Sites & Fans Buzz Over Big Ramy Comeback Rumors – IronMag Bodybuilding & Fitness Blog

by Christian Duque

Folks, I don’t like writing puff pieces. I never have; however, a large part of what I do for IronMag is to write about what’s hot in the sport of bodybuilding. What’s hot could mean what the fans are talking about, maybe something I feel especially passionate about, and/or what’s trending. Physique-based sports aren’t big enough to actually trend on social media rankings like major league ones. While the algorithm might treat a certain story more favorably than others, it’s rare that something inherently from this sport makes it to the mainstream trending charts. Some rare instances include the passing of Rich Piana, the iffy accusation against Mr O Shawn “Flexatron” Rhoden, or the recent gang beatdown of a special needs man at Elev8tion Fitness in Miami at the hands of Wes Watson and his gang of goons.

For the most part, determining what’s “trending” in the muscle game comes down to what big YouTube channels are talking about. I usually will see what Nick’s Strength & Power, Desktop Bodybuilding, and Muscle Discord are saying. I’ll look at RXMuscle, Ron Harris, and some of the international sites, as well. Then I look at what’s going in with my own social feeds. It may not be a sure-fire thing, but it works for me. And right now, it seems the whole sport is talking about the potential for a Big Ramy comeback. Everyone is looking at the 2025 Olympia. Others are looking at the 2026 NY Pro and/or the 2026 Arnold Classic. I think if Ramy is to return it would have to be at the Super Bowl of Bodybuilding. The question is will he actually make good on the hype? Do the powers that be want The Egyptian Phenom back? And what chances does Ramy have of winning back the Olympia title?

These comeback rumors are getting old. I don’t mean this particular one, but the whole concept is a sad excuse for a marketing ploy. Ramy hasn’t indicated that he’s actually coming back. There’s some hints from the champ and there have been some insinuations from his camp, but that’s just not enough for me. You have to realize that I’ve written over 900 articles for IronMag and hundreds for StrengthAddicts. I’ve done video series for SA, IronMag TV, and MD. I also wrote articles for RX back in 2013-2014 (including 80 episodes of Muscle In The Morning). I’ve seen this movie before. It starts out small, then more people talk about it, and before you know it you have a full-fledged snowball effect. Then the fans start to rely on the hype and suddenly you’ve got folks from all over the globe making travel arrangements, buying tickets to the contest, and getting their hopes up. Ramy is a big star and people want to see him.

Love him or hate him, Big Ramy won two Mr Olympia titles. In my opinion, he deserved the win in 2020 (to a point), but he got his ass handed to him by Brandon Curry in 2021. The Prodigy came in ripped to shreds, with improved wheels, and 20lbs of added muscle. Ramy, on the other hand, was holding water, made no improvements, and was struggling during both the prejudging and the finals. Still, the judges gave him the nod. But of course that’s when the powers that be liked him. And it was four years ago. We’ll get into how the champ shot himself in the proverbial foot a little later in the article. The point, here, is that any talk of a comeback is going to command media attention and it will undoubtedly get a fan reaction.

Ramy is not in Kai territory just yet. I mean talking about a Greene comeback in 2025 has become almost comical. It has to be awfully slow in the world of bodybuilding for me to pen an article on something like that. And that’s even if everyone is talking about it. I have nothing against The Predator. In fact, I have great love and respect for him. Just what I said – love and respect. He’s a guy who should have won at least one Olympia, but always fell short. He didn’t fall short in my eyes and I don’t think he fell short in the judging criteria, but he was never given a win. He won in Columbus and everywhere else, but the stars never aligned for him at the big dance. For the first few years, talk of a Kai comeback got a lot of people talking. These comebacks resulted in fans getting their hopes up, making travel arrangements, and ultimately having their spirits crushed when Kai either wouldn’t sign and submit his Olympia contract or just wouldn’t show up. Now, nearly a decade after the last time he competed, most people won’t fall for it. Ramy has only been gone 4 years from the O. He also competed at the 2023 Arnold Classic which was only three years ago. If Ramy were seriously coming back, I think that would be headline news in 2025. The problem is, he hasn’t really confirmed anything.

And how do you confirm a comeback? You make a direct statement for one, and for two, you sign a contract. Otherwise it’s just talk. If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck – IT’S A DUCK!! We’ve seen how these comebacks have been used by various other top guys to stay relevant, promote a supplement line, or maybe plug something unrelated to the sport (e.g. a mainstream movie, maybe a podcast series, or maybe a new business venture). As much as I like Ramy and believe you me, he’s a real salt of the Earth kind of individual, I wouldn’t put anything past a top bodybuilder. Just the mere suggestion of a comeback can be highly effective and it’s basically free. Where else can you get that reach for $0? If you were to press me on what I think, I’d say all this Ramy comeback-talk amounts to hot hair and hype.

Moreover, I don’t think the powers that be want Ramy back. There has only been one man in over 60 years to win back the Olympia. That man was Jay Cutler. Absolutely no one else has been able to do it. Can Ramy pull it off? I highly doubt it. The Egyptian Phenom would have to come in at 100% and he’d have to basically jump over up and coming guys like Andrew Jacked, Martin Fitzwater, and Nick Walker. Then things would get really dicey because he’d have to beat bonafide, current Top 3 finishers like Derek Lunsford (who won the 2025 Arnold and 2025 Pittsburgh), Hadi Choopan who placed 2nd at last year’s Mr O, and reigning Mr O Samson Dauda. Ramy would actually have to beat 4 Mr O’s in Las Vegas (Curry, Lunsford, Choopan and Dauda). If he thinks that’s smooth sailing, then he might be just a tad delusional. Not to say batshit crazy. Lol

Additionally, we cannot forget what Ramy did at the 2021 Pittsburgh. He was slated to show up at the president’s show, but instead he was a no-show. For ten days, the whole sport wondered “what happened to Ramy?” After 10 days, he finally made a half-assed apology and coincidentally lost the Olympia later that year. Then he did the Arnold Classic and took the same placing against lower quality guys. Most defending Olympia champions who lose the title will place 2nd or 3rd. Ramy took 5th. They sent him a message. And in case he didn’t quite get it at the O, they sent him another clearer message a few months later in Columbus, OH. I don’t know if Ramy has mended fences since those days, but chances are he’s still got a little black cloud following him wherever he goes. I’d say there’s more chances of a Jay Cutler comeback than of Big Ramy winning the Olympia in 2025. Or ever!

I love bodybuilding and I love believing that comebacks can happen, but as a writer I have to be a realist. Why would Ramy endure a hellacious prep, take the stage, and know that the best he’ll get is maybe Top 6? Even though he’d win some prize money, I doubt he’d break even when all his expenses were tallied up. Ramy would basically be competing to lose money, potentially hurt his legacy (if he places outside the Top 6), and actually diminish his worth in the fitness industry. Once your career takes a hit, sponsors will try to lowball you. It’s all about supply and demand.

Is this another Kai Greene type comeback? I’d say so. I think it’s just something for the media outlets to make content out of. It’s also something for the fans to argue about on the message boards, the Facebook groups, and the various social media platforms. But hey, that’s just my take. What say you? Will Big Ramy return to the 2025 Olympia stage to compete? As always, thank you for 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. I all but guarantee you it will generate lively conversations.