Well that certainly didn’t take long. Nick Walker wasted no time in lashing out at Derek Lunsford from the moment he won the Sandow to the champions’ press conference. I was surprised to be honest with you because I thought that for sure the good sportsmanship was going to last well into the year. At least until New Year’s day. because it’s very difficult for somebody that has been constantly underestimated and constantly overlooked to just take it in stride. Nick Walker has really paid his dues. And I have to be honest, like I said in my previous article, I have not been a tremendous supporter of his. Could it be because he blocked me? Well that certainly didn’t help me give him a more fair shake. Again, I try to be impartial. I am a bodybuilding writer, and I take my craft seriously, but I am only human. just like the judges are only human. Just like all of you are only human. I mean what are the odds that a non-human is reading this. Maybe from outer space? But not in all seriousness, the same way that I’m annoyed with Nick for blocking me, I could see him being annoyed at a lot of people for giving him bullshit over the course of the last few years. And if we’re talking about giving bullshit, Derek Lunsford is certainly going to be getting a lot of blowback for the way he’s been acting the last few months. I mean his ego was totally out of control and I think Nick wanted to make a point as soon as the post show champions press conference. In fact, a lot of us marveled at the fact that Derek held up the number three with his fingers during the pre-judge. I took that to mean that he was going to win again. And I think that in his mind, he thought that he did a good enough job to seal the deal. It was only later that Derek said that he didn’t feel that his muscles were firing on all cylinders.
I don’t know what Nick did wrong. I know that a lot of people want me to throw the book at him because of the fact that it could be perceived as unsportsmanlike to essentially beat the competition while they’re down. But I give Nick a pass because Derek has just been so outrageous as of late. I even saw a hilarious AI video put out by none other than Lee Priest where Jesus came down and told Derek that he thought he was asking him to put him in third place. I thought it was hilarious. I’m hoping that Derek sees the humor in this and doesn’t hold it personally against Lee. but even if he did, Lee Priest couldn’t give two shits. He does this for laughs – it’s not like he has anything personal again Derek. At least not that I know of.
I think that a lot of bodybuilders, especially the top echelons, may think of themselves as being greater than any kind of humor or any kind of reproach. That’s just plain stupid. I mean if you think that much of yourself where you can’t take a joke, then you have real problems. That’s pretty thin skin. Lee Priest is just doing for laughs, but I suspect there’s a lot of people patiently waiting in line to have at Derek and they may not be so harmless. This kid has really gone above and beyond at making himself into a villain. And he didn’t even come in a controversial 2nd. He got his ass handed to him. Taking 3rd place for all that talk is quite humorous.
I can’t say I’m surprised. I’ve known Derek for a long time. I still remember when he earned his pro card and he went around trying to tell everybody that he trained harder than them and that it was only a question of time until he went all the way to the top. And as fate would have it, he did just that but made a lot of enemies in the process. When you draw attention to yourself, you’re adding stress to the equation. I feel that between the meals, the training, and the supplement protocols, most professional physique-based athletes already have enough on their plate. Why add more to it? Why make it as to where the judges are expecting you to bring a certain level physique when if you just flew under the radar and impressed them at the show that would be all that was necessary. In fact, I think that Derek made himself into a heel. And who the hell wants that? I mean I don’t even like Nick that much as a person. I must be honest with you – that’s all I know how to be here on IronMag. And while Nick has not really won me over, I still give him a pass. The problem is that Derek created such animosity around himself because his ego became so big that it’s almost like I am rooting for Nick at this point. I don’t think that Nick’s little joke should warrant the absolute pandemonium that many of Derek’s fans are experiencing. I mean you have some of Derek’s fans in Tampa that are openly calling for Nick to be reprimanded. I mean come on! Get over yourselves! Isn’t this JUST BODYBUILDING? WTF!!
And this really speaks to another issue. I have never been one to want drama. I don’t think drama is cool and I don’t think drama sells tickets. We all remember the 2014 Olympia that never aired on NBC Sports because of the bullshit that took place between Kai Greene and Phil Heath elbowing each other on stage and coming face to face to the point where people thought that a fight was going to break out. That was not a good look for the sport. A little humor, a little banter, like what we saw at the champions press conference at the Olympia yesterday is actually pretty cool. It’s okay for these guys to take little digs at each other. I don’t see any harm in that. If anything, I think it brings more entertainment value. On the one hand, Derek acts like nothing bothers him and like he’s this blue collar bodybuilder, but at the same time he won’t take more than one or two pictures with his chief competition. Why? He doesn’t think they’re good enough. So, it’s kind of a double standard don’t you think? It’s like there’s some hypocrisy afoot. So, I think that if he really doesn’t care, then he shouldn’t care about Nick making a little fun of him. After all, we’re all human, right?
In any event, I suspect that Nick is going to have a little bit more fun with Derek. I think he’s going to have more fun with Samson, Andrew, maybe even Martin. I love Martin but I just know the personality that Nick has. He’s a shit starter. At the same time, a little bit of bullshit is okay. It’s the drama and the wars that I don’t like. I don’t like seeing bodybuilders fight on stage and I don’t like to feel like a chair is going to get thrown at a press conference, either. But a little bit of banter? That’s just fine with me.
So, what do you think? Do you think that Nick has put an end to the rivalry with Derek or do you think this rivalry is just getting started? It should be a fun 11 months until the next Olympia because I have a feeling that Derek is going to want to win back the title. I also have a feeling that Nick is going to make sure that never happens. I do wonder if Nick will make the mistake that Samson made and compete at the Arnold Classic or at other shows? Maybe he will hunker down and do what he needs to do to ensure that he never loses the Sandow. Only time will tell, but something tells me Nick is going to do a phenomenal job of growing the sport. And that’s a win for us all.
As always, I hope you enjoyed 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’s bound to generate lively conversation.
Author Bio:
Christian I. Duque is the owner of StrengthAddicts.com, a physique and strength website founded in 2008. He has worked for a number of bodybuilding websites, including RX Muscle and Muscular Development. Christian has written nearly 1,000 published articles for IronMag Blog, as well as articles for StrengthAddicts, RX Muscle, and others. By day, he is also a licensed attorney practicing in the areas of family law, immigration, and criminal defense.
