Was Jay Cutler cheated?
For years the controversy of whether Jay Cutler deserved to beat Ronnie Coleman at the 2001 Olympia has hung in the air. Cutler thought he was cheated out of his victory over the all-time great.
Many fans found themselves on both sides of the argument, some having Coleman, others favoring Cutler in 2001.
But was Jay Cutler really cheated at the show?
Wayne Demilia, perhaps the most prominent promoters in bodybuilding history, had his own opinion on the situation. In a recent interview with Patrick Bet-David, Wayne Demilia was candid in his answer.
“Jay was winning in 2001 after the pre-judging and Ronnie came back and beat him and Jay got mad. He thought I fixed the show against him. I said to him one time, ‘I’m a promoter. I do this to make money. Who’s going to sell me more tickets, a big white blonde guy or the big black guy?’ Come on. Don King told me one time…’Remember one thing boy, white means green.’ I knew what he meant.”
Essentially Wayne Demilia is claiming that there was nothing in it for him to rig the show against Jay Cutler. His statement also insinuates that he would have made more money if Cutler was the winner over Ronnie Coleman. It’s certainly a callous way of looking at business, but based on history, it’s a statement that’s hard to deny.
In a recent Q and A, Jay Cutler tackled the subject. A fan question on whether he regretted not being able to beat Coleman and Dexter Jackson at their best prompted Jay Cutler to say the following.
“I think Dexter was at his best when he lost to me in 2009. He beat me in ’08, I came back in ’09. Ronnie Coleman, he was in his prime when I should have won in 2001 in my opinion. It was very close, judges decision. So I was very comparable at that point. But no, it didn’t frustrate me at all because I was actually able to win. I came out of it with a very successful career. I’m doing great things and doing my best to give back. I’m very satisfied with how my career went. I wouldn’t change one thing.”
Jay Cutler goes on to state how coming in second place actually helped him grow. Essentially it pushed him to become a better bodybuilder. While Cutler may be truly past it, his framing that he thought he should have won lends credence to belief he was cheated. But we’ll have to take Cutler’s word for it.
Do you think Jay Cutler should have won at the 2001 Olympia?
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Managing Editor at Generation Iron, Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Sound Cloud for in-depth MMA analysis.
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