The 1980 Mr. Olympia: What Should Have Been
Had Arnold Schwarzenegger sought to reclaim his Olympia throne without a shadow of controversy, there was only one wayâone impossible standardâhe would have had to meet. The world had not forgotten the Titan of 1975. Fans had preserved that image, etched it into memory, demanding not just its return, but its resurrectionâor more, its domination.
But that didnât happen.
And so, we present a vision not of what was, but of what should have been. A physique beyond dispute. A condition so undeniable that no voice, no critic, no competitor could cast doubt. To achieve this, Arnold would have had to surpass even his own legend, returning not as a mere champion, but as a force that towered over an Olympia stage transformed by his absenceâa stage now twice as competitive, twice as hungry.
What if he had done it? What if the comeback had been absolute?
Watch the video above and see the Olympia that should have been.
I have studied the photo documentation from the 1980 event many times over the years. Yes Arnold may have only been at 90-95% of his all time conditioning 1970-1975. A bit lacking in the overall leg size, mostly hamstrings. But look at his pics next to Mentzer, Zane, Dickerson, Bannout etc….his chest size, shoulder width, and enormous arms still take the prize. With an astonishingly svelte waistline for a man his size and weight. No bulging belly here. Calves are clearly there, hams a bit smaller than usual, and the four clearly defined pieces of his quadriceps are incredible. You can tuck sliver dollars away in those crevices ! And the quad teardrop goes well past mid thigh. Incredible. He still has the best overall mass, and incredible separation of muscle groups/parts. Does he beat the Arnold of 1974 or 1975….no, not quite. But he certainly beats all the other competitors that night. I do not see a dispute here, just sour grapes for the losers.