Gable Steveson’s NCAA Aspirations Get Fresh Reality Check From Wrestling Legend: “Worlds Apart”

Gable Steveson has been a hot topic in recent months, making waves with his return to the NCAA to chase a historic third national title with the University of Minnesota. Before recommitting to collegiate wrestling, the Olympic gold medalist explored opportunities in other sports, including stints in WWE and a potential NFL career with the Buffalo Bills. But neither venture yielded the success he may have hoped for. These ambitions have sparked widespread discussion, with fans and sports legends alike weighing in on the 24-year-old’s multifaceted athletic pursuits. Among them is a wrestling icon. Guess what? Gable had the aim of touching and even crossing this legend in WWE.

“I just want to tell you, I respect your career, and I want to be just like you.’ I was like, ‘Oh, thank you, Gable.’ He goes, ‘You know what? No, I want to be better than you.’ I was like, holy sh*t. [Laughs] What an a**hole thing to say [laughs]. I said, ‘Well, good luck, man’,” the WWE Hall of Famer had said, recalling his first encounter with Steveson. And why not? After all, both boast an Olympic gold medal. While Steveson could never touch that greatness and was released from WWE on May 3, the legend is somewhat surprised by his latest move.

“I know he’s been training MMA he tried out for the Bills he was Final Cut, could have made the team uh but that’s how good of an athlete he is, and uh but I hear now he wants to go back to college to wrestle,” Kurt Angle, who, in 2006, he was named by USA Wrestling as the greatest shoot wrestler of all time, said during an interview with Casey Salengo on eWrestlingNews’ official YouTube channel.

Furthermore, the 2x NCAA division 1 wrestling champion noted, “He’s the Olympic gold medalist. But you know what, I think it’s because of the NIL. I don’t know what other reason to be honest with you unless he wants to win another NCAA title, but I mean, he’s an Olympic gold medalist. This is worlds apart.”

When athletes go back to the sport that they have competed in before, they are mostly welcomed with open arms from the fans. However, it wasn’t the case with Gable Steveson. He was blasted by negative comments, as many of the community members didn’t want an Olympic champion like him to compete in a junior category like the NCAA, ruining the integrity of the league, and even many young wrestlers’ careers, due to obvious differences in the experience. However, Steveson himself was determined.

“There is still one thing inside of me that still burns. The burning passion, the competitiveness, the itch to become great again and add to the legacy of Gable Steveson,” NCAA heavyweight champion and NCAA Wrestler of the Year in 2021 and 2022 said in a video On November 12. Steveson got the opportunity to return by utilizing NCAA waivers because of an Olympic redshirt and the extra year of eligibility that was granted in 2020 due to the circumstances surrounding COVID-19.

This past spring, Steveson had also signed with the Buffalo Bills as a defensive lineman in a bid to become the 16th Olympic gold medalist to play in an NFL regular season game. But he was cut before the start of the regular season. Interestingly, despite his failed bids, Angle always seemed to be a supporter of the Tokyo Olympic gold medalist. In July, speaking on The Kurt Angle Show, Angle shared his thoughts on Gable Steveson joining the Buffalo Bills.

“I’m not surprised. The kid’s a super athlete. You think Brock Lesnar is an athlete? This kid, he might be a little tad bit better athlete than Brock Lesnar. That’s very difficult for me to say. Especially for Brock’s size, he’s an incredible athlete. Him and Gable Steveson are, but this guy, I mean, he is so diverse. He’s fast, he’s athletic. I’ve seen him do backflips just standing there. He’s a 250-pound monster. “

“For him to be able to do stuff like that, it’s just incredible. So I wasn’t surprised that he signed with the Buffalo Bills. I’m surprised they didn’t put him on the practice team for a little bit because he never played football before, at least not in college. But I think he’s gonna make a huge impact right away, I really do. It’s crazy, but he’s a one-in-a-lifetime individual, and that’s how I think of him,” Angle added. Though he did not live up to it, there can be no doubt about his wrestling prowess. Look how Michigan was elated with his return.

Gable Steveson makes a quick impact upon returning

Minnesota’s coach, Brandon Eggum had announced the return of the two-time Hodge Trophy winner. “Gable has the burning desire to compete for the Maroon and Gold one last time. We are thankful he has chosen the opportunity to add to his historic legacy with our program. He is one of the best to ever compete in the sport of wrestling, and we are grateful for the impact has had at our program,” he had said.

Steveson boasts the best winning percentage in Gophers history with an 85-2 career record (.977), including a perfect 48-0 mark in dual competition and a 36-0 tally against Big Ten opponents. Of his 85 career wins, the Apple Valley, Minn., native has recorded 13 pins, 22 tech falls, and 25 major decisions. With all these, Steveson knew how to silence critics questioning his NCAA return.

Last month, he competed in his first wrestling match in 980 days. furthering his 52-match winning streak, having gone undefeated over each of his last three seasons, Steveson needed just 1:50 to earn an 18-3 tech fall as the Golden Gophers shut out North Dakota State 39-0. The 24-year-old followed that up with a 20-4 tech fall in Minnesota’s 44-0 win over Campbell on Sunday, his first time being back in front of a home crowd. It’s the first time that the Gophers earned back-to-back shutout wins since 1997-98. But Steveson, having seen it all, is quite practical.

“Wrestling is not an emotional sport. When you see Gable you can expect something nice,” Steveson said after his outing. He could not do make that happen in the WWE or NFL landscape. Can he live up to his words one last time?