“Greg just needs to be Greg.” That’s Penn State coach Cael Sanderson’s advice heading into the Big Ten Wrestling Championships final. Sounds simple, right? But standing across from Kerkvliet will be none other than Olympic champion Gable Steveson, a man who hasn’t lost a college match in years. Kerkvliet has been on fire, riding a 36-match win streak, but Steveson has already beaten him twice before. Has Kerkvliet finally leveled up enough to flip the script? Steveson has seen the chatter, heard the hype, and you can bet—he’s got something to say about it!

Gable Steveson isn’t one to shy away from the big moment, and when the stage is set for a long-awaited showdown with Penn State’s Greg Kerkvliet, he’s embracing it with confidence.“I’ve been wrestling Greg for a long time. I know what he does, I know the standard I have to bring, and I’ll bring it tomorrow,” Steveson said to FloWrestling, looking ahead to their anticipated Big Ten final clash.

The Olympic champion hasn’t competed in college wrestling since 2022, taking time to explore careers in MMA and the NFL. But now, he feels ready, and he thinks he is fully back in his element. “Of course, he’s better than last time—I hope so. But I am too,” Steveson said. “I’m finally back to where I was. My speed, my lungs, my arms—they’re all where they need to be. I’m just going out there, letting loose for seven minutes.”

Delving deeper into the match, Greg Kerkvliet and Gable Steveson go way back. They grew up just 15 miles apart in Minnesota, but their careers? They split in two very different directions. Kerkvliet stayed in the grind at Penn State’s Nittany Lion Wrestling Club. And you may ask about Steveson? He walked away from college wrestling after winning it all—Olympic gold, NCAA titles, two Hodge Trophies. Then he was gone, But Now? He’s back and is still the man to beat.

And has been for a long time. 63 straight wins don’t come easy, and on top of that Steveson has already handled Kerkvliet twice, and guess what? Neither match was close. But does that even matter anymore? That was years ago. Kerkvliet isn’t the same guy; He’s a national champion now and is riding a 36-match win streak.

But here’s the thing- Steveson is still Steveson and hasn’t lost a college match since 2019. Pure dominance. Yes! But for a while, it seemed like he had moved on, and why not? He was already an Olympic gold medalist and tried new challenges. But wrestling never left him.

Gable Steveson Explains His Decision to Return to College Wrestling

When Gable Steveson walked away from college wrestling two-and-a-half years ago, it seemed like he had bid the Minnesota Gophers once and for all. The star wrestler walked away after his dominant 2021-22 season to pursue his dreams in WWE and even branched out to dabble with the Buffalo Bills. But something kept pulling him back to the mat- it was his legacy. “As a lot of guys were coming in, I was kind of the first one they saw,” Steveson said to CBS NEWS, recalling his unofficial role as the team’s gold medal ambassador. “They were always like, ‘Hey, I’d like to meet Gable, and like to take a picture with the gold medal we got in the office.'” He just had to come back to remind the world that he was still reigning champion of collegiate wrestling.

It was to prove his reputation unblemished that he made a victorious return to the mat. After Olympic gold, NCAA dominance, and stints in WWE and the NFL, one thought kept nagging him—unfinished business.”It was really hard being in the spot I was in,” he admitted. “That little bell just kept ringing—’Hey, you got a year left, you should do it.'” To really drive the point home, that what he has achieved is seldom achievable, he reappeared and ever since, has constantly proved his mettle on the mat.

 He has been undefeated for 6 years, and now a showdown with Penn State’s Greg Kerkvliet looming, Steveson knows the doubters are watching. “There’s going to be a lot of people that try to take that spark away,” he said. “But I feel like I did a decent job keeping my face out there in a positive manner.”

Now, he’s here to finish what he started.