For starters let me simply preface this text by saying that I’m usually accused of writing about Nick far an excessive amount of. This can be a little debate that I’ve with Robert DiMaggio infrequently, however I’ve to say that Nick is the preferred bodybuilder on the planet. This can be a level made by Dave Palumbo and one which I agree with wholeheartedly. I’m not an enormous fan of Nick’s as a result of I don’t actually like the truth that he blocked me however I’ve been capable of put that apart. After I write articles I attempt to put all private beefs apart as a result of on the finish of the day you guys don’t care about my private beefs. What you care about is what’s trending and also you need to examine your favourite bodybuilders. Nick Walker occurs to be that man. Folks can’t cease speaking about him – love him or hate him – they need to know what he’s as much as.
I definitely don’t hate the man, however I feel that prime tier rivals that block media personalities or what may be in any other case generally known as superfans, aren’t actually rising the game. This can be a bone of rivalry that I had with Phil Heath and others. Initially I used to be an enormous Heath fan, even when he beat considered one of my idols, Gustavo Badell, on the Iron Man Professional. I met Phil many occasions and was very supportive of him. After I grew to become very supportive of the late nice Shawn “Flexatron” Rhoden, it was slightly an excessive amount of for The Reward and he warned me a few occasions after which adopted by blocking me.
I don’t permit any competitor to inform me what to jot down about or how loud to help somebody. And because of this I needed to take care of being blocked by a seven-time Mr Olympia for almost all of his reign. Did it suck? In fact it did! However I all the time did my finest to maintain my private biases apart as a result of all that type of factor does is scale back the standard of the articles. And the identical factor goes for Nick. I met Nick on the Pure Nutritional vitamins Epic Block Celebration in Ozone Park New York and afterwards I corresponded with him fairly a bit on instagram. I believed I provided him good recommendation and I feel he appreciated it, however later down the highway when one other bodybuilder that I regarded as much as vastly, Shaun Clarida obtained dropped by RAW. I assume Nick didn’t like my commentary and went forward and blocked me. None of that has something to do with this text, however I all the time like placing my playing cards on the desk.
So the query is, ought to Nick Walker retire? It’s not a query that I’m asking, and fairly frankly I don’t even assume it’s a authentic query, but it surely simply so occurs that lots of people are opining that all around the message boards and the Fb teams. I feel they’re additionally making this level as a result of Nick has didn’t compete in a low-hanging fruit contest just like the FIBO Professional, however has additionally opted to not compete in excessive profile contests like Pittsburgh and New York. It’s fascinating that he wouldn’t do the latter as a result of he has gained that present thrice and it’s additionally fascinating that he wouldn’t compete within the former as a result of many individuals imagine he ought to have gained that final yr however misplaced to Derek Lunsford. In any occasion the query stays, will Nick Walker attempt to qualify for the Olympia or has he given up? If he has given up for the yr, then there’s a rising clamor amongst the trustworthy that maybe it may be time for him to hold the trunks up and discover one thing else to do within the health trade.
Now can Nick Walker have a profession with out competing on the Mr Olympia? He can positively have a profession by competing semi-regularly and possibly even coming again for subsequent yr’s Arnold Traditional. We all know that the Arnold is all the time going to ask him as a result of he sells tickets and since he’s a sizzling commodity. That is in spite of everything how the Arnold choice committee comes up with their remaining choices. They take a look at what a competitor has completed on the stage, they take a look at a competitor’s fan base, they usually make their choices accordingly. There isn’t any qualification course of for the Arnold Traditional. They both such as you or they don’t. It’s so simple as that. On the finish of the day that’s how the cookie crumbles. And it’s fascinating that the Arnold gives the richest purse of all of the bodybuilding exhibits. So maybe Nick feels that if he comes again to Columbus in 2027 that he could make his cash for the yr, be a part of a serious expo, and maybe attempt for the Olympia subsequent yr or this yr or one other yr, but it surely doesn’t actually matter. On the finish of the day, he’s going to need to qualify if he intends to get on the Olympia stage in 2026. I feel it’s additionally value noting that if he doesn’t qualify for the Mr Olympia in 2026, it’s extremely unlikely that he could be prolonged a particular invite. I feel the particular invite has been placed on ice and I feel that that’s nice for the game, the Olympia title, and the followers.
