The title of this article was inspired by the title of a recent video on RX Muscle where Dave Palumbo raised the question regarding the recent spat between IFBB Pro Bodybuilders Justin Compton and Kai Greene. I wouldn’t call it a feud, rather, Compton was simply expressing an opinion. It’s not a novel opinion, either. That said, Greene hasn’t actively competed in a decade. The major issue deals with some of Kai’s past work not being in line with what would be expected of a Mr Olympia. The Olympia has always been viewed as the Superbowl of Bodybuilding. In addition to being the most coveted title, whomsoever wins it is considered to be the sport’s ambassador to the world. This has always ringed true. Some years the titleholder may be a hermit, other times they might really pound the pavement. For the most part, Mr. O’s are expected to hold a certain level of decorum. They shouldn’t engage in anything embarrassing or that could lead to any sort of black eye for the sport. Guys like Ronnie, Jay, and Phil embodied this vibe. Before them, guys from Dorian to Haney to Arnold did the same. Compton’s point spoke about this concept, but it earned Greene’s wrath. So, what exactly was said?
Justin pointed out that if Greene had won the Sandow (the statue given to every Mr. Olympia) and if a teenager had Googled Kai, he/she might find some of Greene’s muscle worship work. There was one gig that Compton and others tend to focus on. It involves Kai and a grapefruit. We won’t expound because our loyal readers here at IronMag know exactly what I’m talking about. For those who don’t, a simple web search will enlighten them. It’s not a good look for any pro, but as I pointed out a few articles ago in an article about muscle worship, this kind of side hustle is very common with competitors trying to make their way who may not have the luxury of being backed by a sponsor with deep pockets. This is an extremely expensive sport, and the money has to come from somewhere. At the end of the day, these photo and/or video sessions could be argued to be art. Others might say they’re obscene. Everyone has an opinion and that’s fine, but it’s one thing for a random bodybuilder to be involved with this kind of work, and it’s quite another for the top bodybuilder in the world. That was Justin’s point.
And that’s a valid point. Palumbo’s rebuttal was that that was in Kai’s past. Dave argued that Justin humiliated The Predator by highlighting it and pointing to that as the reason he never beat Phil Heath. Ever since Kai walked away from the stage, there have been constant comparisons on the message boards, Facebook groups, Reddits and elsewhere. Many fans believe that Kai had the physique, the condition, and the posing abilities to dethrone Heath. Many Greene diehards, including possibly Greene himself, attribute the fact that Kai never won to politics of some sort. But it’s beyond just the photo session with the orange in my opinion.
Kai was no stranger to the eccentric. Many times, his posing routines involved stage masks, bondage gear, and somewhat questionable posing. Some argue that bodybuilding is a family sport and others have a less restricted approach. The bottom line is that Kai would oftentimes push the limit. Even his artwork, featured on RX and MD, was beyond the scope of what even the mainstream fitness community was ready for. He was an artist and very eccentric, but that’s not necessarily what the sport may have wanted to be the face of physique-based sports. This may or may not be politics, but it might explain why Kai always came up short in Las Vegas. That said, he was able to win big in Columbus for the 2nd biggest title in bodybuilding, The Arnold Classic. Greene also won several other top contests and received top honors at many other shows. His highest placing at the Olympia was that of runner-up, but he just never was able to defeat Heath.
Do I agree with Dave that Justin humiliated Kai? I don’t. I understand Palumbo’s rationale, but Justin didn’t open this can of worms. The conversation was re-ignited when Kai rehashed old theories of why he didn’t win. Those revisited theories were dissected meanwhile Phil Heath hinted at a possible comeback to the tune of $1 million. Phil has been talking about a comeback ever since 2020 when he placed 3rd behind Brandon Curry and Big Ramy. Phil looked fantastic but also stopped competing. Now, going on six years later, when Heath started strolling down memory lane and hyping up the possibility of him coming back to win that 8th Sandow, it got Kai back in the zone to talk shop about why he didn’t go all the way.
One sidenote that really turned the spat even more rocky was that Kai pretended not to know Justin. Back in 2016, when Kai won the Arnold Classic, Justin took 4th. Compton was also a much-talked about bodybuilder who many thought could’ve won the Mr. Olympia. Palumbo took a little jab, saying that Justin thought he was a lot closer than he actually was. As I recall, Justin was considered a viable threat to the top title and was said to be a sure-bet for Top 3. Justin was very much on Phil’s radar, Kai’s radar, and Flexatron’s radar, among others. For Kai to say he didn’t know who Justin was is total bullshit. That as much I agree with Palumbo.
Kai is a guy who wears his heart on his sleeve and I have no doubt that Justin’s bringing up the past and making it headline news again didn’t bode well with him. That said, Kai has to accept that that was his past and this is his present. Had he done that, we probably wouldn’t be talking about this, today.
In my honest opinion, I was never a huge fan of Kai’s physique. I liked Phil’s look far more, even though Heath had narrow clavicles. I have also seen some remarkably interesting Chat GPT comparisons that usually give more poses to Heath than Greene. Can AI be wrong? Sure, but it’s far less likely. AI doesn’t look at politics, nor does it care about muscle worship shoots or the potential bad press of having a Mr. O that might create a dark cloud over the sport. All AI cares about is muscle, symmetry, and flow. It looks to see how athletes hit poses – whether they did so correctly or incorrectly – and calculates based on points. All the other stuff is ancillary.
Could politics have played a role? I don’t think so, but what say you? I certainly don’t think Justin will be apologizing to Kai, and I don’t think Kai will apologize for claiming not to know who Justin was. At the end of the day, this is common stuff during the lull between the Olympia and the Arnold Classic. I would’ve preferred not to have covered this topic, but sadly, it’s not going away. The conversation is as relevant today, as a couple of weeks ago when the news broke.
Are you on Team Kai? Team Justin? 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 Iron Magazine, 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.
