This changes the playing field ten-fold. Wolf resuscitated his career back in September by placing fifth at the Mr. Olympia and Centopani has been bulking up since winning the 2009 New York Pro in his maiden pro voyage. Both will bring a great presence to the stage out west and the results here may set up a very interesting Arnold Classic a few weeks later.

Both Wolf and Centopani have already stated that they intend on being in Columbus, Ohio for the second most prestigious contest on the bodybuilding calendar and they will be joined by other big names such as Branch Warren, Victor Martinez, Ronny Rockel and Roelly Winklaar.

Will Wolf and Centopani (and to a lesser extent, Shelestov and Abiad) have a leg up on the competition? Or will their participation in a contest so close to the Arnold be detrimental? You can look at it two ways – they can tweak their physiques in the time between the two shows and perfect them. Or they can peak in February and have trouble getting dried out again.

Either way, the FLEX Pro just became a much more interesting event with the addition of two popular names.

2011 FLEX PRO COMPETITOR LIST (as of 1/7/11)

Fouad Abiad
Grigori Atoyan
Robert Belisle
Evan Centopani
Stan Efferding
Wendell Floyd
Dan Hill
Dexter Jackson
Ben Pakulski
Ben White

At the recent FAME International Championships in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, a familiar sight took place as every competitor was introduced one by one and brought on stage at the commencement of the show. It definitely gave it the feel of a Broadway production and immediately livened up the crowd before their seats even were warm.

These athletes may not be as well known as Jay Cutler or Iris Kyle, but by individualizing them before they did their own routine put a name to the face. It gave the audience a closeness and almost family-like relationship with these men and women. A unique trait, to say the least.

By promoting natural bodybuilding and the BodyProud lifestyle, these athletes also gave the audience hope and a more realistic goal for themselves if they so choose. These physiques, while very impressive, are attainable if one dedicates his or herself to the right diet, exercise program and rest. The proof was right up there on stage under the lights.

Before the awards were given, all of the athletes were again called on stage to be given participation certificates. For many, that was as good as winning their category. A good number of them were competing for the very first time and when they first made that life-changing decision being in a show was a long-range goal. That in itself says a lot.

The top three in every category took home souvenir swords and this was another unique trait in FAME. A medal, crystal or statue is common but how many times have you seen a full-length Samuari sword and sheath being posed with at a bodybuilding contest?

Everyone was a winner at the War Memorial on November 7 – the competitors and audience alike. If you have never attended a FAME event, words cannot do it justice. You need to witness it for yourself.

The “Quadrasaurus” then tasted victory in the 2007 New York Pro before placing fourth in Columbus, Ohio the following year. Warren then injured his tricep and had to sit out the 2008 Mr. Olympia, all the while setting his sights on the next Arnold Classic. When he walked on the stage during prejudging, it was quite apparent that he was fully healed and ready to do some serious damage, even though he didn’t appear at his best.

Only the great physiques of Kai Greene and Victor Martinez – themselves returning from injury – caused Warren to finish in third, but it is by no means any slight against him. He also took home his second ‘Most Muscular’ award at the Arnold and is going to be even better come September in Las Vegas.

Now that he has one contest under his belt post-injury, Warren has to be viewed as a Top 6 candidate at the O. While his mass definitely stood out at the Arnold, the Olympia line-up will include two-time champion Jay Cutler and Dennis Wolf, both who are known for their massive physiques.

If Warren can hone in on gaining more size while staying in proportion, he may have a chance on placing very high. He is a fan favorite and the judges seem to like him, as well, so with that going for him he is ahead of the game.

Warren showed that he can come back from a lengthy period away from the stage and still be a Top 3 finisher. With seven months left to prepare for the Mr. Olympia, he has enough time to get his conditioning even better and the result may be scary.