'Top Gun's shirtless volleyball epic: Rick Rossovich claims he beat Val Kilmer in battle of the bods

The competition in 1986's "Top Gun" went beyond the quest to be the top fighter pilot.

The visible vying carried over offscreen to which actor had the buffest body in the movie's mostly shirtless, now legendary beach volleyball game. And it got oily.

Tom Cruise (Maverick), Anthony Edwards (Goose), Val Kilmer (Iceman) and Rick Rossovich (Slider) trained for the scene without knowing their physiques would still be celebrated on Top Gun Day (May 13), marked 35 years after "Top Gun" soared into theaters (with a re-release in 150 AMC theaters ahead of "Top Gun: Maverick" in November).

Rossovich maintains he had the top guns – and has the famous flexing close-up to prove it.

"We all worked out, we were all kind of trying to get an edge," Rossovich, now 63, told USA TODAY last year. "And I was a little bit ahead. So that was nice for me. I was an athlete and I was always into bodybuilding and training. (Arnold) Schwarzenegger was an idol of mine. So I came ready."

'Slider, you stink': Why Tom Cruise's corny 'Top Gun' smackdown still kills at 35

'Misery' movie: Director Rob Reiner recalls first agonizing day onset, losing star Warren Beatty

The call to shoot the volleyball game was dropped on the actors with little notice, with director Tony Scott moving it up to replace another scheduled scene. The setup was simple: shirts off (except for Edwards), apply baby oil and play ball.

"They dumped the sand in a parking lot, put up a net, and all of a sudden we were doing it. The light was just right and Tony worked his magic," Rossovich said. "We just played in the sand. It was almost ethereal magic."

The 6-foot-2 Rossovich acknowledges he had "no volleyball skills at the time. What you saw with the skills was what you got with the pose."

He gives credits to his co-stars' admirable builds. But really, there can be only one.

"Val and Tony (Edwards), they had good physiques but they weren't really built up. And Tom's completely a monster when it comes to staying in shape and being fit. And he's always been known for that," Rossovich said.

Celebrity memoirs: Val Kilmer begged to be in ‘Top Gun’ sequel and other revelations from his new book

The scene's pinnacle moments truly land when Rossovich lets out a ferocious game howl and when he gets his power close-up. The pose was so good, Scott used it again in the credits.

"People left the theater going, 'God, that guy was really mugging for the camera.' But I had to laugh. It was fun and everyone loved it," Rossovich said.

Kilmer lightheartedly decried his lack of close-up, smilingly suggesting that Cruise sabotaged his shirtlessness in the extras for the 30th-anniversary "Top Gun" DVD.

“I always suspected Tom Cruise might have cooked my volleyball close-ups,” Kilmer said in the interview. “If you notice, I don’t have any. ... They got cooked. That means they were over- or underdeveloped. And there weren't any and they couldn't go back. I think Tom went in there, a little payola ... because I looked good.”

Rossovich does not accept this theory from his longtime friend Kilmer.

"I wonder if they didn't use it because it didn't hit a high enough point," he said jokingly. "No, he was in good shape. But everyone wanted it instantly that day. If he hadn't done the homework, years of training, then there's no way to catch up."

Scott, who died in 2012, said he was going for viewer eye candy with the rock-scored montage. Rossovich did try to bring character advancement.

"I used the scene to cement Slider's bond with Iceman" he said. "I was holding him all the time, sticking to like glue almost in a weird way. Because we were teammates."

The plot also explains Cruise's odd attire for beach volleyball: blue jeans. Maverick had a date with Kelly McGillis' Charlie right afterward, riding off from the sand. "He had to jump on the motorcycle and not look crazy," Rossovich explained.

The immortal volleyball game might just have a new chapter in the upcoming "Top Gun: Maverick." The trailer has featured star Glen Powell in a competitive, shirtless beach environment.

Rossovich does not deny a possible appearance in the new film. "I might just show up just to mug for one moment" in the movie, he said, declining to elaborate. "I'm sworn to secrecy."

But the actor still stays in shape and will wear his pilot dress suit on Top Gun Day. He's close-up ready.

"It still fits me beautifully," Rossovich said. "I'm still in there trim and fit and keeping it all together."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Top Gun Day: Rick Rossovich beat Val Kilmer in shirtless volleyball game