During a break in his collegiate wrestling career, Steveson tried and failed to catch on as a rising WWE star. Then, he showed his insane athleticism by jumping to football, a sport he didn’t even play in high school, let alone any level after that. Unfortunately, that career change ultimately failed, as well.

Gable Steveson starts MMA career off HOT

Out of college eligibility and alternative pro athlete options, Gable turned (almost begrudgingly) back to his roots, following his final college wrestling season.

Instead of performance acting, however, Steveson followed in the other footsteps of fellow Gopher wrestling GOAT, Brock Lesner, announcing the official start to his Mixed Martial Arts career.

And so far… Gable’s MMA prospects are looking far better than his WWE and NFL chances ever did. The come-up started back in September, when Steveson absolutely dominated his “LFA” debut with a first round TKO (1:38) of his debut opponent Braden Peterson, who was also making his official MMA debut.

Then on Sunday evening, the Minnesota Gophers GOAT put the Mixed Martial Arts world was really put on notice in Milwaukee, WI, when Gable Steveson knocked the lights out of his second-ever MMA opponent, Kevin Hein, just 24-seconds into the first round.

Gable Steveson just flatlined Kevin Hein in 30 seconds. Now 2-0 in pro MMA. Send him to the UFC. 🖊️ pic.twitter.com/2qWvGxnF9r

— FULL SEND MMA (@full_send_mma) November 24, 2025

Gable Steveson got the KO so fast he tried to shoot a double leg on an already unconscious opponent 😭

(via @anthonypettisfc) pic.twitter.com/W21SLletE2

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) November 24, 2025

The most notable takeaway from Sunday’s knockout is that it happened on a stand-up left-hook that Hein never saw coming, resulting in the 32-year-old toppling like a poorly constructed Leaning Tower of Pizza. The hasty victory made Gable Steveson 2-0 in his MMA career, officially.

Steveson could climb MMA (and UFC) ranks quickly

But the 25-year-old former Gopher also won a non-official fight three weeks ago, in Nashville, against “Big Sexy” Billy Swanson, who he TKO’d in 15 seconds. That makes three fights (and three victories) in just three months.

Look, Gable Steveson is one of the greatest Greek-Roman wrestlers of all time. Nobody is doubting whether or not he will be able to handle his business on the mat. That’s probably what his opponent was looking for Sunday night, when suddenly, a lightning-fast left fist knocked his lights out unexpectedly.

If the former Minnesota Golden Gopher can fight standing up too, he could rise up the MMA and UFC ranks faster than anyone since… you guessed it, Brock Lesner.

The Minnesota Gophers have had plenty of talented wrestlers come through the storied program. Few have won an Olympic gold medal, been involved with the NFL, and taken the ring for WWE fans like Steveson.

Gable Steveson did not need to return for the Minnesota Gophers, but he did looking to advance his legacy. On Saturday night the unexplainable happened.

Shocking upset dethrones Minnesota Gophers Gable Steveson

Gable Steveson wrestled as a senior during the 2021-22 season. He then took time off to pursue an insane amount of different avenues. Steveson surfaced with the Miami Dolphins, and signed with the Buffalo Bills. He worked for Triple-H. He then came back to where it all started.

This season Steveson went 18-0 for Minnesota, but it all fell apart at the most crucial moment. With a national championship title on the line, Steveson went down.

Wyatt Hendrickson with the takedown in the 3rd to pull off the upset and defeat Gable Steveson to win the heavyweight title #NCAAWrestling #wrestling pic.twitter.com/YxrltBqq4u

— Danielle Hobeika (@DanielleHobeika) March 23, 2025

Oklahoma State’s Wyatt Hendrickson took Gable Steveson down in the third to pull off an insane upset. The Gophers superstar was -1300 to win the match (Hendrickson +900), and even current US president Donald Trump was front row to see it happen.

Related: Supposed Gophers MBB Coach Seeded for NCAA Tournament

This is the sort of upset that movies get written about. Think Miracle, Cool Runnings, even Rocky. Steveson is not only a Gophers legend, but he has compiled a career of accolades we are unlikely to ever see repeated again in collegiate sports.

It’s an unfortunate way for Steveson to leave the collegiate ranks. Still, he has a pair of national championships to his credit, and it’s likely he’ll add another Olympic medal to his resume at some point as well. March Madness upsets were supposed to dominate the weekend, but this was the one every Gophers fan is talking about.

From the very first match it was evident the officiating crew was going to be conservative in awarding points to either wrestler. Eighth-ranked, 141-pound Vance VomBaur might have earned a technical fall if not for the officiating. Instead he earned just three team points on a 14-10 victory.

