Back in 2021, WWE served to be one of those stages that attracted Gable Steveson. He had just secured his career-first Olympic gold medal and was looking forward to a debut in the industry, which he eventually did. However, in May 2024, the wrestler was released from his contract, which was also a shock to him, as it shattered his aspirations in the league.

Steveson went on to various other adventures after failing in WWE, but it also came with a ton of speculations and backlash from the communities. Not many are supportive of the Olympian’s career decisions, but recently, he has received an optimistic opinion about his rocky adventures from a wrestling legend, who has followed him keenly throughout his journey.

Nothing but praises for Gable Steveson

So who is this legend that’s admiring Gable Steveson? It’s Kurt Angle, who has been associated with the Olympian since his venture into WWE, as the wrestling icon was the person who inspired him to join it. The moment Steveson stepped into WWE, surely, he was a wrestler, but it was still something completely new for him. So, Angle served as a pathfinder for the Olympian, as his history there helped him to focus on his personality, daily practices, and working on his promo skills.

Both of them have also been compared to each other, as Steveson was the second Olympian to join the WWE, followed by Angle first back in 1998. The 24-year-old was also on the same path as the wrestling legend, but his chemistry with the league didn’t work out as well as he expected, unfortunately causing him to leave the industry. Speaking to Casey Salengo on eWrestlingNews on YouTube, Kurt Angle opened up his views on Steveson’s exit in a confusing manner, stating, “Yeah, good kid, yeah, I talked to him a couple times; he’s an incredible athlete; I mean, the kid really is. I don’t know what happened. I don’t know if he decided he wanted to quit or WWE wanted to release him. I don’t know if he had a bad attitude; I don’t know.”

Surely, both of them were like mentor and mentee, but there wasn’t much that the 1996 Olympic champion could describe about Steveson’s exit from the WWE. He’s also aware of the 24-year-old’s various ambitions in other sports, and he was glad that he didn’t stop aiming for more after the heartbreak of the end of a contract. “I don’t know because I don’t know him that well, but I know that he’s an incredible athlete, and whatever he does from here on in, he’ll be successful,” said Angle with an optimistic look on the Olympian’s future.

The way Steveson has described his adventures before in different sports than wrestling, he always does it with an extensive interest. He’s always optimistic about his endeavors, and even though results do not meet his expectations many times, he doesn’t shy away from trying out different things that could shape his career. Currently, he’s wrestling in the NCAA, and he was also once asked about his feelings about not achieving his ambitions in the previous sports.

A bittersweet ending to Steveson’s sporting adventures

Before coming back to college wrestling, aiming for his third title with Minnesota, Gable Steveson tried out his luck in WWE and even the NFL. However, both of them didn’t end well, as he was dropped by the Buffalo Bills as well as got his contract terminated in the WWE. During an interview with Ariel Helwani on YouTube, the Olympic champion was very candid about the league that left him with a bigger impact, stating, “I’m not sure, maybe no answer… I think they both got a certain sting to it, and that’s about it.”

Steveson was passionate about both the WWE and the NFL, so getting dropped in the sport was a hard pill to swallow for him. Both of them had an equal emotional impact on the wrestler, but he clarified that he had no grudges against anybody, as he respected the decisions that were made by the officials regarding his career.