by Christian Duque
Rubiel Mosquera aka Neckzilla seems to be like one thing out of a comic book guide and he’s lighting up the professional circuit in contrast to something I’ve ever seen. Just some weeks in the past this man wasn’t even a professional. Now he’s a professional and he’s made severe harm on the professional circuit. Only one look and also you’re left questioning the place his neck ends and the place it begins. When you cherished the freaks, you then’re going to like this man. He’s a throwback to guys like Markus Ruhl and Paul Dillett, however along with his stage of conditioning, he can stand with the most effective of the most effective.
Not solely has this Columbian phenom pushed the mesomorph card to absolutely the restrict he’s getting in contrast with the likes of Samson Dauda! That’s fairly insane contemplating the ink on this man’s professional card hasn’t even dried but and he’s being included in the identical dialog as a defending Arnold Basic champion and a Prime 3 Olympian. And it’s not a fantasy comparability or a subject to move the time amongst muscleheads on a message board, both. These guys really went toe to toe in open competitors. Furthermore, Dauda didn’t precisely finest the rising star, and that too has been grounds for some fairly energetic discussions.
It is rather very uncommon for an newbie competitor to show skilled after which flip round and accomplish that nicely at a professional competitors like we simply have seen with Neckzilla. The truth that only one present into his professional profession he already has a particular nickname and this quantity of buzz makes it as to the place any promoter goes to need to have him of their lineup.
On the finish of the day we can’t ignore the ten,000 lb elephant within the room. It is rather essential to promote tickets on the door and to promote pay-per-view packages. These days it appears everybody desires world class productions for buy on-line however only a few promoters are seeing the numbers to justify the funding. Furthermore at a time when many companies are submitting for chapter safety it’s turning into more and more troublesome for contests to promote sales space house. Corporations don’t need to take a shower and lose out on the chance to maneuver merchandise when there are merely only a few members of the viewers out there to buy something. Competitions must assume outdoors of the field and so they want opponents whose very presence goes to usher in the followers. Extra followers means extra cubicles they’ll promote and meaning more cash they’ll maintain on the finish of the night time. In any case, contest promotion may be very a lot a enterprise primarily and a pastime secondarily. You’ll be able to’t pay the payments with ardour, however you possibly can pay the payments with cash.
The underside line is that Neckzilla is already turning into a power to be reckoned with. Plenty of opponents have gotten very uneasy at the truth that he’s incomes so many accolades and profitable over so many followers with little or no time within the sport.
Now right here’s the massive query and that’s – will he have the ability to do what he did at his professional debut at a number of the greater competitions? Wouldn’t it be justified for him to get an Arnold Basic invitation when he’s barely been a professional for simply a few months?
I’ve to be sincere with you, the invitational committee has to consider the {dollars} and cents concerned in placing on a contest whose prize cash final 12 months was $300,000 and which subsequent 12 months could also be equal to that or much more. The one factor they by no means need to expertise once more in Columbus Ohio is that the second greatest bodybuilding present solely has six opponents. The present that’s second solely to the Olympia and it virtually didn’t occur in 2023. They should actually carry it in 2024 to have the ability to rival a contest referred to as the Tremendous Bowl of Bodybuilding.
There have been years the place the occasion in Columbus was as massive because the occasion in Vegas. Final 12 months after all was not one among them. May we see Neckzilla on the 2024 Arnold Basic? Solely Time Will Inform.
I’ll inform you I’d not be shocked to see his title on the invite listing although many veteran opponents can be up in arms that he can be given this monumental reward so early on.
Other people are speaking about whether or not or not we’ll see Neckzilla on the 2024 Mr Olympia? May he qualify? And if he certified the place would he place?
The actual fact of the matter is he’s turning into a fan favourite in a short time and he may probably win the folks’s award subsequent 12 months in Las Vegas. If we see Mosquera battling with the most important guys within the sport on the most important stage – all bets are off. Think about seeing Neckzilla battling it out with a revamped Massive Ramy, a revamped Nick Walker, and guys like Hadi and Derek. That will be the sort of showdown that each fan of mass monsters and genetic freaks would kill to see. Even when Neckzilla didn’t win, if he was at the least within the dialog, that will be blockbuster!! Gangbusters!! It could be the most important bodybuilding present that you may ever think about! I don’t even know easy methods to describe it!
I imply you must understand that though the game of bodybuilding is predicated on aesthetics and symmetry most followers may care much less about all that. They don’t need to see little frail bodybuilders with lovely muscle bellies. They need to see veins, slabs on slabs of muscle, and guys that look as cartoonish as doable. They might not have lovely physiques however who cares about that to on a regular basis followers?!?! They need to see the wow issue. They don’t care if bodybuilding doesn’t change into a mainstream sport. They’re not right here to develop the game or see it within the Olympics. They know that the freaks use gear and so they know that a number of the freaks are actually human pincushions. They might care much less about that. They need the freak issue and Neckzilla delivers on that 110%.
The massive query isn’t going to be whether or not or not Neckzilla will have the ability to rise to the highest of the game somewhat the query can be how lengthy will it take? If in case you have a bodybuilder that’s severely dedicated and listens to the judges, that bodybuilder can go all the way in which to the highest.
Furthermore, Columbia is a hotbed for the game as is Brazil, Europe and Asia. Although bodybuilding appears to be centered in the USA, I’d argue that the game is much extra well-liked all over the world than it’s right here. The identical means that Massive Ramy and Hadi set the Arab world on hearth after they gained the Olympia, I believe that Mosquera would do the identical for Latin America.
We’ve by no means seen a Latin American champion. There have been some fairly shut calls with Victor Martinez and Gustavo Badell, however there has by no means really been a Spanish-speaking Mr Olympia – at the least not because the late nice Sergio Oliva again within the late Sixties. That was 50+ Years In the past!! This could be an absolute bonanza for each nation from Mexico to Chile and Argentina all the way in which over to Spain. The game would come alive if it had a Latin American as Mr Olympia.
Now after all that is extraordinarily untimely as a result of we’re speaking a couple of man who actually simply bought his professional card lower than a month in the past however nonetheless the probabilities round this one explicit competitor are mainly limitless.
As somebody that loves media and loves advertising I can inform you I can consider any variety of campaigns centered round Neckzilla. That is nice for the game by way of creating an actual buzz that may be sustained not only for a number of weeks and even a few months however for years to come back. This man might be the subsequent Markus Ruhl or he might be the subsequent Dorian Yates or Ronnie Coleman. Once more we’re not simply speaking a couple of man with slabs of muscle; Mosquera has some form, he does have some symmetry and he has conditioning on his aspect. Nevertheless, the neck seems to be fairly gnarly and I don’t know if that’s going to throw a monkey wrench into his Olympia aspirations. Nonetheless so long as he’s this well-liked and this dedicated and pushed the sky’s the restrict for him.
How far do you see Neckzilla going? Do you assume lots of that is untimely hype or do you assume this explicit competitor warrants the entire consideration?
Solely time will inform what he does on the professional circuit however from what I’ve seen up to now lots of guys must be completely mortified to share a stage with Neckzilla!