Gable Steveson thrives in the spotlight. The Olympic champion consistently remains in public view by executing breathtaking performances, but now, with his final NCAA tournament on the horizon, the stakes are higher than ever. Can he silence the doubters one last time? Will he walk away from college wrestling with an exclamation point or leave the door open for more?

The No. 1 seed for the 2025 Big Ten Wrestling Championships has the ultimate opportunity to establish his collegiate legacy. All fans focus on the heavyweight elite ahead of his upcoming competition. Wrestling followers are speculating about his future wrestling because they cannot ignore the looming question of whether his upcoming victory will signal retirement. Will a new turn emerge in his future, or has this marked the conclusion of wrestling for Steveson?

Did Gable Steveson retire from wrestling?

Gable Stevson is one of the few grapplers who have returned to their collegiate roots after international hiatuses, but he is far from being the only one. But unlike others, his return to NCAA competition was to complete his wrestling journey. This return was for a special purpose but after winning Olympic gold and two NCAA titles and accepting a WWE signing deal, what could force him to return?

Well, for that, we need to go back to 2021. During his dramatic Tokyo Olympics contest, Steveson earned victory with a final-second move, which appeared to point toward bigger sporting opportunities. WWE offered Steveson an agreement, but he discovered the professional wrestling organization did not align with his professional goals.

“WWE just wasn’t the right time. I have a competitive edge. They knew that, and it was not the time for it,” he told 411Mania.  He also pursued a fresh beginning in the NFL through his signing of a three-year contract with the Buffalo Bills, although he only spent a few months there before his release. With limited success outside the mat, he turned back to the one place where he had always dominated—college wrestling.

Brandon Eggum Steveson’s head coach prepares him for his last NCAA competition season because he sees redemption in his wrestler’s abilities. “Gable has the burning desire to compete for the Maroon and Gold one last time,” Eggum said. Fans question his ability to regain his championship status as he returns to competitive wrestling despite his passion-driven return because in some of his matches he did fall short.

How many losses does Gable Steveson have?

The NCAA wrestling competition intensifies while spectators attentively track several prominent competitors. And the name that matters most in wrestling right now is Gable Steveson. When the Olympic gold medalist returned to college wrestling, he received both positive and negative responses from people.

Numerous fans questioned what led him to return from his professional career to compete against college athletes fresh talent instead of dominating as a professional athlete. Despite this, the Minnesota Gophers have taken the front seat in the 2024-25 NCAA season. The season has seen them have tremendous wins against Bucknell and South Dakota as well as their victories against North Dakota and Campbell.

The Gophers achieved decisive wins against their opponents, totaling 35-3, 39-0, and 44-0, but their untouchable streak ended unexpectedly. However, the #6 Nebraska team successfully halted the 10-match winning run for the Minnesota Gophers. The team suffered a hard defeat because of the loss. Wrestlers #11 Tyler Wells and #8 Vance VomBaur suffered close losses, which prevented the team from achieving victory in those matches.

But what about Steveson? Steveson faced competitor #24 Harley Andrews at the competition and achieved a total victory with a 19-4 margin. He delivered an impressive victory through his statement performance, although Minnesota still lost to Ohio State by a score of 13-21. Gable Steveson has watched his Gophers team battle multiple times in competition.

Even their most recent setback against Iowa, where they lost 23-11. The number 11, Ben Kueter, faced defeat as Steveson recorded an impressive 19-3 tech fall. The world recognizes him as a top wrestler because of his latest outstanding performance. The question remains whether Steveson dominated in WWE also after consistently showing dominance in his current status.

How much did Gable Steveson make in WWE?

Many fans believed Gable Steveson would transition into a sports entertainment after he departed amateur wrestling for WWE. At this point, professional football wasn’t yet part of his plans. Yet the anticipation about his World Wrestling Entertainment debut was followed by only a brief stint in the organization. So once his dreams of being a WWE superstar came to an end, the NFL came knocking.

But the numerous challenges he faced failed to prevent him from resuming his football journey either. So now he’s back to his old roots. Back on the NCAA mat, he has returned since last year. With all eyes on him, Steveson has been addressing his journey in various interviews.

In a conversation on The Ariel Helwani Show, he opened up about what went down between him and WWE. “When I got to WWE, everything was great, and everything went great the whole time; it just wasn’t the right time after I signed with WWE,” he explained. His words hinted that, despite the promising start, something just didn’t click for him.

He also admitted that balancing WWE and his wrestling ambitions became an issue. “I tried to go back to wrestling, and you know you can’t consistently do the one foot in, one foot out of everything,” he stated. Interestingly, though, after leaving WWE, he still gave football a shot with the Buffalo Bills—contradicting the idea that wrestling was always his first priority. Steveson considers his experience in WWE a learning experience.

Why was Gable Steveson dropped from WWE?

Gable Steveson made his WWE debut on their developmental brand NXT amidst much fanfare. And the man he was facing was the ever-dependable Baron Carbon, considered one of the safest workers for the promotion and a well-established hell. But something unexpected happened during the match. Instead of siding with the face Gable, the fans instead rallied behind the detestable Corbin

The WWE audience demonstrated their distancing from Steveson through their undesirable reaction. Through his Olympic victory and gold medal status, Steveson failed to bring excitement to the ring. His amateur wrestling background originally identified Steveson as a potential wrestling star, but this exact element proved detrimental in the sports entertainment business.

May 2024 marked the termination of Steveson’s WWE contract, which most observers expected because of his lack of success in the company. His signing during the off-season failed to capture fan enthusiasm, although it was widely expected to be one of the top acquisitions of recent years.

Wrestling Observer Radio reported that WWE executives failed to recognize any potential worth in retaining Steveson. They allowed him to stay under his contract, although he remained in training instead of advancing his performance in televised matches. Reports indicate his contract was costly, whereas the company ceased further financial investment in him because he failed to produce substantial returns. Despite all this, Steveson continues to dominate the mat as he remains one of the top wrestlers.