In Episode 223 of M&F’s popular The Menace Podcast, host Dennis James was joined by his regular panelists Chris Cormier and Milos Sarcev, and some special guests in the form of Melvin Anthony Jr and Mike Ashley. Ashley was an incredibly successful bodybuilder who spanned three decades on the stage, but as he told the gang, being natural was a non-negotiable.
Milos “The Mind” Sarcev shared that back in the day, he was often approached by his peers who questioned Ashley’s assertion that he was all natural, but the former bodybuilder in his own right explained that he always believed it to be the case. “You guys (were) not the big guys, but you created that illusion,” he said. “But I think the biggest complement you can ever get is being accused, when you are not using it.”
Mike Ashley Recounts Laying Down a Challenge That Wasn’t Accepted
In a career that started in his teens, Ashley picked up a number of prestigious trophies including a win at the 1990 Arnold Classic but apparently, he never picked up PED’s. Ashley retired in 1994 and provided the panel with his reasoning. “One of the things is, when they started testing, I thought it was gonna continue and it didn’t,” explained Ashley. “So, I tried for a while (to carry on competing).” The bodybuilder felt that stepping on stage helped bring in special guest appearances, including on all-natural shows to keep him busy.
Eventually, however, as the land of the giants got ever bigger, Ashley felt that he’d reached a junction where he would have to take steroids to hang with the big boys. “I didn’t want to go that route,” he said. “And I just decided to move on.” To this day, Ashley’s rock-hard physique has fans questioning whether the man they call “The Natural” was really all natural. Years ago, Ashley challenged anyone to give him a drug test and if he failed, he’d pay them $10,000 but if he passed, they would pay him $10,000. “No one ever did it,” he confirmed.
