Is the Phil Heath vs Kai Greene Beef Just Hype?
The tension between Phil Heath and Kai Greene is so thick you could cut it with a knife. Or is it? I’ve been pondering about this very subject for quite some time now. Kai Greene is resisting to answer the question if he will sign the contract and walk out on the Olympia stage in 2016. His answers are philosophical and raise more questions than answers. He appears to be in shape, especially after his sweep of the Arnold Classic’s, and should he step on stage it could be one of the best Olympia’s we will ever experience. With the news that Kevin Levrone is coming back to the stage to compete against the best bodybuilders of today will be a sight to see and bodybuilding fans around the globe have been talking about it ever since he made the announcement.
Is the Beef with Kai Greene Real?
So what about the hype? Phil Heath and Kai Greene have been butting heads ever since before the 2014 Mr. Olympia contest. There’s clearly some bad blood between them and a somewhat lack of respect for one another. Recently Phil was guest posing and the emcee called Kai to come up on stage from the crowd for a pose down, which Kai declined. The crowd started chanting Kai’s name to which Phil grabbed the mic and asked the crowd if they were serious. Then joked that Kai would just need to throw on some tanner. After more jeering from the fans, Phil told the crowd why not “do this in September.” Hinting that the two of them could do battle in Las Vegas on the Olympia stage. Phil then dropped the mic and walked away.
People have been asking me my thoughts on the whole Phil vs Kai saga and what it means leading up to the Olympia—will Kai Greene sign on the dotted line or bow out again with another ridiculous excuse? For a while, I was pretty confident that Kai Greene would never step foot on the stage again to do battle in the SuperBowl of bodybuilding. Then I saw a video of Kai and Phil training chest together at a gym surrounded by fans which made me start to question things.
If there was that much bad blood, why would they go out of their way to train together and look, dare I say, happy? They would most likely be training with their own crew and leaving each other alone if the feud was as bad as they have been playing it out to be. Even when Phil took the mic as a guest poser at Jim Manion’s show, Kai Greene was leaning on the podium almost trying to agitate Phil during his speech. Which again leaves me scratching my head with all of this.
Here’s where things get juicy. I think this is all a show—lately. I think all the drama going on is just to help promote the Olympia and put in down in the record books as the greatest Olympia ever. I could be totally wrong with this (I’ve been wrong before), but I think Kai Greene will sign the Olympia contract and not make anything public. He will continue to answer the question all philosophically and leave people trying to put the puzzle pieces together. I also believe that the IFBB and AMI won’t release the details and it will be a cover up for the most part that Kai will compete. They will leave him off of all marketing material and leave him off the list of competitors. Kai Greene will show up to the Olympia (which people would expect anyway) to be at the expo, whether it be for his supplement company or if simply to make an appearance. He will be dressed as usual—all covered up. Then once the Olympia ceremony begins, all of a sudden you will see Kai on stage at the pre-judging out of the blue without any media announcing his actual committal to competing in the show. Whether the other competitors will know he’s competing prior will be an unknown (I’d suspect they wouldn’t know as to not leak the information by mistake).
This will then create one of the most exciting Olympia’s ever. Phil, Kai, Levrone, Dexter, Big Ramy, Cedric, Rhoden, all competing on that very stage, having one of the most epic pose downs in history. Phil will come back to defend his crown and keep his legacy going. But with his physique not being up to par for the past couple of Olympia’s, it leaves the door open for someone else to come in and steal the show from Phil. Again, I could be totally wrong. Or I could be spot on and what we are about to see in Las Vegas will go down in history. Only time will tell.
I think this is a great topic to open up for discussion. Feel free to comment in the comment section or start a thread on your favorite fitness/bodybuilding website and get others opinions on this very topic. Am I alone in my thinking or do other people think there might be something behind all of this drama surrounding the Olympia. Having Kevin competing also adds another dynamic to the show. Almost an “old vs new” competition. Will Kevin bring a package worth putting him in the top 10 or even top 5? We are in store for once heck of a show regardless if Kai Greene shows up or not. Phil has been vulnerable and this could be the year he’s dethroned. Get your tickets, get your popcorn, and be ready to be entertained. This year’s Mr. Olympia is going to be of epic proportions!
