Gable Steveson Opens Up About WWE Failure

Gable Steveson has broken down why his WWE career didn’t work out.

After dominating the amateur heavyweight wrestling scene at a collegiate level, Gable Steveson went on to win an Olympic gold medal. Off the back of that success, Steveson made an appearance at SummerSlam 2021 before signing with WWE that September.

There was an incredible buzz around Steveson and he was quickly drafted to Raw but disappeared before appearing at WrestleMania 38. Despite fans expecting the star to kick his WWE career into life after the segment, he didn’t wrestle his first match until July 2023 against Baron Corbin in NXT.

Gable Steveson was booed throughout and his performance was universally panned. The bout was followed by several matches on NXT live events and in SmackDown dark matches, but he was released on May 3rd, 2024.

The amateur wrestling star then attempted to launch a football career with the Buffalo Bills, despite never having played at a competitive level. However, he was released before the season began.

Gable Steveson Says WWE Run “Wasn’t The Right Time”

After keeping one foot in the amateur ranks while with WWE, Steveson returned to Minnesota for his final year as a wrestler on November 12th. During the press conference celebrating his return, Steveson was asked about his time with WWE and why he felt things didn’t work out.

“I think, WWE just wasn’t the right time. I have a competitive edge to me. They knew that, and it was not the time for it. Maybe one day, if the stars align, it would be a great opportunity to do it again. I have no bad feelings with it. I have no bad blood with it. I would like to keep moving forward with everything I have going on,”

The latter part of Steveson’s amateur career played out against a backdrop of sexual misconduct allegations which emerged in 2019. Steveson was arrested as a result of the claims, but didn’t face criminal charges due to a lack of adequate evidence.

H/t to Fightful