By Christain Duque
The sport of bodybuilding is one where feuds are commonplace. Let’s start there. Let’s not get super complicated or super philosophical because at the end of the day it comes down to picking a side. This isn’t a sport conducive to individuals, much less media outlets, sitting on the fence and being neutral. When it comes to physique-based sports you have to take a side. Being diplomatic only goes so far. And not only that but people don’t tend to respect folks that want to be Switzerland. If you want to be neutral you’re not going to have a very big audience wanting to hear you out. And like I said while that applies to individuals, it most certainly applies to media outlets.
Bodybuilding fans turn to media outlets, be it Muscle Discord, RX, or programs like BroChat or VoiceOfBodybuilding because they want a fresh perspective. They know what they believe but they want to know what other people are saying. Sometimes it’s because they want to broaden their horizons or just because they want to see what other people are saying without any intention of changing their position.
Whatever the case may be there’s nothing better to pass the time than taking a side in a feud. The more public the feud, the better. Again misery loves company. and bodybuilding fans – I must admit – absolutely love drama and turmoil. I don’t know if it’s a product of social media or if it’s just been an age-old obsession. The bottom line is vitriol makes for some of the best entertainment, second only to the Mr Olympia and the Arnold Classic. Lol
The only thing that can make an already tense situation more tense is if the subject matter has gone viral. Once a video goes viral or a news story goes viral then all of the drama is compounded. Now all of a sudden it isn’t just bodybuilding outlets or bodybuilders talking shop but it’s like the whole world has an opinion. And what I’m talking about happens to be the melee that took place at a gym involving Mike Van Wyck and Jeff Nippard.
The new story has gained tremendous mainstream appeal. Initially when the news broke it seemed as if the entire [fitness] industry had come together to reject the actions of Van Wyck against Nippard, but as word got around more, it became obvious that there was a growing faction within the sport that had Mike’s back. It’s from this division, that this feud or whatever it is at this point, set off.
I want to be totally transparent here. I don’t condone physical violence of any sort. I don’t like it, I never have, and I will always speak out against it. Now that being said, there are situations where people lose control because they have been taunted or provoked. I am not going to get involved with regards to whatever happened between Mike and Jeff. I’m just going to say that if somebody feels provoked and they feel as if their business is being attacked or their reputation is being attacked, there are a number of ways to address that. Everything from talking it out, to filing a lawsuit, to unfortunately going hands-on. That last option is never an option for me, but sometimes our emotions get the best of us. What I will say is that it’s a very different story if someone uses physical violence as a means to bully someone and when physical violence is a measure exacted by someone who feels as if they are being bullied.
Physical violence is wrong no matter what, but there are mitigating circumstances. And I will not speak any further on that point because I don’t want to take a side and I don’t want to stir up old news just to enhance this article. That’s not what I’m about. That being said Matt from Muscle Discord has his take on the incident between Mike and Jeff, and Guy has his take on the incident between Mike and Jeff. Matt and Guy could not be farther apart when it comes to how they view this situation. And what’s interesting is that many people tried (unsuccessfully) to pressure Fouad Abiad (one of Mike’s closest friends) to turn his back on Van Wyck. Abiad did nothing of the sort. In fact, Fouad made the point that turning your back on a friend when they need you most, is not being any kind of a friend at all.
But this goes beyond mere solidarity. Fouad not only didn’t turn his back on his friend, but he is promoting merchandise supporting Van Wyck and that made certain people’s blood boil. Matt, for example, has been pushing for Van Wyck to be banned from all gyms in Canada. Imagine his reaction to seeing Fouad promoting clothing showing Mike love. Let’s just say that that deepened an already blatant rift. That said, the major rift isn’t between MD and Fouad, rather, it’s between MD and Guy Cisternino.
Whereas Fouad speaks his mind, I’d say he’s a bit more reserved than Guy. Guy just doesn’t give a fuck. He’ll go to war with everyone if it means fighting for what he believes in. And there’s a pretty sizable segment of the bodybuilding world that’s pretty fired up over the efforts aimed at punishing or, arguably, canceling Van Wyck. Guy’s rage (which would be a cool name for a podcast if I do say so myself) wasn’t just reserved for Matt or Muscle Discord, but it’s gone beyond that. From what I’ve heard, Cisternino even attacked legendary Uncrowned Mr. Olympia and IFBB Hall of Famer “Sugar” Shawn Ray. Ray, who holds the honor of being the most photographed bodybuilder in the history of FLEX Magazine, has been appearing on Muscle Discord as of late. And as a result, he’s now in Guy’s crosshairs.
Matt could take the high road and ignore Guy, but fuck that. When Cisternino fired shots calling the Muscle Discord visionary a “cornball” and threw shade at his outlet for not getting hits, Matt clapped back. Without resorting to insults, Matt put Muscle Discord’s numbers next to Guy’s. He laid out the numbers in black and white. As a result, it seems that Guy’s comments insofar as MD’s reach missed their mark, but does Guy care? Probably not. At the end of the day, war is brutal. War is hell.
My hope is that this feud does not last very long and that it will be over by Thanksgiving. I don’t see the point of digging in and battling over what went down between two other guys. Then again, that may be an oversimplified assessment of what’s actually going down. Perhaps these guys will not wrap this up and make nice. I’d like to say it’s what the fans want, but if the fans got what they wanted, these guys would settle their differences in an octagon or maybe in a steel cage match. The fans LOVE drama. They live for it. They like seeing people lose their minds and both of these guys are now on edge.
Guy has a tendency to let his emotions get the best of him. He’s very zealous and he honestly doesn’t give a fuck (as previously stated). He’s been at this for many years and he’s had a very impressive run on and off the stage. He’s respected by his peers, he makes companies buku bucks, and he has dozens of best friends..
Matt, on the other hand, embodies everything I believe a modern-day media person has to be all about in the social media age. He’s as opinionated as Guy, but he tries to be more tactful and diplomatic. That said, Matt knows how to press buttons without making it obvious. Many of us in the media know how to do that. And you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to comprehend that what Mike Van Wyck did to Jeff Nippard made Matt’s blood boil. He’s livid at what went down. He wants Jeff to see justice in court, he wants to see Mike (possibly) do time, and he doesn’t want Mike to be able to train people in any gym in Canada. He’s stated very publicly and very directly that if he gets wind that any gym has opened its doors to Van Wyck, it won’t be pretty.
That said, guys like Guy, Lee Priest, Fouad and others, don’t really see Mike as much of a bully as Matt does. In fact, some see Mike as a victim of sorts and Jeff as an instigator that got what was coming to him.
There’s a number of ways to look at something. That can be true for pretty much any scenario. What is pretty clear, though, is that Matt/MuscleDiscord and Guy Cisternino are at war. Let’s hope the bad blood subsides and that these two can maybe do a podcast at some point or maybe just bury the hatchet.
Whose side are you on? Do you see these guys making peace anytime soon? As always, thanks for reading my article, here, at Iron Magazine. I look forward to reading your feedback in the comments. Be sure to share this article on all your social media feeds. It’s sure to generate some lively conversation!