold as getting at least a couple of gifts and he seemed to get the better of Sergio using mind games which the two above didn't need. Of course neither faced a peak Sergio Oliva. In saying that Arnold just had a look that just appeals to the general public. For many Arnold looked great at the time and to many casual observers he looks much better than today's bodybuilders.

4. Dorian. Competed in the deepest quality of competitor of any era and dominated. Dorian was not just massively thick and grainy he also had great proportions and good shape which sort of gets overshadowed a bit, pardon the pun. Dorian always comes across as a super hard worker but his decision making was exemplarily, he worked out early what did and did not work for him and acted on this knowledge to his very best advantage. A bit clever than the average bodybuilder if a bit prone to conspiracy theory.

5. Heath. Phil have moved ahead of his buddy Jay. Phil has not been really dominating the field like the guys above but he has the Sandows. Kai has had the body parts to beat Phil but for reasons only known to Kai, or maybe not, he has managed to balls it up.

6. Sergio is possibly a controversial pick at 6 but he was such a freak with amazing shape and genetics that I could not place Jay above him. I think Jay made the most of what he had whereas Sergio could well have beaten Arnold a couple more times if it was not for politics and Sergio being out smarted by Arnold. I would need to check but memory tells me Sergio is the only Olympia winner that won uncontested which shows how much he was feared.

7. Jay. Great bodybuilder could have ended up with more Sandows but luck tends to go both ways and four Sandows is a great haul considering he faced the greatest bodybuilder of all time in the earlier years.

8. Frank Zane, just the best guy around when Arnold left the stage for the first time. He knew he could never develop massive size so he went for balance, proportions, symmetry, shape and conditioning, has this ever been done better? not to my mind. If classic physique is about the Frank Zane type of body, and I say this with no disrespect, Arash Rahbar and Darrem Charles have a long way to go to create the illusion at a low bodyweight that Zane achieved.

9. Chris Dickerson. The best bodybuilder in the world from 1980 to 1982 but got two raw deals in my view.

10. Larry Scott. Im not sure how to spilt Franco and Scott but vaguely I see it that Scott was considered the best bodybuilder competing in the Olympia at the time which I am not sure can be said about Franco.

11. Franco Columbu

12. Samir Banout. Could be interchanged with Dexter but I think Samir was more balanced and had better lines when he won. Overall on career it's obviously Dexter.

13. Dexter Jackson. Did a fantastic job to make his way to the front leaving mass monsters in his wake. When the call for more aesthetic physiques was made Dexter answered emphatically.

[Steve56]

I'd have dexter over samir, Columbo, scott, and dickerson


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[Big Beat]

I'd have dexter over samir, Columbo, scott, and dickerson


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On longevity Dexter wins and him having many high placing at the Olympia is a strong argument but with Dickerson he finished 2nd to a below par Arnold in 1980 and Franco with one noticeably smaller leg in 1981. While Dickerson only got one Sandow I think he could easily have gotten three. For those few years he was the best guy on the stage. I don't think Dexter was ever the top bodybuilder around but more took an opportunity that presented itself when Jay came in off.

Just my opinion when it comes to Dickerson. I would not have too strong an opinion on Samir, Franco and Scott being lower than Dexter.

[Curt James]

I don't think Dexter was ever the top bodybuilder around but more took an opportunity that presented itself when Jay came in off.

Dexter said as much himself in at least one interview.

[MusclePoppins]

I'm not just going to rank, I'm going to re-distribute Olympia titles before ranking.

1. Jay Cutler
The best bodybuilder ever. He beat all the golden boys and sent them into retirement. He should have beat Ronnie in 2001, would have beat him in 2002 and should have beat him again a year sooner (2005) than he actually did (2006). No, Victor Martinez didn't beat Jay in 2007, though people wanted to believe it. And Phil's first win came against a torn up Jay who couldn't train arms or back at the end of his prep in 2011. Jay should have 7 titles instead of 4, making him the all-time leader once I'm done with this list.

2. Sergio Oliva
He won in '67, '68, '69 and should have beat Arnold in 1972 and would have beat him in 1971 if he wasn't banned after winning the NABBA Universe show. Combine that with Boyer Coe who finished 4th in 1980 and should have beat Arnold in that show even with his shitty looking abs, it would have lowered Arnold's total from 7 to 4 Olympia titles and Oliva would be sitting at 5 instead of 3.

3. Lee Haney
Labrada should have beat Haney in 1990. You could also make a case for Gaspari in 1986 and Dorian in 1991, lowering Haney's total to 5 Olympia titles, putting him in a three-way tie with Oliva and this next guy...

4. Ronnie Coleman
Ronnie should be tied with Haney for 5 Olympia titles instead of both having 8.
*See Jay Cutler*

5. Arnold Schwarzenegger
Oliva picked up a couple titles from him in '71 and '72, and Boyer Coe out-muscled him in 1980, but he still has 4 titles. Not as impressive as 7, but he also chose to walk away after 1975 (not my problem). In reality, with his support systems, Arnold could have swept the 70's with 10 Mr. O titles. But, again, I have him at 4. Too bad.

6. Dorian Yates
Dorian's one of my favorites, but Shawn Ray, Levrone and Nasser all had years where they could have been given the Sandow ... leaving Dorian with only 4 titles (because his first should have come against Haney in 1991).

7. Phil Heath
Kai Greene and Shawn Rhoden each beat Phil Heath once (2014/2015). He should have 3 titles instead of 5 heading into September. And Kai Greene was no joke in 2012 either. But still, 3 is nothing to sneeze at in revisionist history since Arnold and Dorian only have 4 now and Haney and Ronnie only have 5.

8. Frank Zane
Zane probably looked his best 5-7 years before he won his first Olympia in 1977. Anyway Robby Robinson should have won the Olympia at least once (1978) and maybe twice, leaving Zane with 1 or 2 titles instead of 3.

9. Dexter Jackson
Always laying awake in the grass, he caught Jay Cutler off guard and almost caught Phil Heath off guard. Consistency at the Olympia and a huge resume of wins also count for a lot under Big Beat's criteria for this thread.

10. Franco Columbo
Columbo was shit in 1981 and Tom Platz, who finished 3rd, kicked his ass, and Dickerson's ass too for that matter. Columbo should have a single Olympia title, 1976. But I have him up in 7th because of his longevity ... going up against Arnold and the boys, as well as for winning his titles five years apart with strongman injuries in between. Some credit is due for his rollercoaster and the era he competed in (before and after Arnold x2).

11. Chris Dickerson
Arguably could have added an extra one or two Olympia titles in '80 and '81 to his actual win in '82, but I have him in 11th because that's exactly where he finished in the 1984 Olympia. It's the biggest and quickest fall from grace any Mr. Olympia has ever taken.

12. Larry Scott
Harold Poole, despite being pretty good himself, was Larry Scott's only read competition in '65 and '66. Then Scott promptly walked away from sport, not that he would have been able to beat Sergio Oliva anyway.

13. Samir Bannout
Samir was one and done. He was the clear winner in 1983, but was 4th, 9th and 15th before that Olympia and 6th, 8th and 9th after. The only other IFBB win he had was the Pittsburgh Pro Invitational in 1990 ...

PittPro1990.JPG

[Big Beat]

Dickerson was already 43 by the time he won the Olympia which in itself was a great feat considering he didn't have the array of potions available to today's bodybuilders.

[cook]

Good list by the OP.I probably thought a little more of Sergio and a little less of Dickerson.

[PTB]

Very good list, although I could see moving Dexter to #9 and moving Franco down. I hear so much about that 1981 'O being the most controversial.