"He shut up all of you" - Olympia judge Terrick El Guindy backs Nick Walker to eventually win an Olympia title

Nick Walker recently finished in second-place in the 2023 Arnold Classic behind Samson Dauda. The decision from the judges has raised many eyebrows, leading to a variety of debates regarding ambiguity in judging at major shows. Despite finishing second, Walker has thoroughly planted himself as a contender for top titles in the coming years.

In a recent episode of Prime Time Muscle on OlympiaTV, Olympia judge Terrick El Guindy had a few words for people underestimating Nick's potential.

"The unstoppable force, Nick Walker. I’m sick and tired of people doubting Nick Walker. A lot of people saying his shape is not good. He shut up all of you. He shut all the doubters the hell up. He’s the unstoppable undeniable force. He keeps moving up. Don’t sleep on him. He keeps telling us he’ll be Mr. Olympia and by the way things are going, this guy might actually do it."

Former IFBB professional Chris Cormier agreed with Terrick and contrasted The Mutant's progress to that of Olympia silver medalist Derek Lunsford.

"He was hard enough. He had to move his way up. I think Derek started out fast. But he was making his way passing up Ramy, passing up Curry, making his way doing better than last year."

Nick 'The Mutant' Walker is 28 years old, while Lunsford is 29. The two represent the secure future of the sport. Terrick added that their similarities in size, physique, and age have added up to a healthy rivalry building up between the two youngsters.

"I think there’s some tension between Derek Lunsford and Nick Walker. Backstage when Lunsford was taking off his clothes, I could see Nick sizing him up and vice versa. Those are the young guns coming out. They believe that Hadi might be there one or two more years. Eventually, Hadi will come out of the party and Derek and Nick will be fighting for the Mr. Olympia."

According to Terrick, despite what the two said in front of the camera, there is still a certain amount of contention between them. He added that Lunsford's finish above Walker at the Olympia added fuel to the fire.

"There’s a bit of tension between them. Obviously, they’re going to say on camera that they love each other but I don’t think Nick liked Derek coming in on his first Olympia and surpassing him."

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"Everybody needs to look out" - Former IFBB professional Chris Cormier believes Walker is a threat if he fixes his legs

Since the Arnold Classic, many critics and bodybuilders have noted that Nick lost a significant amount of muscle in his legs in an attempt to streamline his overall look. Cormier, adding to the conversation, stated that once Nick fixes this, he will be an imminent threat to title holders.

"He was flat for a lot of that time training for the show,” said Cormier. “He has nice full pecs, the arms has always been there. He just got to concentrate on his lower half. His lower half if he gets that to where it needs to be, everybody needs to look out."

Nick will head to Olympia this year as one of the favorites to topple Hadi Choopan's reign. He will be joined by Samson Dauda and Derek Lunsford, who are exceptional athletes in their own regard.