Many athletes out there tend to stick with a certain sport and hone their skills in it. However, for some athletes, such as Gable Steveson, their inherent talent and curiosity drive them to explore diverse endeavors, even while pursuing their professional goals. Back in 2021, right after winning his career-first Olympic gold medal in the 125 kg division, he surprised everyone by signing a contract with WWE.

It was a significant step in his career as an Olympic wrestler, and he made history by becoming the second Olympic gold medalist to sign with the company, following Kurt Angle in 1998. However, his career in the industry didn’t last long, and even though he has come back to college wrestling with the Gophers, he recently shared his reason for heading into WWE and a major flaw in him as a sportsperson.

The urge to explore himself

Curiosity killed the cat, but did it kill the career of Gable Steveson? Absolutely not! Sure, there were many complications that he had to face, including heavy criticism from the fans themselves, but he still made himself tough enough to survive in the rough world. In wrestling, he had almost everything, as he was not only just an Olympic gold medalist but had two NCAA titles to his name.

What was the driving force behind his decision to enter the WWE? Speaking to FloWrestling, the 24-year-old unveiled his thoughts in 2021, stating, “I think the most challenging part was just finding out who Gable was outside of wrestling. Because you go from a dominant, don’t get me wrong, I still dominate, so you go from a dominant thing to having to research yourself and find out who you are internally.” Steveson was aware of the potential he had in professional wrestling, but he wanted more. He was keen to explore himself and find out what he really wanted in his life, despite having a successful career that could bring him whatever he wanted. 

“I’ve never been a guy that has been open about who I am as a person, and I’ve been a guy that has been open about being fun and entertaining and going out there and doing backflips for the crowd, but I’ve never been a guy that has spoken about myself in a manner that requires. So that one was definitely a tough challenge,” confessed the Gophers wrestler in a candid way. He acknowledged the way he interacts with people, but he wasn’t somebody who interacted with their own self a lot. However, when he explained that he couldn’t express himself freely, which was a flaw in him since his wrestling career, it resulted in conflict with his WWE contract. In the industry, the focus was primarily on the entertainer, a task he found particularly challenging.

Steveson was craving something that he could use to define himself, and he found WWE in the act. However, after a few successful years, his journey in the industry came to an abrupt end, and he has since returned to college wrestling. So is this the time he fully focused himself on the sport he is in, or are there still some other aspirations that he has in his mind?

Gable Steveson’s newfound sport

When it comes to talents like Gable Steveson, it’s challenging for them to stick to just a single sport for a long time. He craves something new in his life, and something that challenges him while he dominates the other sport where he has his mastery, like wrestling. The NCAA season for him in Minnesota is going smoothly, and he has showcased various dominant performances, just like an Olympic champion would. So the time he gets apart from wrestling, he has found himself enjoying MMA.

After attending a training camp alongside UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones, Steveson’s interest in the sport was piqued, which he revealed during an interview with Ariel Helwani on YouTube, stating, “After being in that camp with Jon Jones, that definitely put a major spark in me to go out there and do MMA. Not sure about the promotion yet. But Jon definitely lit a fire under me. He was like, ‘Hey, I think you should go back to wrestling; I think you should try MMA; we have a great team out here in Albuquerque if you want to join us.’”

So it wasn’t just Steveson who was all fired up to start up his courses in the MMA world, but his interest was further sparked by the UFC heavyweight champion himself. Training with Jones was a one-of-a-kind experience for him, and he has cherished it. Furthermore, the 24-year-old revealed that his own experience in sports such as wrestling, boxing, and jiu-jitsu helped him grasp the fundamentals of the sport quite well. So will he actually participate in professional MMA competitions? For now, Steveson is focused on his NCAA aspirations, as he’s aiming towards that third NCAA title. However, when the time would be perfect for the wrestler, he wouldn’t shy away from trying his luck in his newfound sport to enjoy competing in.