Top 10 O-ments: as we count down the days till the 2009 rendition, we rank the top 10 moments in Olympia history

Flex, July, 2009 by Shawn Perine

By 1972, Schwarzenegger was the number one bodybuilder in the world, a title he earned when he defeated Oliva two years earlier. But Arnold's superiority over The Myth wasn't clear-cut. In fact, it was a point of contention for the many who believed in their hearts that Sergio was the best bodybuilder on the planet. Before 1972, the score was Arnold, two; Oliva, one, with both of Schwarzenegger's wins coming as squeakers and Oliva's as a slam dunk. The Essen, Germany, Olympia was supposed to be the one that put the lingering controversy to rest.

Off from his '71 form, Schwarzenegger used every trick in the book to defeat an all-time best Oliva, including standing closer to the judges during prejudging to appear larger than the voluminous Oliva. Many years later, Arnold would admit that Oliva was an awesome sight on that day and that he was fortunate to have slipped past The Myth to take his third consecutive Olympia.

In the end, Schwarzenegger was awarded another narrow victory over Oliva in one of the closest and most historic outcomes in professional bodybuilding history.

2

1965: KING SCOTT

It all began in a bar, or so legend has it. One night, Joe Weider and Larry Scott were out for the evening, kicking back and enjoying a few brews. Scott was lamenting to his friend that there were no mountains left in bodybuilding for him to climb. He had beaten the best of the best at various times and it seemed pointless to continue competing for titles he'd already won. Only in his mid-20s, Scott was ready to hang up his posing trunks and call it a career.

Ever the man of action, Weider told Scott he would simply create a contest in which only the top title winners could compete--an ultimate contest. Looking down at his bottle of Olympia beer, he quickly came upon a name for his competition.

The inaugural Mr. Olympia was an SRO event at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and reports have the fanatical audience pouring out onto the street for hours prior to and after the contest. When Scott was crowned (literally) the victor over New York's own Harold Poole, bedlam ensued. The chants of "La-ree! La-ree!" that accompanied Scott's earlier posing routine returned, only louder than before. Never since, in its now-44-year history, has a decision been more popular nor a champion been more beloved than Scott on the night he became the first Mr. Olympia

1

1980: SURPRISE, SURPRISE

No one was expecting this and when they found out it was actually happening, they all believed it was just a joke. Turns out, the joke was on them.

Schwarzenegger was supposed to be taking the flight to Australia with the bodybuilders competing in the 1980 Mr. Olympia; he was to be an on-air commentator for CBS Sports--nothing more. Sure, he was looking larger than ever since his retirement in 1975, but word was that he was preparing to portray Conan in a big-budget film, so it made sense he'd bulk up for the role. However, once the plane touched down in Australia, it became evident that Schwarzenegger was there to compete, to which a number of the competitors didn't take kindly.