When news broke that Gable Steveson was attempting to return to the University of Minnesota for the spring semester of the 2022-23 NCAA calendar year, it led to more than a few questions about his future in the WWE.
On paper, Steveson was a classic Vince McMahon hire, a Kurt Angle for the modern era, but even his first official segment as a member of the WWE Universe following his Stephanie McMahon-introduced debut on Night 1 of WrestleMania 38, a suplex delivered to Chad Gable on Night 2 after the match between RK-Bro, Alpha Academy, and The Street Profits was not without controversy, as the two-time NCAA Division I National Champion suggested that there can't be two Gables in the company.
“We're gonna have to have a talk with him,” Steveson told Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour. “I mean, I don't when I'm gonna even talk to him. It could be WrestleMania, it could be somewhere else. I'm just not sure. You can't (have two Gables). You can't but right now we do. So there might have to be a little switcharoo. I don't know, but I love Chad too. He's a cool dude.”
Yeah, that's less than ideal for a performer who'd let to take an official bump in a professional wrestling ring just yet. And yet, why wouldn't Steveson feel that way? He was signed to a WWE NIL before he graduated college, won Olympic Gold at 21 despite having the process upended by the COVID-19 Pandemic, and was afforded private wrestling lessons by Mr. Kennedy and then Fit Finlay at the expense of Mr. McMahon and company. Even though he was drafted by RAW in October of 2021 and could theoretically show up on any given Monday night – at least until the next WWE Draft happens – but for many a fan, the prospects of seeing Steveson in a WWE ring isn't atop their wish list, if it's on their list at all.
Fortunately, that may change in the not-too-distant future, as Steveson has reportedly undergone a successful ablation on his heart to treat Wolff-Parkinson-White and could soon find himself training full-time at the Performance Center in the not-too-distant future.
Gable Steveson could soon find himself a fixture of the WWE Universe.
Speaking with Mike Coppinger of ESPN on his heart procedure, Steveson detailed his competitive drive to succeed in the ring.
“We're just excited to get this journey started, it's been a long road to get to this point,” Steveson said. “… I feel that I'm capable of being in that top spot and I feel that I'm capable of handling that position in the right way.
“I'm a competitor, I'm an entertainer. I can do things that a lot of other big guys can't. I look forward to putting that on display and sooner or later, taking over that top spot and being the guy that people want to see.”
Coppinger then detailed how WWE, fully embracing “GableMania,” actually set up a remote practice center of sorts to help Steveson learn the ropes of the ring. This training would hopefully prepare the collegiate Gopher for a ramped-up run at the performance center.
“Right now, I'm just hammering out wrestling with the other WWE superstars and being able to diversify myself in there with my amateur wrestling and mixing in the pro wrestling, too, is going to be a big thing for me,” Steveson said. “I think right now, a big thing for me is taking in everything and being like a sponge and soaking everything in and just listening, keeping my ears open, keep my eyes open, and at the end of the day, if you do that, you can only go forward.”
Send Gable Steveson to NXT, WWE.
When WWE initially signed Steveson to a NIL contract, the expectation was that he would largely forgo the usual developmental track and would instead be hot-shotted to the main roster to learn on the fly in a series of Goldberg-esque squashes. Steveson was drafted to RAW without wrestling a match, and his assertion that Chad Gable, an Olympian in his own right, should change his name, perfectly showcases a performer who isn't exactly humbled by the opportunity to wrestle for the biggest company in the world.
Could WWE still debut Steveson on RAW? Sure. Could they instead draft him to SmackDown to avoid the prospects of two Gables on the same show? That's possible too, but why not instead draft Steveson to NXT and allow him to be the man who unseats Bron Breakker and kicks the Steiner Son up to the main roster where he belongs? Swapping one powerhouse for another wouldn't make much of an impact on Shawn Michaels' booking on the now-White and Gold brand and would allow the collegiate wrestler to develop the same sort of seasoning that has made Breakker not only a viable performer for RAW or SmackDown but a favorite to win a belt relatively early in his run.
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