by Christian Duque
We’ve heard conspiracy theories about all sorts of topics from 9/11 to the 2020 election to the science (or lack thereof) behind the vaccines that were pushed after the pandemic, but now we have our very own conspiracy theory in the sport of bodybuilding. And it is nowhere near as subtle as the others. It’s actually quite blatant if you ask me, but you may not be able to ask me. You may not be able to publicly associate with me. You may not even be able to publicly follow my pages. Maybe you’re reading this article with your pants around your ankles at the gym toilet. And maybe once you get up and clean yourself you will deny ever having seen it.
Who knows what your situation may be. Who knows if you carry a pair of knee pads in your gym bag. Who knows if you’re a federation kiss-ass who has to toe the line. I personally can say whatever the fuck I want to say on whatever platform I want to say it on because I’m in a position right now where I have nothing to lose. It’s a position that years ago I could only have dreamt of. Now I’ve got my career, I’ve got this great job here at Iron Magazine, and I have all the freedom in the world to say it like it is. I no longer dread a certain phone call from Pittsburgh or whether or not I will have press passes to cover shows. I couldn’t get a press pass in certain federations to save my life but at the same time nobody can call me to tell me to shut up. So let’s dive right into this conspiracy theory that I believe is not much of a theory and very much a fact.
You be the judge. You decide what you want to believe. But the fact you’re reading this article means you’re at least willing to hear me out. So let’s get into it.
Martin Fitzwater is one of those bodybuilders that comes along every so often out of nowhere. Many people thought his career was on ice. He wasn’t competing as much and he was focusing on making content for social media and for his sponsors. Then all of a sudden he got back on stage with a vastly improved physique, won a small but ambitious show in Detroit, and then went into the third biggest bodybuilding show, the New York Pro, very much under the radar. This was Nick Walker’s show to lose. The entire bodybuilding community was looking at this competition especially after Nick reappeared on the Arnold Classic stage looking like he was ready to battle – only he wasn’t on that stage. Well I mean he was but not as a competitor. He was on that stage handing out a trophy. But as soon as he made that appearance the entire community lit up because they started speculating as to whether or not he had totally recovered from his hamstring injury. Very shortly after that he made an appearance at the Pittsburgh Pro.
Now about that appearance, this is the president’s show. This competition is second or third only in star power to the Olympia and the Arnold Classic. Absolutely everybody who’s anybody in the sport comes to it. And the guest posing bill is always very impressive. That being said, what Nick brought to the president’s show left a lot to be desired. And it was there that the seeds of uncertainty were planted.
A lot of people were expecting to see a lot more from the former Arnold Classic Champion than what they did. And to be quite honest even the most vocal of supporters really didn’t think that Walker was going to be able to really bring a better physique just a week later to the New York Pro. A lot of his most fervent supporters were even voicing the opinion that maybe he should sit out the New York Pro and possibly consider doing another competition maybe like Toronto maybe San Fran. Nonetheless nobody could see Martin Fitzwater pushing Nick Walker to the extent that he did. And the fact that he did so and the fact that he got people like Shawn Ray, Bob Cicherillo, and others to basically say he should have won the competition, that was totally unexpected, and totally outside of anyone’s expectations.
What Martin Fitzwater did in New York caused shockwaves throughout the sport of bodybuilding. Not only did Nick Walker not look impressive at all but here was this guy that nobody had talked about before who essentially was beating him in symmetry, beating him in balance, beating him in structure, and giving him a run for his money on posing. The only thing Walker had to his advantage was muscularity, but he has one of the ugliest physiques in the sport. So what if he has more muscle? Nobody wants to look at him. He has an ugly look and quite frankly it is not a good look for the sport of bodybuilding. He is not going to win the Olympia this year or any year looking like that. That being said, his name has buzz. His name is controversial. His name will help sell tickets. So it was almost as if he had to win no matter what. Although Nick said he was vehemently opposed to the concept of receiving a special invite to the Super Bowl of Bodybuilding, he basically received a special invite because he was given a win he had no business winning.