Vance VomBaur earns the win over #iowawrestling Drake Ayala to pull #gophers to a 3-6 team score. pic.twitter.com/yM4ClvVFQx

— Anthony Varriano (@GoGonzoJournal) February 15, 2025

The officials were consistent from start to finish, which kept the matches close. But the officiating definitely changed the way some of the wrestlers wrestled. Gophers wrestling head coach Brandon Eggum even thought stalling should have been called on his own wrestlers.

Related: Gophers Wrestling Dominates Rutgers; Gable Steveson: ‘Sadly’ Match Cut Short

Gophers wrestling coach addresses impact of officiating

A pair of third-ranked wrestlers earned huge points to make the Gophers dig out of a deep hole. Kyle Parco (149 pounds) and Jacori Teemer (157 pounds) beat No. 29 Drew Roberts and No. 8 Tommy Askey, respectively. Iowa wrestled smart given the officiating, waiting for an A+ opportunity and scoring when it presented itself. Eggum was particularly critical of the way Tommy Askey’s match was called.

I never want to win a match based on a call, but at 157 [pounds], the kid was retreating a lot. And that, you know, makes it difficult. You lose your composure. You keep walking, and that’s what happened. We walked right into a shot, but you keep doing that for seven minutes…you know, we kept reminding him, but that’s good for Askey to kind of remember that.

Brandon Eggum, Gophers wrestling head coach

Askey lost the match 4-1 after leading 1-0 going into the third period. He scored the first points of the match with an escape to start the second period. Awarding a point to Askey for Teemer’s stalling would have given Askey a better shot at winning the match and more opportunities to earn a pin fall.

Top three teams in Big Ten wrestling might be top-3 in the country

Cooper Flynn (No. 13 125-pounder) nearly got the Gophers off to the start they needed. Down 3-0 after two, Flynn made a spirited comeback in the final seconds of regulation to force overtime against No. 26 Joey Cruz. But Cruz scored the first takedown of sudden death, and Iowa started with a 3-0 duel lead, setting the tone for the rest of the night.

Minnesotan Patrick Kennedy of Kasson-Mantorville was dominant against No. 22 Clayton Whiting of the Gophers. The 11th-ranked 174-pounder never trailed, pulling ahead 4-0, then 7-0. Whiting scored an escape and takedown to make it close in the third, but got caught attempting the takedown to tie it and got called for riding time.

Eighth-ranked Isaiah Salazar gave a really good effort against the top-ranked 197-pounder, Stephen Buchanan. He just couldn’t escape quickly enough in the third to leave himself time to overcome the sole takedown scored in the final seconds of regulation.

Gophers wrestling future star finishes first official season undefeated

Waconia’s Max McEnelly finished his first official Gophers wrestling season undefeated with an overtime win over eighth-ranked, 184-pounder Gabe Arnold. The wrestlers exchanged escapes in the second and third periods before McEnelly scored the match-winning takedown early in overtime. It gave Minnesota just its second match win of the night to pull within 14 points with two matches left on the card.

Max McEnelly scores the win in overtime to stay undefeated! #gopherswrestling #iowawrestling pic.twitter.com/Jlj9e4ejj6

— Anthony Varriano (@GoGonzoJournal) February 15, 2025

Max McEnelly is expecting some Waconians to the attend the Big Ten Championships. He added that the wrestling community there is strong and supportive despite its small size. McEnelly certainly felt the love from the sellout crowd at University of Minnesota’s Maturi Pavilion on Valentine’s Day. He received the biggest ovation of the night, even exceeding his Olympic Gold medalist teammate, Gable Steveson.

It’s awesome to come out here in front of the home crowd every single time…I don’t really think about going undefeated or whatever. I just think about going out there and, you know, wrestling every single match to the best of my abilities. Winning’s cool, but at the end of the day, it’s about how you compete. The Minnesota crowd brought it today, so it was awesome to get a big win in front of them.

Max McEnelly, the future of Gophers wrestling

Thing is, Gophers wrestling head coach Brandon Eggum thought McEnelly’s match could have been his first pin fall of the season, saying “the guy was on his back for a LONG time, and if anything else he could’ve called danger or something.”

Gable Steveson sends ’em home happy

Gable Steveson sent the crowd home happy with a first-period technical fall over redshirt freshman and 11th-ranked heavyweight Ben Kueter. Steveson finished yet another Gophers wrestling regular season undefeated and remains the top heavyweight in the country and probably the world. He spoke some words of wisdom in the ear of Kueter after the match.

Gable Steveson finishes another regular season of #gopherswrestling undefeated. pic.twitter.com/NIltzeJzgh

— Anthony Varriano (@GoGonzoJournal) February 15, 2025

The Gophers wrestling team has some time off to get healthy before the Big Ten Championships start on March 8 in Evanston, Illinois. They’ll enter as the third-best team in the conference and, perhaps, the third-best team in the nation.

