Bob Cicherillo gave Nick Walker his flowers after “The Mutant” completed his comeback by winning the 2026 Mr. Olympia.
What a difference a few days can make.
Bob Cicherillo and Nick Walker entered Olympia weekend with plenty of tension after years of criticism and a memorable exchange during Thursday’s press conference. By Sunday, Cicherillo had nothing but praise for the newly crowned Mr. Olympia.
Walker captured his first Sandow Trophy on Saturday night in Las Vegas, completing a remarkable turnaround after finishing sixth at the 2025 Olympia. Walker defeated Samson Dauda, Derek Lunsford, Andrew Jacked and Tonio Burton to claim bodybuilding’s biggest title.
During the Olympia festivities on Sunday, Cicherillo reflected on a private moment with Walker and explained why he wanted to personally congratulate the new champion.
“I’m very proud of you, and this is your moment. You are the new champion. Enjoy this moment right now.”
For Cicherillo, the result put all of the trash talk and pre-Olympia debate to the side.
“Listen, all the hype, the bullshit before, and all that stuff, it’s all great,” Cicherillo said. “We gotta sell tickets, we gotta make a show. But this is real. You know, this is real, and you gotta give credit where credit’s due.”
Bob Cicherillo Says Nick Walker Earned Every Bit Of His Olympia Victory
Cicherillo has been one of Walker’s most vocal critics in recent years.
In early 2025, he criticized Walker’s structure and “H-frame” and questioned whether his physique could ever win the Olympia. Following Walker’s sixth-place finish at the 2025 Olympia, Cicherillo said he personally had Walker in eighth and potentially even ninth place.
Walker clearly remembered those comments.
The tension spilled onto the stage during Thursday’s Olympia press conference when Cicherillo reminded Walker that he did not know who he was the previous year.
“I still don’t know who you are,” Walker fired back.
Cicherillo then revealed he believed Walker could finish as high as fourth at the 2026 Olympia.
“You’re still lowballing me,” Walker responded.
As it turned out, Walker was right.
Less than 48 hours later, he stood atop the Olympia stage as the new champion.
Cicherillo acknowledged everything Walker endured on his road to the Sandow, including injuries, setbacks and his disappointing 2025 Olympia appearance.
“Nick has earned every bit of this,” Cicherillo said. “He’s been through hell and high water with injury, setbacks. Last year was not what he was looking for. He reinvented and came back, and you gotta respect that.”
Walker suffered a torn hamstring and calf injury ahead of the 2023 Olympia and ultimately missed both the 2023 and 2024 contests before returning in 2025. His sixth-place finish that year only created more questions about whether he could eventually reach the top of the division.
One year later, Walker answered them.
Cicherillo made clear that his congratulations were not simply another piece of Olympia stage banter.
“You don’t have to be a fan of one physique or another to give respect when it’s due, and admiration. Nick has proved to the world that, you know what? He did what he said he was gonna do. He brought it, and he was rewarded justly.”
Nick Walker And Bob Cicherillo Joke About Their Feud After Olympia
If there were any lingering questions about where Walker and Cicherillo stood following Olympia weekend, the two also shared a funny moment while looking back on Walker being announced as champion.
Cicherillo joked that he should have worn the “Who the f*ck is Bob?” shirt for the announcement, referencing the shirt Walker famously wore during their public feud.
“What if I had that under the suit, Nick?” Cicherillo joked.
“That would’ve been something special,” Walker responded.
Of course, Cicherillo acknowledged that such a stunt probably would have only fueled conspiracy theories that their feud, or even the Olympia moment itself, had been scripted.
The lighthearted exchange was quite a change from where the two stood entering the weekend.
By Sunday, the two could laugh about it.
More importantly, Cicherillo was willing to give Walker his flowers after watching him accomplish exactly what he had spent years saying he could do.
“Seeing you crowned the new champion, I mean, you heard that audience response,” Cicherillo said. “This is a great Olympia moment, man.”
After years of criticism, predictions and public back-and-forth, Walker ultimately got the final word without saying a thing.
Image embed via Instagram @nick_walker39
