by Christian Duque
Legendary Long Island Bodybuilder Dave Palumbo accused legendary Rochester bodybuilder Robert “Bob” Cicherillo of clickbait when the former Mr. USA took the RxMuscle mogul to task over his recent video on the proposed Pro Men’s Physique height and weight cutoffs. Apparently, Bob believed that Dave was calling for more attention to leg development, given that legs aren’t judged in a division where board shorts cover the entire leg but-for the calves.
Dave fired shots over Chick’s speaking in terms of “we,” dismissing him as “just the MC, and not actually being a part of the IFBB Pro League or NPC leadership. This remark sent shockwaves throughout the fitness industry as diehard Cicherillo fans are likely to sound off on Myspace and GetBig.
Key insiders believe that many of RX’s geriatric fanbase will likely mobilize if Bob’s people do the same. This could be an all out war. That said, let’s analyze the positions of these two luminaries in the iron game and try to make some sense out of all the heresy. Wait what? I meant hearsay. Or did I really mean heresy?
You be the judge!
First of all let’s talk about the studio set-ups because after all that’s more important than what was actually said.
I really like all the pictures Bob has on his wall, but what’s up with having two cases of energy drinks in shrink wrap on his news desk? Will he drink of any of them at some point? Is giving them away? Did he forget to put them in the closet? The mystery will likely confound intellectuals for years to come.
And then you have Dave. I love the IronMag Labs intro, but what’s up with all the Species products on the table? He’s always done this, but 4 containers seems like a bit much. In fact, Dave even knocked over a cup during his presentation. Luckily the cup was bone dry, which begs the question of why was it on the table to begin with? Also the Artholyze container was blocking out Jimmy “The Iron Bull” Pelechia’s face in the photo with Dave in the background. Is there a hidden meaning here? Does Jimmy need Artholyze? What could this mean? I’m sure this question will be analyzed closely on the wildly active RxMuscle message boards.
Interestingly, Dave played many portions of Bob’s video, at times asking if the 2006 Masters Mr. World “really was that stupid” and questioning if he was suffering from senility.
Bob and Dave are both half-centenarians who look remarkably good for their age. In fact neither man has even a single gray hair. If that’s not aging gracefully I don’t know what is.
Dave lambasted Bob for criticizing him for drawing parallels between weight caps for Men’s and Women’s Physique. Palumbo rightly pointed out that WPD is full-body judging criteria whereas MPD judges only half the torso. Jumbo Palumbo was beside himself as he tried his hardest to maintain his composure when addressing Cicherillo’s “flip flopping.” As a result of the excitement Dave knocked over an empty cup and even the towering Artholyze that blocked out Jimmy’s picture was seen shaking ever so slightly. If Dave had gotten any more worked up, he prolly would’ve knocked over the whole card table. That’s how anabolic Dave is. Thankfully he was able to keep that bottled up rage contained.
Palumbo was also baffled by the fact that Bob used his name in the title of his video, but seemingly didn’t talk about him enough. The former Online Editor of Muscular Development thought that the former co-host of Pro Bodybuilding Weekly was using his name for hits. That’s quite an accusation considering that he’s talking about none other than the Voice of Bodybuilding! And contrary to what many believe, including Dave, Bob is a major player in the bodybuilding world. While he may not have an official title, no one with an official title has ever publicly refuted Bob’s numerous assertions relative to the direction of the sport. His strong ties to Jake Wood, Dan Solomon, and those in Pittsburgh, allows him an incredible amount of influence. And let’s not forget that Bob is the Athlete’s Rep. Every pro bodybuilder on the planet looks to Bob as their guy. He wakes up in the morning – each and every day – thinking about how he can improve the lives of the men he represents. He’s very much an iron messiah. That’s why this feud needs to draw to a close.
The feud between Dave and Bob has gone back and forth for years. Did Bob enjoy seeing Dave get kicked out of Nationals some years ago? You know he did. Did Bob email the Joe Rogan show? I don’t think so, but did Dave run Chick’s name through the mud? I’ll let you decide. It goes back and forth. Whether it was PBW vs NBR, whether it was MD vs RX, or just because it’s raining outside, these guys will rumble. These two anabolic wizards have always had issues. These guys would fight just to pass the time. I think what they need to do is try to get along. And if all else fails, POSE DOWN!
Who wouldn’t want to see Dave and Bob settle their feud pose by pose on YouTube? With all this talk of the Masters Olympia, a Jay Cutler comeback, and the shocking news Liver King wasn’t really natty, I think that a pose-down between these two giants would be just what the fans need in 2023. If they did battle it out bodybuilding style, who do you have emerging victorious?
In all honesty, I think Bob is probably a little bit more guilty here. And as a result of all the hits he’s going to get from using Dave’s name in the title of his video, I think the Chickster should do the right thing. Bob should share in the revenue his video will make because after all if he didn’t resort to clickbait he probably wouldn’t get the same number of hits as if he was talking to himself with his two shrink wrapped cases of energy drinks on his desk. I think that Bob should split the proceeds of the video 50/50 with Dave so I hope that when it’s all said and done and all the money has been accumulated that Cicherillo will cut Dave a check for his seventy-five cents.
I hope you enjoyed reading this very in-depth article on this very serious issue. I couldn’t help but write this Pulitzer Prize worthy piece. I will forever remember where I was during this showdown between two such important men in the sport of bodybuilding nor will you. I only hope that the masses don’t get too worked up. I would hate to read about Palumbo and Cicherillo fans duking it out in the day room of an assisted living facility. There’s no reason to take your teeth out and brawl. Let’s focus on keeping the peace, and enjoying bodybuilding.
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