Gophers wrestling nearly blanks Boilermakers

Andrew Sparks (#11 at 165 pounds) took down Stoney Buell and scored four nearfall points in the first period and steamrolled Stoney 20-4, scoring three more takedowns in the third period. He’s won five straight matches.

The most competitive match of the day was between 174-pounders Clayton Whiting (#22) and Purdue’s Brody Baumann (#27). The match went into sudden death overtime. Whiting defended an attack by Baumann and then drove down his opponent to earn the victory.

Waconia’s Max McEnelly remained undefeated on the season, starting fast against Orando Cruz with three takedowns in the first period. It was 16-3 after two when McEnelly allowed an escape to score another takedown and the technical fall victory, 20-4 with 1:11 left in regulation.

UFC Heavyweight Champ Jon “Bones” Jones gets quite a show

The Gophers wrestling team put on quite the show for the reigning UFC Heavyweight Champion, Jon “Bones” Jones, who was in attendance to watch Gable Steveson, an attendee of Jones’ recent fight camp. Steveson finished Hayden Filipovich in the first period, scoring four takedowns and two nearfalls.

With Jon “Bones” Jones in attendance, Gable Steveson makes quick work of #purdue’s Hayden Filipovich. 18-3 #gophers #wrestling. pic.twitter.com/L112ngmVQ4

— Anthony Varriano (@GoGonzoJournal) February 9, 2025

When asked if MMA was in his future, Gable Steveson said “definitely,” but what might be more surprising is Steveson’s interest in playing in the NFL’s biggest game.

“Super Bowl’s a big game. I wish one day I could be in it. That would be really nice, and if I’m not, then I live to dream of being an NFL player,” Steveson said. “But I think there’s more for me.”

The “more” to which he’s referring is his tryout with the Buffalo Bills that earned him a three-year, rookie contract to play defensive line. Steveson said he’s grateful for the Bills giving him that opportunity despite the fact he’d never played football in his life.

Steveson was also grateful for Jones’ presence at the Purdue duel. “With Jon in attendance, just the magnitude that he brings to the MMA game and the wrestling world and to this program, too, just to have him show up…he showed up and showed out for the team, and we’re grateful for that.”

Tommy Askey finishes strong for Gophers wrestling team

The final match of the duel might have gotten the biggest reaction out of Jones. Eighth-ranked 157-pounder Tommy Askey scored a violent takedown and four-point nearfall to earn his first technical fall of the season over Wyatt Krejsa.

The #gophers Tommy Askey gets the attention of @ufc heavyweight champion Jon "Bones" Jones with this takedown of #Purdue's Wyatt Krejsa… pic.twitter.com/I8QRYgBqBK

— Anthony Varriano (@GoGonzoJournal) February 9, 2025

“Everybody looks over after they win to see if Jon notices them, so it’s really nice,” Steveson said. Jones certainly noticed Askey and appeared to enjoy himself throughout. He hung out with the team in their weight/recovery room afterward, talking wrestling and taking photos with Gophers wrestlers.

The Gophers wrestling team has its biggest duel of the season on Valentine’s Day, as third-ranked Iowa visits the Maturi Pavilion, Friday at 8 p.m.

“I’m proud of the guys, and how they showed up and took care of business,” Steveson said.

Gable Steveson ‘sad’ after another win by fall?

Steveson did something Sunday that lifted me out of my seat. Not out of fandom, but out of pure appreciation of athletic excellence. He moved tenth-ranked heavyweight Yaraslau Slavikouski like Ikea furniture damn near off the mat on a double leg takedown early in the third period.

6️⃣0️⃣ straight wins 👏

Watch Gable Steveson finish off his latest victory with this powerful move for his second pin of the season.#B1GWrestling on @BigTenNetwork 📺 pic.twitter.com/Mreb0Vr8j0

— Big Ten Wrestling (@B1GWrestling) February 2, 2025

Win No. 60 in a row for Gable Steveson comes as a dominant top-10 pin 📌#B1GWrestling x @GopherWrestling pic.twitter.com/mqa0i0SdPk

— Big Ten Wrestling (@B1GWrestling) February 2, 2025

It was a ferocious fall that rightfully received a standing ovation. But Steveson wished the match — which you can watch more of below — had gone the distance.

“I wanted to go the three periods today. Sadly it got cut short, but we’ve been prepared to go three periods and nothing less. And I want to be out there for seven minutes and let the other people see me for seven minutes.”

