Ernie Taylor

Ernie Taylor came into the IFBB Pro Bodybuilding world by storm. Out of 42 contestants at the 1997 Night of Champions, Ernie placed 3rd, surprising everyone. He did qualify for the 1997 Mr. Olympia, but declined the invitation. In his reasoning in declining, Ernie explained "It is every bodybuilder's dream to compete at the Mr. Olympia, it's a dream to even watch one. But I won't do the Olympia this year, because when I go there, I want to be equipped to do myself justice. If I did it this year, I might have a shot at, maybe, making the top 10. When I do it, I want to be able to set my sights a little higher. I am not being arrogrant. If you prepare for a contest with 100% effort, you want to end up being competitively on contest day. Physically, I am not complete anough to make the impact I want this year, and at 27, I feel no pressure to rush into the sport's biggest show".

Ernie, who comes from England, trains at Dorian Yate's gym in Birmingham. Before the Night of Champions, Ernie was told that he would have to 'pay his dues' before his first callout. 'Politics', the other bodybuilders told him. But now Ernie understands that it is not politics, it is what you look like!