With a significant increase in total prize money - to $100,000 - attendance record of 5000 people for the finals and biggest ever line-up of 20 athletes, the Mr. Olympia contest had - in 1984 - entered into a new era of popularity and respectability. The athletes' physiques were more refined and larger (better food, supplements and training methods right?) and one champion stood out based on the sheer size of his physique and the classical shape he presented.1984-91 Mr. Olympia, Lee Haney.
In 1983 Lee Haney had shown potential as being a future prize winner with an impressively muscular look, capped off with a never before seen shoulder/waist differential. In '84 he had gained at least ten pounds of solid muscle to tip the scales at 247, the largest an in-shape Olympia competitor had ever been.With his untouched size he single-handedly re-shaped the future direction professional bodybuilding would take and in winning his first Olympia title laid down a challenge to all bodybuilders wishing to take it from him: bring his degree of size or forever remain out of the winner's circle. As history shows, the challenge was never really accepted until 1992, a year after he retired as an unprecedented eight time Olympia champion.The year 1985 proved another stunning one for Mr. Haney, by now around 250 pounds, as he defeated holder of the most Olympia appearances and oldest man ever to contest the title (in 1991) at 53 years old, Albert Beckles. Rich Gaspari placed third and in doing so positioned himself as a tough challenger to Haney's title in '86, '87 and'88 with three consecutive runner up spots.In 1988, and with prize money at a record $150,000, Lee Haney won his fifth straight Olympia. At this point there was little competition for the massive man from Atlanta, Georgia. However, in '89 he faced his toughest test yet in the imposing and seemingly flawless, yet much smaller form of Lee Labrada in a record 23-strong field of competitors.Not at his best condition-wise, Haney won on the strength of his remarkable size, but could easily have lost to the superbly conditioned Labrada. Still, with his sixth straight win he had tied with Arnold Schwarzenegger for most consecutive Olympia victories.Haney Won On The Strength Of His Remarkable Size.Nineteen ninety proved an important year for Lee Haney, as in winning his seventh Olympia title he had eclipsed Arnold's run of consecutive victories amid very strong competition (he was down by two points going into the finals but managed to capitalize on his powerful posing and the overall impact of his physique in the dying stages of the show to beat Lee Labrada (2nd) and Shawn Ray (3rd).By beating smaller men who displayed better conditioning and, it could be said, superior shape and aesthetics (namely Labrada and Ray) Haney had proven that gargantuan size was an important acquisition for any Mr. Olympia hopeful. This was more than underscored in 1991 when he narrowly won his eighth straight title (a new record) against a man who weighed 245 pounds and stood 5'11", like the champ himself: second place finisher, Dorian Yates.Lee Haney (1991) Versus Dorian Yates (1993).
Known as The Shadow based of his ability to appear at a moment's notice to dominate the opposition, Yates indeed cast serious doubt over his opposition in '91 with conditioning never before witnessed on a man so large. With superior leg development compared with Haney and greater potential for further progress (he had only been in the pro ranks for two years) Dorian signaled to all that he was here to stay.It is not surprising that Haney chose the '91 show to be his last. Though probably at his very best - "I have finally learned how to peak," he said immediately after the show - Haney must have known that a new era was emerging, one that would even surpass the legacy of mass combined with balanced muscle development that he himself had ushered in.Haney Must Have Known That A New Era Was Emerging.Four years after the historic victory that positioned him ahead of Arnold as the best completive bodybuilder of all time, Lee Haney had the following to say about his motivation for making history, what the Olympia title means to him and the impact Joe Weider, the man who started it all 26 years earlier, had on the sport of bodybuilding:"Preparing for my last Olympia, my motivation was to do what nobody else, not even Arnold, had done before: win eight Olympia's and earn a unique place in history."There was something almost pre-ordained about that last year ('91). The training was the easiest ever - I peaked perfectly, and going out in the best shape of my life was a magical experience. For that last contest, I used the same music (theme from the movie Excalibur) that I used for my first victory in 1984. That seemed to bring my bodybuilding career full circle and gave it a sense of closure."Should I never achieve anything else, I can say I took eight Olympia titles. When my kids grow into adults, they can look back and say, 'Yup! My daddy was the greatest bodybuilder of all time.'""The Olympia is a monument to Joe's love for the sport, and the avenue through which we [the athletes] can become better bodybuilders and people. Joe's like the shepherd pointing us in the right direction."
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