22 ES Awards to End 2022: Bodybuilder Hadi Choopan’s Stellar Run to Dethrone Former Mr.Olympia Champion Big Ramy Wins Biggest Upset of the Year

Published 12/29/2022, 6:45 PM EST
In sports, as in life, there are moments within moments; what will be a joy for one can be filled with pain for another. Moments that shape the moment of glory which are beyond numbers and titles. And these moments remain etched in our memories forever. With 2022 on its way out and 2023 knocking on the door, indisputably, the 365-day run was nothing but a blockbuster for sports fans.
ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad
EssentiallySports, fans’ favorite destination for the latest sports news, presents 22 awards on stories that dominated headlines this year–Biggest Upset of the Year, WTF Moment of the Year, End of An Era Moment of the Year, and Fairy Tale Moment of the Year to name a few. Before we go through the entire list, let’s see what was the most upsetting moment of the year.
ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad
Winning a championship or title fulfills the dreams and hopes of millions of people. Amid loud cheers and prayers to see the Egyptian bodybuilder and 2 times Mr. Olympia win his third consecutive title, a sudden eerie silence engulfed the bodybuilding world. Thus, the award for the Biggest Upset of the Year 2022 goes to “Hadi Choopan Dethroning Former Mr. Olympia Champion, Big Ramy” to win Mr. Olympia 2022 title.
The bodybuilding world reacts to the shocking results
Call it because of unquestionable faith or his super fandom, Big Ramy’s defeat to the Iranian bodybuilder, Hadi Choopan came as a major upset to the fans rooting for the big man. The popular opinion for the winner was unanimous: Big Ramy, but what went wrong? Bodybuilding legends, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jay Cutler broke their silence on the results days after the contest.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mr. Olympia LLC (@mrolympiallc)
The Austrian Oak resonated with the popular sentiment on Ramy’s poor conditioning. The 7 x Mr. Olympia underscored an important misconception about bodybuilding that a bigger size doesn’t mean better. On the other hand, disappointed with Ramy, Jay Cutler stated they made wrong predictions. The 4 x Mr. Olympia pointed out that the Egyptian pro bodybuilder put little to no effort to retain the prestigious title.
While ‘upset’ is an understatement to justify the disappointed sighs of the disheartened faces, one can hope that Mamdouh Mohammed Hassan Elssbiay comes back shredded and more conditioned to give fans a “Big Ramy is back!” moment. After all, it’s that time of the year to leave the not-so-pleasing memories behind and start afresh with lessons learned.
And once again, the award for the Biggest Upset of the Year 2022 goes to “Hadi Choopan Dethroning Former Mr. Olympia Champion, Big Ramy.” Who else made it to the top 22? Keep scrolling!
The complete list of 22 ES Awards
As exciting as it sounds, going through the list gives a quick nostalgic recap of the phenomenal sporting moments of the year filled with hopes, cheers, tears, and more.
1. Heart-Breaking Announcement/Moment of the Year: Serena Williams retiring
Tennis: US OPEN, Sept 2, 2022 Flushing, NY, USA Serena Williams of the USA after losing to Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia on day five of the 2022 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports, 02.09.2022 22:26:11, 18972727, NPStrans, Australia, Ajla Tomljanovic, tennis, TopPic, US Open, Serena Williams PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xRobertxDeutschx 18972727
2. Blooper of the Year: Tom Brady retiring for 40 days
3. WTF Moment of the Year: Antonio Brown exposing himself
4. Most-Dominant Moment of the Year: C-Bum winning Mr. Olympia Classic Physique 4th time in a row
5. Fairy-tale Moment of the Year: Lionel Messi lifting FIFA World Cup with Argentina
Soccer Football – FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – Final – Argentina v France – Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar – December 18, 2022 Argentina’s Lionel Messi celebrates with the trophy after winning the World Cup REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
6. Shocking Moment of the Year: Bubba Wallace punching fellow NASCAR driver
7. Picture-Perfect Moment of the Year: Miami GP pic with MJ, Beckham, Brady, and others
8. Cringe-Worthy Moment of the Year: Salt Bae’s FIFA World Cup cringe
9. Most-Controversial Moment of the Year: Lia Thomas
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – MARCH 17: Transgender woman Lia Thomas of the University of Pennsylvania talks to a reporter after winning the 500-yard freestyle at the NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming & Diving Championshipon March 17, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
10. Biggest Disruptive Sporting Moment of the Year: LIV Golf inaugural season
11. End of an Era Moment of the Year: Vince McMahon
12. Wildest Moment of the Year: (80-1) Underdog Rich Strike winning the famous Kentucky Derby after ranking 16th in the final turn
13. Most Viral Athlete Off-the-Court: Brittney Griner
14. Impossible Moment of the Year: Ross Chastain
15. Breakout Star of the Year: Carlos Alcaraz
16. Unexpected Truth-Bomb of the Year: Cristiano Ronaldo exposing Man Utd’s leadership
17. Saddest Moment of the year: Nadal & Federer holding hands and tearing up
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 23: Roger Federer of Team Europe shows his emotion as he embraces team mate Rafael Nadal following his final match of his career during Day One of the Laver Cup at The O2 Arena on September 23, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for Laver Cup)
18. Upset of the Year: Hadi Choopan winning Mr. Olympia over Big Ramy
ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad
19. Meme-Worthy Moment of the Year: LeBron James interview memes
20. Entertainers of the Year: Paul Brothers
21. Underdog Story of the Year: Leon Edwards KO
ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad
22. Comeback of the Year: Vikings completing the biggest comeback in NFL history
That’s all, folks!! As fans slide into another eventful and electrifying year filled with nail-biting excitement, rage, and devotion to sports, ES wishes everyone a smashing new year 2023!