by Christian Duque
The Neckzilla phenomenon continues to grow. He won the Flex Pro and then won the Portugal show. Rafael Mosquera, aka Neckzilla, has never done an Olympia and represents what many of us would call the freak factor that has always been a hot commodity in the sport of bodybuilding. Whether it was Dillett, Sonbaty, Ruhl or Ramy, the fans love guys that are larger than life. They’re willing to sacrifice it all for the size. Some of these mass monsters have lacked symmetry, others lack condition, some are just plain ugly to look at, but if they’re huge and their fans will leave no stone unturned.
They’ll make themselves heard. That translates to supplement purchases, ticket sales, and commanding voices on the message boards, the Facebook groups, IG, Tiktok and YouTube. And this was the way it was with the mass monsters of yesteryear. The fans would always get flustered and sometimes enraged when the major commentators overlook their favorite star. And this is because mass monsters really don’t fit in bodybuilding. If you talk to any of the purists from the 1960s and 1970s they will tell you that bodybuilding is about proportion. They will point to symmetry, balance, and flow. They will stress the importance of posing and they will downplay all other aspects such as the size of the competitor. Because the sport of bodybuilding is a subjective/aesthetic sport. Size, while important to some, really is not a major factor.
Try telling that to fans of moss monsters. They want to see the size because they associate size with freakiness. And some even associate sheer size with things like hard work and discipline.
Now if you were to talk to a fan of bodybuilding of the 1980s and the 1990s you would have some common ground there because that’s when bodybuilding took a turn for bigger physiques. That being said, the ’80s and 90s also represented a tremendous amount of symmetry and condition. And this is why a lot of the talking heads who were competitors during these tough decades find it very difficult to maintain their silence when it comes to the lack of condition and the lack of symmetry in big guys today. We’re seeing less and less of it because they do not want to seem like grouchy old men trying to get their kicks by denigrating the stars of today, but they really sometimes just can’t hold it. If you just compare the physiques of today with those of the ’90s, you will find that those in the 90s were bigger, more separated and conditioned. The athletes in the 90’s also posed harder. They did it all. But that was then, and this is now.
When I look at Rubiel Mosquera I am left in a quandary. I find myself in the same dilemma as the purists of the ’60s, 70s, ’80s, and even 90’s. And this is because Rubiel is not the typical bodybuilder that should be competitive at either the New York Pro, the Arnold Classic, or much less the Mr Olympia. The fact that he has never done an Olympia should also highlight the fact that his physique is not that competitive. And I hate to say that but it’s simply not.
Look at Nick Walker, for example. He has the aesthetics of a refrigerator but at the same time he is still considered a top-tier competitor and that’s because he does have the condition and he does have the symmetry – even though it may not be pretty to look at. Rubiel, on the other hand, does not have any sort of real symmetry and has a real problem with condition. His posing is also lackluster. And we’re going to get into that a little bit more as we delve further into the article.
What I really want to stress is that I’m not trashing Mosquera, personally. I don’t have any personal issues with him. I don’t think we have ever talked and I’m sure that if we ever did, he would be a delight to speak to, but this is about his physique. And this is the part where I get myself blocked by top competitors, coaches, and even supplement company owners that sponsor athletes that in my purview do not represent where the sports should go.
In any event, as a writer I have to write what I feel and what I believe. And I do not believe that Rubiel Mosquera will be competitive at the Mr Olympia and I personally believe that while there is an undeniable movement to see him successful in the sport, they are only deceiving themselves. At some point reality is going to set in and that reality is that Rubiel is not going to be either the New York Pro champion , the Arnold Classic champion, or much less a future Mr. Olympia.
Rubiel has never done the Olympia before and this will be his first year. That says a lot, but he won two titles so he has to compete. At least that’s what everybody thinks. You don’t win two pro shows back-to-back and then don’t show up in Vegas. That wouldn’t make any sense. Has it happened before? Yes, and it didn’t make sense then and it won’t make sense now. The bottom line is if you’re competing at pro shows and you win those pro shows, you would do a disservice to the sport if you didn’t get your ass on that Olympia stage.
Now that being said, is there anything that Rubiel can do from today until game day to make himself competitive in Vegas? I would say no. I would say that his issues are largely based on the fact he has a very ugly looking physique. A guy known as Neckzilla is not a guy that’s going to win any aesthetic competitions. Is he a freak? Is he absolutely a mass monster? Absolutely to both. I guess if there was anything he could work on that would make him stand out a little bit more would perhaps be a little bit more attention to his posing and maybe a little bit more condition. That would probably bump him up a couple of placings in my opinion and maybe have him in the peripheries of the Top 10. That being said, it’s a long road from 10th Place to the winner’s circle.
I believe that everybody Builder has the right to make a living. and I believe that Rubiel is doing just that. when I look at a guy with a physique like his I can’t help but applaud him. I can’t help but pat him on the back. He doesn’t have a look that I like and he doesn’t really have a look that I think will do anything for the sport, but that being said he is living his best life. He is living life according to his own set of rules. I nor anyone else should tell another man how to live. And the fact is he has a tremendous fan base, he has sponsors, and he’s doing the business of bodybuilding. He gets high marks for all of those things in my book. Now, did he deserve to win in Italy? Well I really don’t think much of the Flex Pro because the competition really wasn’t very much to talk about. Did he deserve to win in Portugal? I’m going to say absolutely not. I’m going to say that Nathan De Asha got royally robbed – but hey that is sort of the name of the game for him. For whatever reason, the powers that be don’t like him and the judges score him down. And before you say there isn’t politics in bodybuilding, all I have to say to you, is get real. The bottom line is he could have won in Italy without any objections from me, but he had no business winning in Portugal. In any event, we all saw what happened with him in Dubai and we all know what’s going to happen to him in Vegas.
Again this is not me knocking on the guy, personally. It’s just not in the cards for him to win any of the major shows. And this is because he does not have the kind of physique that should win one of those major titles. Whether it’s New York, Columbus, or Vegas, these competitions are not going to be Italy or Portugal. If for whatever reason Neckzilla should ever win one of those three big shows, then it would be abundantly clear that the powers that be want him there and that is why he is there.
I know that bodybuilding fans are very diverse and I know there are fans that love the size, but ask yourself if Rubiel’s physique is the kind of physique that the sport should be led in. If you say yes, then you’re entitled to your opinion, but I cannot in good conscience sit here and write an article and do anything but tell my version, tell my story, share my values. Rubiel Mosquera may be one hell of a nice guy, but while he may be a bodybuilder, his physique should not determine the direction of the sport. Like I said, all props to him for living the dream and doing the business of bodybuilding, but freaks belong at the circus. I don’t believe he will or should win the Olympia or any of the top three titles. And for the love of god, I hope the judges and the federation quit screwing over Nathan. An article on that will be coming up shortly.
As always friends, thank you for reading my article here at IronMag. I look forward to reading your feedback in the comments. Please be sure to copy and paste a link to this article on all your social media feeds. It will surely generate lively conversation.
