As Kevin Levrone prepares to take the stage one last time at the legendary Mr. Olympia on September 16th 2016, fans can’t help but wonder if he still has what it takes to compete with the best in the world.

Known for defeating legends such as Jay Cutler, Ronnie Coleman, Paul Dillet, Chris Cormier, Flex Wheeler, Dexter Jackson, Lee Priest, Markus Rühl, and Shawn Ray- Kevin Levrone has positioned himself as one of the world’s most successful bodybuilders with a contest history that is still widely talked about today. Just a couple of months ago Levrone stirred up the bodybuilding world with a formal comeback that will (potentially) conclude after this year’s Mr. Olympia winner is crowned.

The formal announcement of Levrone’s return was made at this year’s Pittsburg Pro Championships by the man himself. For the first time in a long while, bodybuilding would get to see one of its biggest stars make a triumphant comeback that would shock the world, an event that has been long awaited and now dubbed the “Battle of the Eras”.

After the hype reached all corners of the bodybuilding realm, opinions began to surface in which Kevin Levrone’s comeback was categorized as a large marketing move and not a real attempt at dethroning the current champ. It’s no secret that over the years the “Uncrowned Mr. Olympia” hinted at various comebacks that never came to fruition, leaving many longtime fans disappointed.

This year proved to be different though as photos of the Olympia contestant “leaked” just a few months before the day of the contest. These pictures added to the hype and led non-believers into thinking that Kevin actually had a possible shot at placing well in this year’s Olympia. That said, just a few days after that, another series of photographs made it to the public eye on the official Muscular Development website. Seasoned fans have commented on the fact that these pictures proved to be “unimpressive”, especially for an Olympia contender, which leads us to ask, what can we truly expect from Kevin Levrone after it’s all said and done?

Kevin Levrone is undoubtedly one of the best bodybuilders in history, there’s no denying it; everyone has heard the famous stories of him being less than 200lbs a few months out of the contest only to nearly take the title after the dust settled. Hypothetically speaking, if Kevin manages to showcase a physique close to what it was in his prime, a top placing should come as no surprise.

The 90’s were truly a remarkable era for bodybuilding in which today’s contestants would have a hard time keeping up. The first paragraph of this article should say enough of how good Kevin was at his best and that if anyone can do the impossible it’s him. At this point in time we should be excited to see Kevin step on stage and do what he does best.

As far as the pre-contest photos go, bodybuilding fans should already know that they truly have little to no value. How many times has a spectacular photograph of a competitor “leaked” before he competed only for him to disappoint come show day? Kevin Levrone’s last set of pictures were taken a bit over two months before the Olympia, a time period that is very familiar to him and that he will most likely utilize to grow like he did before.

To close this article and answer the lingering question about how Kevin Levrone will place at the 2016 Mr. Olympia, it’s safe to assume that he has all the potential in the world to break the top five, a personal opinion that I know many will criticize; some will comment on the fact that Phil Heath is too good, Big Ramy is large, and that Dexter Jackson is always in shape.

Let’s not forget about all of the competitors that were mentioned in the beginning of this article, all of which were defeated by Kevin and are now considered modern legends. Kevin may be in his 50’s but with his genetic background, training discipline, and legacy; he has everything he needs to shock the world once more.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the photos used in this article. I will not be making any money from this article. This article was created for the fans and enthusiasts leading up to the 2016 Mr. Olympia.