Kemo
04-21-2023, 03:01 AM
WWE received a lot of attention with the signing of Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson in September 2021. If Kurt Angle's WWE career was any indication, the company had locked-in what could be one of their biggest attractions for years to come.
Initially, there was hope Steveson could be fast-tracked to the main roster. Nearly 19 months later, he's yet to wrestle a match for the company.
There have been reports that WWE officials were discouraged by Steveson's lack off progress at the Performance Center. In October 2022, ESPN reported that Steveson was training full-time at the PC after undergoing a heart surgery to address Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome, a rare congenital heart defect present at birth. Steveson told ESPN:
"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."
On the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer discussed WWE's original plans to debut Steveson on the main roster. Gable Steveson was going to begin appearing on WWE Raw in January 2022. The hope was for him to make his big in-ring debut at WrestleMania 38.
This report corroborates comments made by Triple H last year. When The Game announced his retirement from active competition due to his own hart issues, he revealed plans to work with Steveson at WrestleMania. He told Ariel Helwani, "I was was going to do something with Gable Stevenson and try to get him launched and get going. When [doctors] told me [he couldn't wrestle anymore], I was like, 'Okay.'"
As seen below, Steveson did get physical at last year's WrestleMania. He tossed around Chad Gable like a rag-doll and did show glimmers of what his offensive arsenal could look like. However, that's all we got. Meltzer noted again that Gable’s hasn't "lit the world on fire" with his lack of progress at the PC.
With his WWE prospects stalling out, Gable Steveson recently announced he's returning to amateur competition. In a press release issued by Team USA Wrestling, it was that teased that Steveson's upcoming return to the mat comes as the 2024 Olympic cycle draws near. In light of his amateur wrestling return, don't expect to see Gable Steveson wrestling on Raw or SmackDown any time soon.
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Initially, there was hope Steveson could be fast-tracked to the main roster. Nearly 19 months later, he's yet to wrestle a match for the company.
There have been reports that WWE officials were discouraged by Steveson's lack off progress at the Performance Center. In October 2022, ESPN reported that Steveson was training full-time at the PC after undergoing a heart surgery to address Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome, a rare congenital heart defect present at birth. Steveson told ESPN:
"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."
On the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer discussed WWE's original plans to debut Steveson on the main roster. Gable Steveson was going to begin appearing on WWE Raw in January 2022. The hope was for him to make his big in-ring debut at WrestleMania 38.
This report corroborates comments made by Triple H last year. When The Game announced his retirement from active competition due to his own hart issues, he revealed plans to work with Steveson at WrestleMania. He told Ariel Helwani, "I was was going to do something with Gable Stevenson and try to get him launched and get going. When [doctors] told me [he couldn't wrestle anymore], I was like, 'Okay.'"
As seen below, Steveson did get physical at last year's WrestleMania. He tossed around Chad Gable like a rag-doll and did show glimmers of what his offensive arsenal could look like. However, that's all we got. Meltzer noted again that Gable’s hasn't "lit the world on fire" with his lack of progress at the PC.
With his WWE prospects stalling out, Gable Steveson recently announced he's returning to amateur competition. In a press release issued by Team USA Wrestling, it was that teased that Steveson's upcoming return to the mat comes as the 2024 Olympic cycle draws near. In light of his amateur wrestling return, don't expect to see Gable Steveson wrestling on Raw or SmackDown any time soon.
yvn0yNL33Z8