Hany Rambod and Fouad Abiad joined forces for a special sit-down discussion recently. On The Truth Podcast, Rambod and Abiad examined Nick Walker‘s championship mentality and overall impact on the IFBB Pro League Men’s Open division.
Nick Walker’s influence on the category was impossible to ignore from the moment he stepped on stage. In 2021, he gathered momentum with back-to-back victories at the New York Pro and Arnold Classic. In his first Mr. Olympia appearance, Walker proved his physique was more than just hype as he finished fifth.
Instead of defending his Arnold Classic title in 2022, Walker opted to make improvements on the sidelines, specifically to his waistline and v-taper. Before taking his talents to a second Mr. Olympia contest, Walker and Derek Lunsford stole the show at the 2022 Pittsburgh Pro, where they guest posed alongside Brandon Curry and Hunter Labrada.
Despite his status as the overwhelming favorite, Mamdouh ‘Big Ramy’ Elssbiay was unable to defend successfully. As a result, Hadi Choopan claimed the 2022 Mr. Olympia title with Lunsford and Walker leaving in second and third, respectively. Walker returned in March at the 2023 Arnold Classic but finished second behind Samson Dauda.
Even though he came up short in Ohio, Walker is confident months before his next Olympia. In a recent Mutant and the Mouth podcast, the 28-year-old made it clear he doesn’t think Choopan will repeat as champion. With the bodybuilding season picking up, Rambod and Abiad took a closer look at Nick Walker and his career trajectory.
Fouad Abiad and Hany Rambod on ‘Insane’ Nick Walker: ‘I Never Took His Confidence as Arrogance’
Abiad, who led a successful career himself, said he was shocked by Nick Walker’s determination and loyalty to the sport from the moment he met him.
“He can look at a lineup and really believe what he says when he says – some guys look at a lineup and they are like, ‘Yeah, I’m going to win.’ You’re thinking to yourself there’s no way you’re going to win. I feel like that’s disingenuous also, it’s great to be confident, but are you real with yourself? You know,” said Fouad Abiad.
“You have a relationship with Nick Walker, how do you feel about – what’s his personality do you feel compared to like an Iain?” asks Rambod.
“Here’s the thing, the first ever podcast I did with Nick was before I ever knew him and we did a one-on-one, and he was like, ‘I’m going to win the Mr. Olympia in two years.’ In my head, I was like this kid is fuc**ng crazy. But it was also what drew me to him, it didn’t seem arrogant. It just seemed like this kid’s got a lot of fuc**ng confidence, I don’t know if he’s insane but I like it, that’s kind of how I saw it,” replied Abiad.
“It was crazy for me to hear it. But then when he started competing and he won New York and then he fuc**ng won the Arnold, I’m like, ‘This kid could be fuc**ng right.’ That’s why I never took it as arrogance. I took it as a really firm belief in his own abilities.”
Given Walker’s accomplishments, Rambod believes the hype behind him was/is justified.
“I think that the bottom line is he’s backed it up,” said Rambod.
Rambod, Abiad Compare ‘WWE Character’ Blessing Awodibu & Nick Walker’s Mindsets
According to Abiad, Walker’s confidence is more genuine than Blessing Awodibu‘s. At times, Abiad suggested that ‘The Boogieman’ prefers to entertain whereas Walker is 100% committed to improving as a bodybuilder.
“On the flip side of that, do you feel Blessing does the same thing though, how is he different? Obviously, his placing isn’t there but because they’ve gone back and forth, he sounds very similar to that, but do you feel that it’s different and take aside the fact that he hasn’t been able to live up to that standard that he’s set. In general, do you feel like it was the same or that it was different?” asks Rambod.
“I hope Blessing doesn’t take any offense to this because I think Blessing is a very good bodybuilder. I think Nick lives bodybuilding 24/7 and nothing can interrupt that, not money, not girls, not work, nothing. It’s like, this is all I am here on earth to do, that’s Nick right? Blessing, is like, ‘I’m a really good bodybuilder and I think I can be great but I also like to be an entertainer.’ So, I think he’s playing a part to a certain degree. But also has a belief in himself.
But it’s not the same as Nick. At least from what he portrays, he’s not living the same way Nick is. Maybe this year, this last off season it looks like he’s made incredible progress, but more what I think Blessing is doing when he talks about winning Olympia, I think he’s kind of playing a WWE character to a certain degree,” added Abiad.
“Nick actually believes what he says, it’s not just an act.”
Following his second-place finish to Samson Dauda, Nick Walker has been open with fans about the outcome. He can understand why the judges favored Dauda’s package but underlined that his conditioning levels were enough to win on the scorecards. Walker later called for a revamp to the judging process and requested more transparency.
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Despite the setback, Nick Walker is focused on the 2023 Mr. Olympia competition, which is scheduled for November 2-5 in Orlando, Florida, where he will once again meet the two men who placed above him last year: Derek Lunsford and Hadi Choopan.