by Christian Duque
I just saw an IG post from one of my favorite bodybuilding journalists, AJ KellyRobert, who posted a photo of the great Roelly Winklaar. Former IronMag TV’s Chris “The Goon” Griffin commented on the post, stating “yes, we need more big men.” AJ also suggested that if Roelly were to come back, the EVLS Prague Pro would be a great show for the comeback. The EVLS Prague Pro shared AJ’s story to theirs, and Roelly shared the EVLS repost to his stories. Even though at the end of the day we’re focusing, largely, on Instagram postings, there’s a lot more here than meets the eye. And one glance at The Beast’s IG and what his physique looks like, and you’re left wondering, why doesn’t he do another contest? I mean, why not do it for fun?
Of course, some of the critics will argue the usual points. “Oh he’s no spring chicken” or “oh, he’s 48 years of age,” or “what does he have to prove?” And while all of these typical responses might hold water and might have some value, they’re all bunk if you ask me. They’re bunk because if Roelly wants to do it to make the fans happy, then that’s all that matters. That would be the reason for the comeback and that would be the reason to do the contest. Besides, I don’t recall if Roelly ever formally retired. Every competitor on this level deserves that opportunity. Winklaar won big shows, not to mention wreaked havoc on the biggest contests in the world. He was a force to be reckoned with at the Mr Olympia and the various Arnold Classic contests. Very few guys would sleep on this particular top-tier pro. It was always a bad idea.
As Goon stated, the guy was known for size. You couldn’t get much bigger and freakier than Roelly. But he was more than just size. And we should also stop using past tense because the guy hasn’t lost the size.
Much like Kai Greene, Winklaar continues to hold his size and stays in very good condition. He continues to be a sponsored athlete and continues to make appearances throughout the fitness industry. Although he’s not training to compete, he still needs to hit it hard in the gym to keep the size. Plus, there’s the food. No one eats and trains like this just to do promos for sponsors. On some level, it’s my guess, The Beast wants to get back on stage. Maybe just for fun, maybe for more, but just for fun isn’t a bad thing.
You’ll often hear people throw water on bigtime pro’s making comebacks for one last hoorah. They’ll argue that they won’t look as most fans remember them and that as a result that’s going to affect their mark on the sport. That’s true and also not so true. Whatever Roelly does in 2025 is not going to change what Roelly did in yesteryear.
Did Kevin Levrone’s comeback change what he accomplished in his prime? Absolutely not. What people remember from that comeback is that Kevin was dealing with excruciating pain but he overcame it. He didn’t quit. He made the big announcement in Pittsburgh and from that point on, he hunkered down and he let all the naysayers cast doubts on his prep. He held it down and just kept battling. Occasionally he’d hype the comeback up in interviews and leave the question open as to whether he could win the Olympia. Did he actually think he would? Probably not, but it was for the fans, and the fans absolutely loved it. Unlike Kevin’s comeback, however, Roelly isn’t injured.
Yes, Roelly is 48, but so what? Sometimes a break from the stage can bring about amazing results. Have we forgotten what a year-long break did for William “The Conqueror” Bonac?? Imagine if Roelly did the 2025 EVLS Prague Pro and won everything? Why would he stop there? It’s one thing if Roelly had competed nonstop and he was now nearing 50. If The Beast started competing again after a good break, there’s no telling what he could achieve. Who knows, if he did the Prague, wins it, and qualified for the Olympia, imagine how exciting that would make The Superbowl of Bodybuilding. Now, you would have a bonanza of interest because now you’re working with the nostalgia effect. That’s liquid gold. Because now you have fans that lived the ride with Winklaar and new fans who have only heard about his greatness and seen the photos and videos when he terrorized the pro circuit. The nostalgia effect sells tickets and Pay Per View streams. What’s that old saying everyone loves to say, “money talks and bullshit walks.”
As The Goon says, “we need more big men.” We sure do! But unlike Nick Walker and the big men that will be at the O, what Roelly brings is unique. So seeing Roelly pose against The Mutant, even if just for the cameras and the fans, would be huge!! It could be a show within a show. Wouldn’t you want to watch that? I know I would!! And if Dan and the gang knew for a fact Roelly was competing? Forget about it!! They’d market the hell out of it.
At the end of the day entertainment counts for a lot. Many fans get caught up on who’s going to win and who’s going to be in the Top 6 and Top 3. That’s cool, but so what? Bodybuilding is a lot more than oily guys posing on stage. Sure, everyone wants to know who’s going to be crowned the #1 guy in the world. I don’t doubt that, but the road to the big dance is as big as the dance itself. The road to the show is where social media comes alive. That’s what people are looking at each time they reach for their phones. The placings at the show are just for that night. If we had knowledge that The Beast was competing, that he signed his contract, and that the prep was a go, then imagine how many more people are going to follow? Fans will want to see Roelly eat, train, pose and talk shop. It’s one thing if he’s just posting as a retired top guy and it’s quite another if he’s posting as a retired top guy who’s coming back and is ready to do battle.
See what I mean? It’s like night and day.
Who knows if Roelly will in fact make a comeback, but it would be awesome if he did! What do you think will happen? As always, thanks for reading my article, here, at IronMag. I look forward to reading your feedback in the comments. Be sure to copy and paste a link to this article on all your social media feeds. It will definitely generate some lively conversation.
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