Bodybuilding is a sport of second acts. 🏋️
Champions walk away, get injured, lose their crown — and sometimes they come back anyway.
Some comebacks end in triumph. Some end in controversy. And some end nowhere near the top, yet fans never forget them.
Here are five of the most memorable comebacks in bodybuilding history, refreshed for 2026 — with one new entry that changed the record books.
What is new in this 2026 refresh?
Four of the original five picks stay: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jay Cutler, Kevin Levrone and Phil Heath.
The change is at the fifth spot. Lou Ferrigno’s brave 1992 return drops to an honourable mention below, and Derek Lunsford’s 2025 title reclaim takes its place.
Why? Because Lunsford did something only one man had ever done before — he lost the Mr. Olympia title onstage and won it back. That is the rarest comeback in the sport.
1. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s comeback triumph in 1980 🏆
Arnold won six straight Mr. Olympia titles from 1970 to 1975, then retired to focus on films.
Five years later, he stunned everyone by entering the 1980 Mr. Olympia in Sydney, Australia, announced just the day before the contest.
He won — his seventh Olympia title, a record at the time. And the sport has argued about it ever since.
Chris Dickerson finished second, reigning champion Frank Zane third, and Mike Mentzer fifth. Many in the crowd booed the result, and Mentzer argued publicly that politics had decided it.
Whatever you think of the judging, the comeback itself is unmatched for drama. The biggest star in the sport’s history walked back in after five years — and walked out with the crown. 👑
Arnold retired from competition for good after 1980. For his full story, read our Arnold Schwarzenegger biography, and for the training ideas he is still famous for, see Arnold’s career and protein paradigm.
2. Jay Cutler’s spectacular return in 2009 💪
Jay Cutler won the Olympia in 2006 and 2007, then lost it to Dexter Jackson in 2008.
Most champions never get the title back. Cutler did — and he became the first man in Olympia history to do it.
At the 2009 Olympia in Las Vegas, he arrived bigger and sharper than anyone expected. Branch Warren finished second, Jackson third, and Cutler took his third Sandow trophy.
The moment fans remember best is the “quad stomp” — Cutler driving his foot into the stage before his abs-and-thigh pose, every fibre of his quadriceps on show.
He defended the title again in 2010 for a fourth win. Then came the second, harder comeback attempt.
After losing to Phil Heath in 2011 with a torn left biceps, Cutler had surgery, sat out 2012, and returned in 2013 to finish sixth. It was not another title — but walking back onto that stage at all, after surgery and a year away, took real courage.
3. Kevin Levrone’s unforgettable comeback in 2016 🎸
Kevin Levrone is known as “the uncrowned king” — four times runner-up at the Olympia, in 1992, 1995, 2000 and 2002, but never the winner.
He had already survived one career-threatening setback: in February 1993 he tore his chest muscles bench-pressing 600 lb, needed two surgeries, and still came back to finish third at the 1994 Olympia.
Then he stepped away after his last contest in 2003. Thirteen years passed.
In May 2016, Levrone announced he would compete at that year’s Olympia on a special invitation. He was 52 years old, with about five months to prepare, reportedly training through pectoral and knee problems.
He finished outside the top 15 in Las Vegas. The result was never the point.
Seeing a 1990s legend back on the Olympia stage, in remarkable shape for his age and his layoff, was the story of the weekend. He competed once more, finishing 13th at the 2018 Arnold Classic Australia, and then closed the book. 👏
4. Phil Heath’s resilient return in 2020 🎁
Phil Heath, “The Gift”, won seven straight Olympia titles from 2011 to 2017.
Shawn Rhoden ended that run in 2018. Heath then sat out 2019, and the wait for his return built all year.
When the 2020 Olympia finally arrived in Orlando, Florida, Heath was chasing a record-tying eighth title overall. The sport held its breath.
It was not to be. Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay won his first title, defending champion Brandon Curry finished second, and Heath took third — one place lower than his last outing.
Heath’s back was still the best onstage, but his conditioning and midsection drew criticism, and Ramy was simply better on the night.
The eighth title never came, and 2020 proved to be Heath’s last Olympia appearance. But a seven-time champion returning after a year away, at 41, and still landing on the podium — that is a comeback worth remembering. For how Heath matched up against another great of the era, read Phil Heath vs William Bonac (Bonac finished fifth that night).
5. Derek Lunsford’s historic title reclaim in 2025 🔥
This is the new entry — and the reason this list needed a 2026 refresh.
Lunsford won the Mr. Olympia in 2023. In 2024 he dropped to third, surrendering the title to Samson Dauda.
His response was one of the great seasons in modern bodybuilding. In March 2025 he won the Arnold Classic in Columbus, Ohio, beating the reigning champion Dauda. In May he won the Pittsburgh Pro.
Then, on 11 October 2025 in Las Vegas, he completed his self-declared “Triple Crown”: Arnold Classic, Pittsburgh Pro and Mr. Olympia in a single year.
Hadi Choopan finished second, Andrew Jacked third and Dauda fourth, and Lunsford collected $600,000 and his second Sandow trophy.
With that win, Lunsford became only the second man ever — after Jay Cutler in 2009 — to lose the Olympia title onstage and win it back. Sixteen years separated the two feats.
His reign did not last: in his 2026 title defence, Nick Walker won his first Sandow, Dauda finished second and Lunsford third. That does not undo 2025 — it just makes the reclaim what it always was: a single, historic season. 🏆
For Lunsford’s training approach from his comeback year, see Derek Lunsford’s walking-lunge guide.
Frequently asked questions
Who was the first bodybuilder to regain the Mr. Olympia title after losing it?
Jay Cutler, in 2009. He lost to Dexter Jackson in 2008 and won the title back a year later.
Who is the second?
Derek Lunsford, in 2025. He lost the title in 2024 and reclaimed it in Las Vegas in October 2025.
Was Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 1980 win controversial?
Yes — it remains one of the most debated results in the sport. Dickerson, Zane and Mentzer all had strong support, and many fans and competitors disagreed with the judges’ call.
Why is Ronnie Coleman not on this list?
Coleman’s story after his final Olympia in 2007 is about life after competition, not a return to the stage. For where he stands today, read Ronnie Coleman now.
Which comeback on this list did not win anything?
Kevin Levrone’s 2016 return — he finished outside the top 15. It still belongs here, because a 52-year-old returning after 13 years away captured the whole sport’s imagination.
Final thoughts
Every comeback here tells a different story. Arnold’s was about aura and argument. Cutler’s was about redemption. Levrone’s was about love for the stage. Heath’s was about a champion refusing to fade quietly.
And Lunsford’s was about history — doing what only one man had done before, sixteen years earlier.
One more name deserves a mention. Lou Ferrigno, the original Incredible Hulk, returned after 17 years away to finish 12th at the 1992 Olympia in Helsinki at age 41, as Dorian Yates won his first title. Ferrigno came back again for 10th in 1993 and second at the inaugural 1994 Masters Olympia behind Robby Robinson.
He drops off this five-name list only because a second title-reclaim had to make room for itself. His comeback is still part of the conversation — and always will be. 💪
Which comeback would you rank first? The disputed one, the record-breaking one, or the one that never won a thing? Let us know in the comments.