by Christian Duque
Over the course of the last few weeks we have seen a departure from Nick Walker. A departure from the way that he used to be into a more politically-correct, more motivationally-inspiring type individual. We saw him make good on his word and bring a very impressive physique to Pittsburgh. This was supposed to be his return to greatness. I would argue that last year’s New York Pro was not that. I would instead say that last year’s New York Pro was the product of politics. Nick had been off of the Olympia stage for two consecutive years and I believe the powers that be wanted him back in the mix. As you guys know, I was very loyal to Pittsburgh at one point and I still believe that the Pro League is the premier physique-based federation in the world. I don’t think that there is any competition and while there have been some contenders over the years, they continue to reign supreme.
I give credit where credit is due. That being said, I am not one of these people that believes that politics have no place in the scoring and in the placings at the biggest and baddest shows. The bottom line is that the Olympia is the Super Bowl of Bodybuilding and in order for it to be a box office success it needs to have the best athletes on its stage possible. Nick was unfortunately injured and could not compete (e.g. 2024 Arnold Classic). I also believe that he was sitting on the sidelines because maybe he didn’t think that he would be competitive enough. Whatever the case may have been, the word on the street last year was that if he didn’t qualify in New York he wasn’t going to try again. Therefore, he beat a guy who should have beaten him in Martin Fitzwater but that nobody had ever heard of. Martin had simply won Detroit and had an Olympia qualification. I don’t think they were about to give him the win to him – even though he deserved it. Pittsburgh 2025 was supposed to be different. This was supposed to be Nick’s coming of age. Nick was supposed to come in and defeat everybody in sight. The one problem is that he didn’t expect Derek Lunsford to be there.
Even though Nick has totally changed his tune with regards to how he approaches the sport and how he deals with dissent, he is still basically the same person that he’s always been. This is because I don’t really believe in PR makeovers. I think that the intention is a good one but that it’s a lot easier said than done. The only person that I’ve actually seen totally change the way they used to be, to a certain extent, would be Phil Heath. Even though he still has me blocked on Twitter – it’s not even called that anymore! Nick did block me just last year on I and what’s funny about that is that he didn’t block me for anything that he and I had said to each other. I met him at the Epic Block Party in Ozone Park, New York a couple of years ago and he had told me to “stay positive.” I didn’t really know what to make of that seeing as I’m a member of the media and my most important goal is not to be positive, rather, it’s to be brutally objective. Being positive and objective do not always go hand-in-hand. If you can’t take the criticism, maybe you shouldn’t compete in a physique-based sport. In any event, he didn’t block me for anything between us, he blocked me because I was harsh on his coach who also owned the supplement company who dropped Shaun Clarida at a time when he needed the support most. I guess Nick didn’t really appreciate what I had to say about Matt, but oddly enough, he also would leave Matt down the road. To me, pro’s that block journalists are usually not the best ambassadors for the sport. Blocking someone means you’re the kind of person who likes to live in a bubble. GROW UP!
I wasn’t super impressed with Nick with regards to Pittsburgh. I felt that he was not very gracious on stage and was not very respectful of Derek who is a past Mr O. At first, he didn’t want to pose with him and then he tried to overpower him with his size. Ultimately, when he did pose with Lunsford it seemed somewhat forced. When the placings were announced and Nick took second place it was Derek who went to him to try to cheer him up. Initially, Nick didn’t want to look Derek in the eyes and wasn’t super accepting of Derek’s kindness. Why does the newly-announced winner have to worry about cheering up 2nd place (or 1st place loser)? That being said, Nick ulitmately congratulated Derek and didn’t walk off stage like a former Mr O did not so long ago. But here is the funny thing, it didn’t take very long for Nick to start questioning the results in Pittsburgh. The fact that he won in New York only made things worse because the real Nick Walker stood up and stood up quickly. All the PR and inspirational quotes aside, Walker showed himself to be what I’ve always known him to be. A sore loser!
The fact is Nick has taken to saying all over the interwebs that he in fact beat Derek. That is categorically false because Derek got the win in Pittsburgh. It’s also categorically false because even if he did beat Derek in his mind, he wasn’t up against Derek at 100%. The Derek that competed at Pittsburgh was not the Derek that one in Columbus. It was also not Derek that competed in Las Vegas last year. If anything Nick was facing a slightly burnt out Derek Lunsford. This is a point that was made by Matt from Muscle Discord and inspired this article. I think it’s a very important distinction because Nick Walker is not in that top three category in my opinion (at the current time). I don’t think he can be Derek at his best, I don’t think he can beat Hadi at his best, and I don’t think he can beat Samson at his best. I know that certain heavyweights in the industry want to put that out there, but I think that’s more to sell tickets to the O than anything else.
I think it’s a very important distinction that Matt made because of the fact that Nick has taken to making media appearances and suggesting he had Derek on the ropes. He did not, and even if you took his look in New York and compared that look to Derek’s look in Pittsburgh, he still wouldn’t have won in my humble opinion.
It isn’t a question of whether or not he blocked me or not. Derek has been shitty to me as well. It really comes down to the mandatory poses. If we’re going pose by pose – even if we compare Nick in New York to Derek in Pittsburgh – Derek still prevails in my humble opinion.
Just a couple of days ago Nick made a comment that a lot of people thought showed his real humility. it doesn’t really show any humility as far as I’m concerned, if anything, it shows that Nick is still the pompous asshole that he’s always been. When Nick said that he was confident that he would Place top three in this year’s Mr. Olympia, I couldn’t help but chuckle. After a lot of talk and banter Nick took second to a burnt out Derek Lunsford and an off Martin Fitzwater in Pittsburgh. Then he goes to New York and barely beats William Bonac, who came to the show firing on all cylinders. The Mutant still has not faced off against Hadi or Samson in top form – or even really Derek in top form. Yet he’s assuring the public is going to be top three? Does that seem humble to you? It seems like the furthest thing from humble to me. It seems like a very arrogant statement to make from a guy who is now marketing himself as a 3x New York Pro champion. And he is a three-time champion on paper, but like I said, last year he got his ass handed to him by Martin Fitzwater and this year he got nearly beat by William Bonac. This is a guy that is banking on a lot of hype, but as of yet has to prove it. I personally am not as impressed with this physique – either in Pittsburgh or New York. Sorry, but not sorry.
And the reason for that is that Nick Walker to me does not embody what bodybuilding should be. He does not have good proportions, he does not have good balance, and if you take away the sheer size factor, what do you have left? This is not the direction the sport should go in. And I certainly don’t think this is what the New York Pro champion should look like, either. After all, the New York Pro is the third most important show and by crowning a guy with that type of physique as the champion sends a bad message. I don’t think Nick would have won with either the New York or Pittsburgh physique in Columbus. And I don’t think he would win in Las Vegas, either. I think for him to say that he’s going to be a favorite for top three is not only a little silly, but borderline comical.
But hey, maybe my version of bodybuilding is outdated. What say you? And do you really believe that Nick has changed his way of thinking – or – is it just an attempt to win over the naysayers? As always, I look forward to reading your feedback in the comments. I personally do not think Nick will get top three at this year’s Mr O, but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. As always, thank you for reading my article, here, at IronMag. Be sure to copy and paste a link to this article on all of your social media feeds. It will definitely generate some lively conversations.
