Paul Dillett details the bodybuilders that inspired him and the ones that most impressed him during his prime in the 90s.
Paul Dillett is a former pro bodybuilder who has gone down in history for being one of the most impressive mass monsters in the history of the sport. His physique was so massive he was even dubbed “Freakenstein.” Retired in 2012, Dillett has been relatively quiet in recent years which is why we decided to catch up with him in a video sit down interview. In our GI Exclusive interview, Paul Dillett breaks down the bodybuilders that most impressed him during his prime in the 1990s.
When you are as massive as Paul Dillett, it might be hard to imagine that he was threatened by his contemporaries during his prime. But that’s far from the truth. Dillett was part of an elite collection of athletes during the 90s. Now often being referred to as the new Golden Era, Dillett battled alongside the likes of Shawn Ray, Kevin Levrone, Ronnie Coleman, and Flex Wheeler among many other legends. It was truly a stacked lineup.
We asked Paul Dillett which athletes impressed him the most during his time competing through the 90s. But his answer tracks back first to what inspired him to be a bodybuilder in the first place. Dillett describes his love for wrestling and how it helped him transition into discovering weight training and eventually bodybuilding. He wanted to be a superhero – and he now found an outlet to become one.
But his admiration doesn’t stop there. Once he earned his pro card in 1992, Paul Dillett entered a truly elite era of bodybuilding in the IFBB. He quickly became impressed by Flex Wheeler – a bodybuilder that inspired him to no end. Dillett’s hunger to be like Wheeler pushed him through the ranks and helped him become the “Freakenstein” we know today.
Beyond Flex Wheeler, the bodybuilders who most impressed him during this era were Kevin Levrone and Shawn Ray. Specifically, Dillett makes it clear that there was no bodybuilder competing in the 90s that wasn’t in awe of Shawn Ray. Dillett describes how behind the scenes every pro bodybuilder was impressed by Ray and were driven to try and defeat him by any means necessary.
Paul Dillett considers himself one of those men and believes if it wasn’t for the likes of Shawn Ray, Flex Wheeler, or Kevin Levrone – he wouldn’t have become the quality of bodybuilder as he’s known today. Often times, the quality of an era of bodybuilders is largely based on the athlete leading the pack. Dillett further confirms this point as he explains in detail the respect between top competitors of that era. They all pushed each other, wanted to beat each other, but respected each other all the same.
You can watch Paul Dillett’s full comments in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above.
