Mr. Olympia 1970 – The Arnold & Sergio Rematch
Key Takeaways
- For the first year, the IFBB contest events would be held in a new location, NYC’s Town Hall.
- In what could have been a huge upset for the Mr. America contest, Sergio Oliva was awarded an honorary Mr. America title instead of competing.
- Arnold came out strong as ever, as a less than ideal Sergio loses the spotlight. The epic posedown showcased Sergio’s shortcomings and saw Arnold crowned the new King of Bodybuilding.
If you’re just tuning in, we’ve been recapping the Mr. Olympia competition from its inception in 1965. This competition has been a must-see event in the bodybuilding world ever since Joe Weider started it all those years ago.
Need to catch up? Here are the links to the previous years, come back to 1970 when you’re ready!
For now, let’s set the stage for the 1970’s Mr. Olympia competition!
A Flashback to Years Past
The 1970 Mr. Olympia ushered in a new decade with a new champion to the throne. After the retirement of the inaugural Mr. Olympia Larry Scott (1965-1966), the Mr. Olympia title was taken over by the incredible Sergio Oliva.
Sergio brought a new type of physique to the world of bodybuilding – massive size and freaky proportions joined perfectly with superb aesthetics and shape.
Sergio was so impressive in his first win in 1967 that all the top contenders decided not to show up to compete against him one year later. In 1968, the King of Bodybuilding was awarded the crown unopposed.
Sergio was soon given the nickname “The Myth”, as much for his mythical physique as for the dominance he demonstrated over his competition.
In 1969, however, Sergio was finally challenged for the title. The young Austrian bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger arrived in America one year earlier. Focused and determined, his mind was set on quickly becoming the new king of bodybuilding.
After reviewing the field of contenders in the 1969 IFBB Mr. Universe, Arnold decided to take on Sergio for the Mr. Olympia title. Unfortunately, Arnold soon realized that he was not up to the challenge of beating The Myth.
Sergio’s dominant muscle mass, especially in the legs, pushed Arnold to second place while Sergio took home his third Mr. Olympia title.
When it was all over, however, Sergio knew that he had been in a real fight and he now had a legitimate threat to the throne.
The 1970 IFBB Contests Start Over at a New Location
The 1970 IFBB Mr. Olympia, Mr. America, and Mr. World contest were held on October 3, 1970, at Town Hall in New York City. After holding this big event at the Brooklyn Academy of Music for the previous five years, promoter Bud Parker was forced to move the venue.
This was after too many complaints of messy curtains and floors as a result of Johnson’s Baby Oil used by the bodybuilders. Unfortunately, Town Hall would not be available until 8 pm that evening. Instead, the prejudging was held at Tom Minichiello’s Mid-City Gym on the afternoon of the big event.
The Mr. American Prejudging Begins with a Surprise Twist
The competitors for the Mr. America title started to arrive at Mid-City Gym for the prejudging, including:
- Mike Katz
- Don Peters
- Chuck Collras
- Eddie Giuliani
Everyone was surprised when Sergio Oliva unexpectedly walked in with his manager.
To the shock of everyone in attendance, Sergio’s manager announced to Bud Parker that Sergio wanted to enter the Mr. America that year in addition to the Mr. Olympia.
As an incredulous Parker tried to process this ludicrous demand, Sergio’s manager explained. His client had just obtained his American citizenship. His mother in Cuba would like nothing more than to see her son win the Mr. America title.
An exasperated Parker tried to reason with Sergio, asking why he would bother with a small title like the Mr. America when he had already won the coveted Mr. Olympia three times. Sergio’s manager was adamant that Sergio should be allowed to compete.
While Parker tried to come up with a solution, the shocked Mr. America hopefuls looked on in quiet desperation. A compromise had finally arrived in which Sergio agreed. He would be presented an honorary Mr. America award and would not compete against the other Mr. America competitors.
The Mr. World Prejudging Begins
The Mr. World prejudging looked very competitive with bodybuilding legend Dave “The Blond Bomber” Draper, fresh off his third-place finish at the 1970 NABBA Mr. Universe, going head to head with Franco Columbu and Rick Wayne.
Franco, who won the IFBB Mr. Universe only weeks before this event, was in superb shape with rock hard thickness and density. Rick Wayne, a former IFBB Mr. World in 1967, was looking to win his second title.
Rick was also in fantastic shape and it looked like it was going to be very close between him and Franco for the title.
The Finals Get Underway at Town Hall
That evening, the finals of the 1970 IFBB Mr. America/Mr. World and Mr. Olympia took place before a packed auditorium at Town Hall. The wild New York fans were looking forward to the rematch between Sergio Oliva and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
New York was typically Sergio Oliva country.
The diverse crowd, consisting of many ethnic groups including Latin Americans and African Americans, felt a kinship for the hard-working Cuban bodybuilder currently living in Chicago.
His out-of-this-world proportions and incredible muscle size was the epitome of bodybuilding to his loyal fans.
They fully expected him to easily win his fourth Mr. Olympia title, despite the looming threat of Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The Mr. America Contest Results
The contest began with the IFBB Mr. America contest.
Charles Collras narrowly defeated the excellent Leon Brown in the short class with popular Eddie Giuliani in third place.
Pete Caputo, a mainstay in the Weider magazines, took first place in the medium class while Charles Fautz settled for second and Gordon Babb took home the third-place trophy.
Big Mike Katz was the winner in the tall class, placing ahead of the handsome Don Peters from California and David Sheppard in third.
For the overall title, Mike Katz was awarded the title of 1970 IFBB Mr. America.
