Stanimal De Longeaux discusses why it seems the hype has started to die for Big Ramy.
There was a time when Big Ramy was the competitor that everyone thought would become the next Olympia champion after Phil Heath. Since then, we’ve had two new champions – Shawn Rhoden and Brandon Curry. This is a far cry from the hype originally behind Ramy, who had gotten second place at the 2017 Mr. Olympia. In our latest GI Exclusive, Stanimal De Longeaux shares his thoughts on why the hype train behind Big Ramy has sizzled out.
At the 2017 Mr. Olympia, Big Ramy was on top of the world. He brought in one of his best packages ever and was neck and neck to perhaps win the title and become the next Olympia champion. This didn’t happen. He fell short at second place – but this was all the excitement fans needed. For years fans have firmly stated that Big Ramy would be the next Mr. Olympia after Phil Heath. His second place that year seemed to cement that fact. He was so close and seemed to only be improving. Perhaps 2018 would bring the era of Big Ramy: Olympia champion.
This also didn’t happen. During our conversation with Stanimal, we covered a wide range of topics and got his opinion on various subject matters. One of which was the promise of Big Ramy and how the hype behind him has slowed down in recent years. Stanimal believes the hype started to die at the Olympia 2018 – when he completely overshot his timing for the competition and placed 6th. So not only did he not live up to the promise of winning, he didn’t even match his past 2nd place status.
That’s a huge damper on anyone’s hype. Big Ramy knew this and even apologized for the state of his physique a few days after the Olympia results were announced. What made things even worse was that Big Ramy didn’t compete in the 2019 Mr. Olympia – further removing him from the spotlight for the time being.
Big Ramy on the Olympia stage (above).
Stanimal relates this to his friend, and former Olympia champion, Shawn Rhoden. Something like this had happened to him in the past where he completely missed his timing for the competition. It’s a hard thing to face when you only compete in one or maybe two shows a year. But Shawn Rhoden also proves the dampening of the hype doesn’t have to be permanent.
Big Ramy returned to the stage at the Arnold Classic 2020. He placed third behind William Bonac and Dexter Jackson. These are two competitors he will have to beat in order to win the Olympia later this year. A third placing doesn’t help the hype behind his return… but it doesn’t hurt it either. As Stanimal mentioned, much like Shawn Rhoden, Big Ramy can completely change the game and get back into the spotlight and the hype. All it takes is for one really good showing.
But with fans waiting for years to have Big Ramy finally get his conditioning under control – he has an uphill battle in front of him. Promises of “one day” start to feel stale the longer it takes. But so long as Ramy remains passionate or focused – it can all turn around like the flip of a coin. If the Olympia 2020 does still end up happening this year as they plan, it will be interesting to see Big Ramy’s place in it.
You can check out Stanimal’s full comments on Big Ramy in our GI Exclusive interview segment above!