Is Kai Greene THE Most Entertaining Bodybuilder of All Time?
The sport of bodybuilding may be considered boring to many. Guys standing on stage, posing, and wearing a man thong all lathered up with a bunch of oil. Not the most entertaining, I get it. We aren’t talking about Lebron James throwing down a dunk in the face of one of the premier centers in the NBA. Bodybuilding isn’t that electrifying—neither are the bodybuilders themselves. Well, except for maybe Kai Greene.
Kai Greene: The man behind the mask
Kai Greene has put on quite a few shows during his time in bodybuilding. In fact, he is known for his props, routines, and obviously his interviews. The man who many times has come out to pose while wearing a mask, doesn’t seem to shy away from his somewhat “odd” yet entertaining personality. By nature, Kai is an artist. He enjoys the arts, acting, and playing a role from behind the camera as well. But, could Kai have single-handedly saved the sport of bodybuilding over the last several years from severe boredom?
Who Else is There?
Go through the competitors in the open division today and let me know who is entertaining… I’ll wait. I’ll toss one other competitor out there who I think could help the sport, and that’s Cedric. Other than that, the competitors are boring. Phil shows up once a year to compete and wear the crown. Some think he’s cocky, others call it confidence. Either way, there are no other competitors out there who are truly entertaining in my opinion and helping the sport grow and add spectators.
The posing routines of some competitors are entertaining, but I think most of that comes from the music playing during the routine and the energy coming from the fans who enjoy their “heroes.” It gets us fired up dancing in our seats because of some of the beats. Kai brought us some of the best routines that we will probably ever see in our lifetime. The way he moved, spun on his head, and the things he wore all added to the experience. Who do we have today filling those shoes? No one.
Kai Greene hasn’t even competed this year, yet he was probably the most talked about bodybuilders. Love him or hate him, he’s entertaining. Sure, he might drive you nuts during interviews where he never answers anyone’s questions, but we still watch and listen to all of his interviews anyway. Regardless of your personal feeling about him, he’s what the sport needs, whether he is competing or not. Personally, I would rather see him on stage than acting or painting, but I can’t blame him for transitioning into a more profitable career choice. Not to mention all of his business ventures with his supplement company and clothing line keeping him busy.
You Don’t Miss Something Until It’s Gone
When Kai Greene competed, people were very opinionated about him, his physique, his past, the way he conducts himself in interviews, etc. Now that he’s gone, nothing has changed. We are still talking about him in the same manner as if he’s already been on stage this year. Kai brought excitement to the industry, from his mannerisms, to his hair, to his posing. Many thought during his last visit to the Olympia stage he was going to throw some bombs with Phil Heath. At the time, everyone was saying how terrible it was for him to get in Phil’s face and that he needs some self-control. But you know what? You’re going to remember that Olympia for the rest of your life. Can you remember details of other shows as much as you did that specific Olympia? I can’t. But I sure as hell can remember when Phil and Kai stood nose to nose appearing to get ready to throw down at any moment.
While we have all been critical of Kai at one point or another, he brought a lot of good to the sport. Without Kai Greene, I’m not sure who would have come close to giving Phil a run for his money. Or going toe to toe with Cedric at the Arnold Classics. I, myself, have been very critical of Kai. And looking back, it’s because of what he brought to the sport, whether you liked it or not. The point of all this is, love him or hate him, without Kai we wouldn’t have much to talk about these last few years. There were no rivalries after Jay and Ronnie retired. The newest rivalry was Kai and Phil. Who is it now? Heck, I don’t even know. Phil is standing by himself just messing with the line-ups begging someone to come and test him (and as he says “slay them all”).
We don’t truly miss something until it’s gone. And with Kai Greene not competing (at least not yet in 2017), we still talk about him in hopes that he steps back on stage and once again entertains us in a sport where there hasn’t been much to get excited about. Our most entertaining years of bodybuilding might be behind us and the only thing we have left are memories of the times where we were engaged. Hopefully things will change, but the sport sure misses someone like Kai in the line-ups.
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