Why have I all the time been against the particular invite? As a result of I’m a agency believer in advantage. I imagine that you must go to the so-called Tremendous Bowl of Bodybuilding by profitable your manner there. And the one cause that I name it “so referred to as” on this context is as a result of I really feel that the particular invitations waters down the integrity of the present. I’ve by no means favored it. I feel it’s a travesty and what I feel is an excellent higher travesty is when the recipient of the particular invite goes on to win the title. We noticed this occur with Huge Ramy and we noticed this occur with Derek Lunsford. It’s fairly frankly miserable as a result of it’s an anomaly of the entire Mr Olympia course of. I’d have most popular had they saved the purpose system which nonetheless was based mostly on advantage then giving out Olympia {qualifications} to guys that didn’t deserve them. In any occasion, Nick Walker just isn’t going to get a particular invite so if he doesn’t compete once more in 2026 he’s not going to be gracing the stage in Las Vegas, Nevada.
That is additionally why I feel that lots of people imagine that this can be the final yr of lively competitors for Nick Walker. He went a few years with out being on the Olympia stage, there was an incredible quantity of push from his sponsor and from his camp along with his complete comeback, and sadly his comeback missed the mark. He had an incredible 2025 and it was wanting like he was going to have an incredible 2026. Regardless that he positioned second to Andrew in Columbus and regarded the perfect he has regarded in years, he didn’t win. And I feel that a person like Nick can’t course of defeat very nicely. This isn’t to say that second place on the second greatest bodybuilding present on the planet is defeat, however it’s defeat within the sense that he didn’t qualify. It was additionally defeat within the sense that the home of playing cards got here crumbling down. He was supposedly self-propping however in actuality Man Cisternino was the man within the driver’s seat. He could not need to admit it, however that is what everybody that has any type of sense believes occurred. And there’s nothing unsuitable with Man being his coach, however there’s something unsuitable when Nick is blaming previous coaches for his shortcomings after which claiming he’s doing all of it on his personal, when in actuality he’s not. It’s dishonest.
I don’t imagine that Nick ought to make any remaining choices at this level. I don’t assume it’s crucial. I feel that he competed in 2026 on the Arnold Traditional and with that alone he can put to relaxation any discuss of retirement. Somebody that’s retiring doesn’t compete in any respect. He competed and he can cease there. I feel that if he have been to retire now, I don’t know that there’s going to be any comebacks after that which are going to get taken critically. He doesn’t have any accidents and he doesn’t have any cause to vanish once more. However do I feel he’s going to attempt to qualify for the Olympia in 2026? It’s too early to inform, however my hunch is that he gained’t. My hunch is that his ego was bruised final yr in Pittsburgh and it was bruised as soon as once more this yr in Columbus. I don’t assume that he needs to attempt once more and I don’t know if that’s going to be a brief way of thinking or a everlasting one. Nick is an individual who’s extraordinarily thin-skinned in sure regards and I feel that proper now what he must do is give attention to himself and his future.
I would like it if he didn’t make any drastic, pointless choices proper now. That being stated, if he doesn’t qualify and even attempt to qualify once more, I feel numerous followers are going to be of the opinion that 2026 could be the final time we see Nick compete on a bodybuilding stage.
As all the time, a very powerful opinion is yours. I hope you loved studying my article, right here, at IronMag. I sit up for studying your suggestions within the feedback. Please make sure to copy and paste a hyperlink to this text on all of your social media feeds. It’s assured to generate energetic dialog.
Writer Bio:
Christian I. Duque is the proprietor of StrengthAddicts.com, a physique and power web site based in 2008. He has labored for plenty of bodybuilding web sites, together with RX Muscle and Muscular Improvement. Christian has written practically 1,000 revealed articles for IronMag Weblog, in addition to articles for StrengthAddicts, RX Muscle, and others. By day, he’s additionally a licensed lawyer training within the areas of household legislation, immigration, and felony protection.