Before the Mr. World competitors stepped onstage, the audience was treated to a guest posing exhibition by Frank Zane.
Frank had won the IFBB Mr. World contest the previous year and he had just returned from London where he won the overall title at the NABBA Mr. Universe. His outstanding symmetry and definition were a big hit with the crowd.
The Mr. World Contest Results
The 1970 IFBB Mr. World was up next.
The massive and dense Franco Columbu was an easy winner in the short class. Franco had moved to the United States only one year earlier and he had made outstanding progress in a short time.
His close friendship with Arnold Schwarzenegger had fueled both of their workouts and these former European bodybuilders were intent on dominating the sport.
Rick Wayne was the winner of the medium height class. He had some of the best arms in bodybuilding and he was ripped and hard on this night.
The thick and promising Roy Callender was in second place followed by Steve Burnett.
Dave Draper was the popular winner in the tall class division. He was one of the most recognized bodybuilders in the 1960’s thanks to his television and film work.
The “Blonde Bomber” was in great condition for this contest and he beat out Vic Downs and Franklyn Greene who placed second and third, respectively.
The overall title of the 1970 IFBB Mr. World went to Mr. Draper. Both Rick Wayne and Franco Columbu left the stage dejected as both of them felt like they had won the contest.
The Main Event Finally Begins
The contest that everyone had been waiting for had finally arrived. The Mr. Olympia contest was next.
The crowd was screaming for both Sergio and Arnold to come onstage. This was the true Battle of the Giants! The Myth vs. The Austrian Oak!
Reg Lewis, 1963 IFBB Mr. America, also decided to enter the Mr. Olympia that year. Reg displayed the more symmetrical and polished physique that was popular a decade earlier.
He had played Hercules in the forgettable film “Fire Monsters Against the Son of Hercules” (1962). But, he faced an even more Herculean task onstage tonight as he took on both Arnold and Sergio in the Mr. Olympia contest.
While Reg was posing in front of the sold-out auditorium at Town Hall, the real contest was taking place in the warm-up room.
Sergio and Arnold got into a heated argument on who would pose last. Sergio taunted Arnold, telling him that he was a nobody while Sergio was still the reigning Mr. Olympia.
Arnold smiled and didn’t mention that only two weeks earlier he had defeated The Myth. They had both competed at the AAU Mr. World contest in Columbus, Ohio. Arnold dropped the argument and allowed Sergio to pose last.
Arnold Steps Out on Stage
When Arnold stepped onstage, the improvements from a year ago were immediately evident. Arnold was bigger than last year but still in great shape with detailed definition and separation. His posing was superb with each pose perfectly executed.
Arnold was a perfectionist when it came to displaying his physique. He only hit poses that highlighted his magnificent strong points (chest, biceps, back) and hid his weak points.
His routine was strong and powerful with such iconic poses as his front double biceps, side chest and three-quarter back pose all looking spectacular.
When Arnold left the stage, even the most ardent Oliva supporters were cheering for him.
Sergio Steps Out Next
Sergio took his time stepping onstage. As the reigning King of Bodybuilding, Sergio milked the audience for all the applause he could before finally making his entrance.
Bigger than ever before, it was clearly evident that Sergio had sacrificed quality for quantity. He was still displaying his magnificent shape with his tiny wasp waist offset by his huge chest and arms and his titanic thighs.
However, the magnificence of the Oliva physique was blurred by too much fat and oil. Gone were the sharp detail and hard lines that had made Sergio such a physical phenomenon from 1967-1969.
The crowd still gave Sergio a rousing reception. They jumped out of their chairs when Oliva raised those incredible arms for a front double biceps.
And again when he ended his routine with The Myth pose, a shot that no other bodybuilder could copy. Sergio raised his arms straight overhead, drawing attention to his incredible V shape, tiny waist, and massive thighs.
The Final Posedown Begins
Finally, all three Mr. Olympia competitors were brought onstage for the final posedown.
Reg Lewis stood off to the side while Arnold and Sergio battled it out for the title. Arnold hit his front double biceps pose while Sergio brought the house down with the patented Oliva most muscular.
Arnold glided into his perfectly executed three-quarter back pose and Sergio followed with a twisting front double biceps. The crowd was screaming and applauding for this battle of the giants, a battle that they had anticipated for a full year.
After many minutes of sustained posing with the crowd at a fever pitch, Arnold turned toward Sergio and told him he had had enough. An exhausted Sergio agreed and began to step off stage to the consternation of the crowd.
Arnold, quickly reacting to the booing from the audience, called Sergio back to the stage to continue the posedown. The fans remained unaware that it was he who suggested the exit in the first place.
The trick worked, Arnold looked like the hungry champion and Sergio appeared to be the defeated loser.
A New Mr. Olympia is Crowned
The posedown finally ended and the audience waited in anticipation as the judges tallied the final scores.
Finally, promoter Bud Parker came to the microphone stand and announced the winner of the 1970 Mr. Olympia was……Arnold Schwarzenegger!
The crowd of former Oliva supporters cheered the decision as a happy Arnold stepped onstage with Joe Weider. Weider held a beautiful silver plate with a cash prize of $1000.00 on top.
Arnold grabbed the money and quickly began counting the bills before holding the silver plate overhead. He had finally done it!
Arnold Schwarzenegger was now the King of Bodybuilding at only 23 years of age. He had done the impossible by defeating the invincible Sergio Oliva and conquering the world!
Enjoying the trip down memory lane? Do you agree that Arnold was the rightful title winner in 1970? Have a memory you want to share from that iconic year? Let us know in the comments below!
