Backstage News On WWE Plans For Absent Star

There is a plan in place for an absent WWE star who is getting more experience in front of the fans.

When Gable Steveson faced Baron Corbin at the WWE NXT Great American Bash PLE in July 2023, the fans booed Steveson out of the building even though he was the babyface in the match.

That match between the Olympic Gold Medalist Steveson and Corbin went 6:34 and ended in a double countout. It was also the last time that Steveson appeared on any WWE TV shows since the company decided that the best thing for Steveson was to give him a reset.

It has been reported by PWInsider Elite that WWE has been using Gable Steveson on Smackdown dark matches to give him more experience wrestling in front of live crowds. Before Smackdown in Atlanta, Steveson wrestled as a heel against Cameron Grimes. The video of the match was posted on YouTube showing that Steveson got the win with a Powerbomb.

The Producer for that Steveson-Grimes match was the on-screen Smackdown General Manager Nick Aldis, according to Fightful Select.

The PWI Elite story also added that Steveson is “not in the creative mix for the Royal Rumble.” That’s something that could change, but for now, it appears as though Steveson won’t be part of the Men’s Royal Rumble match.

When Did WWE Sign Gable Steveson?

Gable Steveson signed a WWE contract in September 2021 shortly after winning a Gold Medal in the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, which took place a year later than scheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the time since then, there were rumors that Steveson wanted to go back to freestyle wrestling and perhaps go for another Gold Medal in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, but that’s not going to happen.

It’s clear that WWE wants to use Steveson and see what they have in him, which is why he keeps participating in dark matches.