Now while nobody expected Martin to do what he did in New York it seems that even though he was denied the victory he deserved and even though he was robbed and didn’t complain, that there is a concerted effort by leading YouTube channels to take a shit on this guy. What do I mean by that? Well the biggest YouTuber took a very unnecessary snub about 10 days ago. He basically said that Martin, a guy who had never qualified for the Olympia except for his winning Detroit, was pushing Nick Walker, a Top 3 Olympian. The way that he said it left a sour taste in my mouth. And just yesterday Ivan Bodybuilding – who we have spoken favorably about on this publication – for other news stories he has covered, took a very nasty approach with Martin, by suggesting that the Detroit Pro champion and New York Pro runner up was putting something in his arms that made them two or three times bigger than they were just 2 years ago. And it was this kind of commentary that created an atmosphere in his comment section where his viewers are openly accusing Fitzwater of putting site enhancing oils in his biceps. This has created a backlash that is completely unwarranted. Ivan Bodybuilding had absolutely no reason to go after Martin the way that he did. These guys don’t have bad blood, these guys don’t have history; the reality of the matter is this particular YouTuber just decided to put a massive black cloud over an up-and-coming bodybuilder that has really been a good sport despite some very, very bizarre judging decisions (and injustices in my opinion). So why is there this concerted effort to tear down whatever fanfare this bodybuilder has built through his hard work and good sportsmanship?
Well I have a theory on this and it’s the conspiracy against Martin Fitzwater. Even though he was robbed in New York and even though he will likely not place higher than 7th or 8th at the Olympia (it’s not because of the fact that he does not deserve it, rather, politics and the money driven practices of the bodybuilding world will not allow him to move up to the place he belongs) he’s still being positive. So what’s the problem?
If guys like Shawn Ray and Bob Cicherillo OPENLY believe that Martin defeated Nick Walker and Nick Walker is heralded to be in the top three, and potentially your next Mr Olympia, then it stands to reason that Martin Fitzwater would be in the mix as well. But you’re not going to see Martin in the top six, the top three, or much less holding the Sandow over his head. And why not? Because Martin Fitzwater is not going to make that event or this sport the kind of money that Derek, Samson, Hadi, or Nick will. Again that is just my opinion, but seeing as this is my article and I am sharing my thoughts, then I think it’s pertinent to share my opinion.
Now just because random YouTubers decide to wage war on a competitor that has not taken defeat in poor form is beyond me may not be enough for you. Unless of course someone is directing them from behind the scenes. And you may say second place is not really defeat but I say it is. I say it is because when you deserve first place and you get downgraded to second they might as well have downgraded you to last because that is how you feel. You feel totally robbed, dejected, and utterly humiliated. There is no worse feeling than knowing that you won and having pundits that have been covering this sport for upwards of 40 years say that you won too, and yet there you are holding a silver medal in your hands.
Let me tell you something. I guarantee you Martin felt just as bad placing second as if he would have felt placing dead last. You can bet on that. But even still he didn’t cry politics, he didn’t cry corruption. He took it like a man and he congratulated the winner. So then why are these YouTubers attacking him now? It does not make sense. It doesn’t make one spec of sense. And therefore if it doesn’t make sense, how do you explain it? And why are these YouTubers acting in concert? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to deduce that maybe they’re being told to.
Now I’m not saying who’s telling them to, I’m just saying that it’s not enough that Martin got robbed, there’s a concerted effort to remove him as a top contender in the world of public opinion, as well. And I believe that this is being done so that when he is screwed again at the Olympia no one will say a word.
And he is going to get screwed at the Olympia because no matter how good he is, he’s not going to be in that top six. Nick could walk in there looking like a pile of shit with flies on top and still place top three because he’s going to make them money. And that’s just how the cookie crumbles. That is why Phil [Heath] was able to win some years looking 9 months pregnant and why Big Ramy was able to win in 2021 despite Brandon Curry vastly out conditioning him, bringing revamped legs, and an added 20lbs of lean muscle tissue while Ramy had made no improvements, looked bloated, and was sweating profusely. At the end of the day, money talks, and bullshit walks.
But what if Martin was marketed correctly? Couldn’t he also make them money? Maybe, but this isn’t a sport that really likes the word maybe. Nick does make money, Nick’s fans do buy tickets and pay-per-view downloads, and Nick will talk up a storm on all the YouTube shows and podcasts. Although Nick holds himself out to be a positive force and detests anything negative, he’s one of the biggest shit talkers in the sport. So let’s be honest, Martin is not going to do what Nick is going to do. Nor is it William Bonac or Samson Dauda. The real shit talkers in this sport still make a lot of waves and waves oftentimes results in dollars made.
And even though Martin has been attacked now by two big YouTubers, he still has not retaliated. And I don’t suspect he will in the future either, but I also believe there will be more YouTubers out for blood when it comes to his name. And the more YouTubers that attack him, the more trolls that he gets, and the less media attention that he receives. And these events will only make me believe that the conspiracy against Martin Fitzwater is not only real but it’s happening before our very eyes.
What say you? What is going on here? Why are so many YouTubers attacking such a great competitor?