Bodybuilding veteran Jose Raymond joined Milos Sarcev to talk about Shawn Ray and his recent run-in with Chad Nicholls’ son, Dominic Nicholls. Raymond believes Shawn Ray has become the ‘villain of the industry’ and says nobody in the sport likes him anymore.
“Even to this day, I feel bad that I want to beat his ass. I feel bad that I don’t like that guy. I don’t want to not like anyone but Shawn Ray is unlikeable. I cannot like him,” Jose Raymond shared.
Shawn Ray was a powerhouse in the Men’s Open division while competing actively. Regarded as one of the most consistently shredded competitors on stage, ‘Sugar’ was a perennial Mr. Olympia contender and earned gold at the 1991 Arnold Classic competition. Often giving up size to mass monsters like Dorian Yates, Ronnie Coleman, and Lee Haney, Ray proved himself as one of the IFBB’s original Giant Killers.
In the 2000s, Jose Raymond set himself apart from other competitors with a bulletproof lower body. He sported unparalleled quad definition, which led to resounding success at a number of pro shows, such as the 2015 Arnold Classic (212).
Shawn Ray has made headlines for his controversial opinions and outspoken nature. At the 35th Arnold Classic Expo, Ray and Dominic Nicholls confronted each other. The scuffle came about after Ray accused Dominic’s father (Chad Nicholls) of killing a number of bodybuilders with dangerous coaching practices.
Ray’s feud with the Nicholls family has raged on for a few years now. He called out Chad back in 2021 and accused him of killing bodybuilders with ‘Dr. Death protocols’ and labeled him a ‘lying guru.’ In the latest IFBB AMA podcast, 212 staple Jose Raymond explained to Milos Sarcev why Ray is one of the most disliked icons in the sport today.
Jose Raymond Calls Out Shawn Ray After Dominic Nicholls Scuffle: “Everything About Him is Cringeworthy”
Sarcev revealed that he’s still friends with Ray despite kicking him out of his gym twice.
“Listen, you should be responsible for everything you say and do, and especially if you’re accusing somebody, you should be responsible for it. I mean, I’m friends with Shawn but I’ve also kicked Shawn twice out of my gym, I didn’t allow him to come back.
He can be very unreasonable, he doesn’t think far in the consequences right. He just points fingers and say, you are 58 years old… you should know better and he keeps pushing. After years of talking, years of talking, he’s bringing it back and then hashtag this and post and another post and another post. What do you expect? I don’t blame Dominic at all,” said Milos Sarcev.
Jose Raymond said Ray had one of the best physiques of all time and should be ‘lifting people up’ in retirement.
“Shawn Ray uses this term all the time and you’ll recognize it. He says it’s a cautionary tale. You ever hear him say that? It’s a cautionary tale. Well, here’s a cautionary tale for Shawn, you’re 58 years old, you’re one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time, one of the greatest physiques of all time, you should be one of the most popular guys in the sport; he should be helping people, he should be lifting people up, he should be promoting the sport, instead, he is the villain of this entire industry. Nobody in bodybuilding likes Shawn, nobody,” explained Jose Raymond.
According to Raymond, people have had enough of Ray’s behavior which is why he wasn’t on the commentary team for the 2022 Mr. Olympia contest.
“You just said, ‘oh he’s a friend of mine,’ but you know damn well, you said at the same time, you don’t blame the kid [Dominic] for wanting to slap him. Shawn could be doing so much position, yet you notice, he wasn’t doing any analysis of the Olympia, he didn’t do any analysis at the Arnold, and the biggest event in the world and he’s no longer invited to do so. What does that tell you? Enough people have had enough.”
“Dude trust me, I’ve almost done it [hit Shawn Ray]. Here’s the thing that’s sad, is that I loved the guy so much when I was in high school as a teenager, looking at him, I’m like, ‘Oh my God.’ It was unimaginable that someone could look like that. I was like excited to meet him.”
Given Ray’s propensity for getting into trouble, Raymond says it’s only a matter of time before he gets knocked out cold.
“The things he said about me, my family, the things he’s tried to do… I do not like him in anyway shape or form and I do not blame someone who knocks him out. And he eventually is going to get knocked out, something is going to happen or he’s just going to stop showing up because that’s long overdue.
“But at the same time, violence is not the answer. I certainly wouldn’t let my child do that. I’m mature enough to where I never did act on it. He said stuff about me on a live broadcast at Olympia with every bodybuilding fan listening and it was completely out of line. He said at the time, ‘Jose is having marriage issues,’ what the fu** does that have to do with bodybuilding, said he’s no longer taking bodybuilding serious anymore.”
“Everything about him is cringeworthy. I think we just touched on it to get your opinion. Now I’m fired up, maybe he’ll get me back into the gym,” added Jose Raymond.
In a recent appearance on The Menace podcast, Milos Sarcev and Dennis James took a closer look at the Dominic Nicholls/Shawn Ray confrontation. Sarcev shared that Ray got ‘jumped’ but said the incident wasn’t caught on camera. In Dennis James’ opinion, the encounter looked staged.
RELATED: Shawn Ray Clarifies His ‘Tone-Deaf’ Comments: ‘Shawn Rhoden Was Not An Enemy Of Mine’
Despite his contentious personality, Ray was a trailblazer for shorter bodybuilders during his tenure. With that in mind, Jose Raymond would like to see Ray help shape the next generation of aspiring athletes.
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