Gable Steveson after his 60th straight collegiate wrestling victory

This is why I love wrestling. You, me, and everyone else see the W as the finish line. But wrestlers see the value in wrestling every available minute in preparation for future minutes. They value practice. Speaking of practice…

Gopher wrestling recruits have been solid

A lot of credit should also go to Gophers head coach Brandon Eggum and his staff for putting this loaded roster together, developing the undergraduates, and preparing the team for competition. Undefeated redshirt freshman from Waconia, Max McEnelly, said as much after the rout of Rutgers.

“Our coaches preached to us going out there and just scoring points – not worrying about the wins and losses – but to focus on the way you want to wrestle. And the way we want to wrestle is going out there and scoring points every single time and just lighting up that scoreboard.”

-Max McEnelly, four-time Minnesota state high school wrestling champion

The Gophers did just that, getting on the scoreboard early and often. All four Minnesota Gophers who scored first won their matches in routs.

Future of Minnesota Gophers wrestling looks bright

The University of Minnesota has nine wrestlers ranked in the top-25, and that excludes Steveson because he hadn’t wrestled enough matches to qualify at the time.

Redshirt sophomore Clayton Whiting (No. 24 at 174 pounds) had a comeback victory over No. 28 Jackson Turley in a match that was as close as you’d expect given their national rankings. Whiting claimed a 4-2 victory on a violent takedown with 40 seconds remaining and managed to keep his feet despite losing leverage in the closing seconds.

Related: Minnesota Gophers Basketball NIL Budget Revealed

The fourth-ranked McEnelly was clinical in his 18-4 major decision over No. 18 Shane Cartagena-Walsh. Only an educated act of desperation saved Cartagena-Walsh from a first-period fall. But the match was never close, and it set the tone for the rest of the team.

No. 4 Max McEnelly wins the top-20 battle at 184 lbs via a 18-4 major decision 😤#B1GWrestling x @GopherWrestling pic.twitter.com/OtTSTDnQkO

— Big Ten Wrestling (@B1GWrestling) February 2, 2025

McEnelly has won twice as many matches as Steveson without taking a loss (14-0). He’s won matches every which way but pin fall, and he was so close to scoring his first on Sunday. McEnelly said Steveson has been a huge help on and off the mat, and Steveson credits McEnelly for staying in-state.

“I think he made the best decision coming here. And for all the young kids thinking they want to go out-of-state or thinking that the out-of-state program is going to do them better, think about staying in-state and maybe you can flourish like he has and how I have.”

-Gable Steveson, Olympic Gold medalist seeking third NCAA Championship

Will Gable Steveson run into someone who can “see” him for seven minutes? I wouldn’t bet on it happening before the Big Ten Wrestling Championships on March 8-9. The Minnesota Gophers wrestling team hosts Iowa on Feb. 14. Here is Gable’s entire condensed match from Sunday.

Olympic Champion Gable Steveson (Minnesota) faced 2024 All-American Yaraslau Slavikouski (Rutgers) today on Big Ten Network. Steveson showcased his elite athleticism, picking up the fall.

Condensed Match: pic.twitter.com/HPvKyFve0i

— Saturday Night Lights Wrestling (@WrestlingSNL) February 2, 2025

Minnesota Gophers get Gable Steveson’s last ride

The last time that Gable Steveson wore a Minnesota Gophers singlet was the 2021-22 season. He was granted an additional year of eligibility due to circumstances stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic. With the landscape having changed since then, he is returning to his amateur roots to crush the souls of the competition once again.

Your attention please… pic.twitter.com/du4gkIIFvx

— Minnesota Wrestling (@GopherWrestling) November 12, 2024

“My name is Gable Steveson. I’m an Olympic champion, two-time NCAA Champion, the first and only two-time Dan Hodge Trophy winner for the heavyweight class. First, I would like to thank the University of Minnesota, for their time and effort for their persistence with me to push me to the man I am today. With all this being said, 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. Minnesota has given me everything and now it’s my turn to give it right back to them. To put my feet back on the wrestling mat. To be the champ.”

Gable Steveson on his return to Minnesota Wrestling (X)

The laundry list of achievements for Steveson is long. He has an Olmypic gold medal. He drew interest from the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills despite never having played football. He was paid by Triple-H. At this point, in the NIL era, no one believes that collegiate sports are truly amateur level. Steveson knows this as well, and he should rake in endorsement opportunities.

Related: Gophers Legend Gable Steveson Officially Swaps Sports, Signs with Buffalo Bills

After appearing in a preseason game with the Buffalo Bills, Steveson returns to his ridiculous 85-2 collegiate wrestling record. There’s no reason to believe he’ll add another loss to the tally, so a third NCAA championship should be coming to his mantle shortly. Obviously it’s a massive boost to the Gophers wrestling roster, and fans of the sport have a huge name to watch this season.

Related: Koi Perich NIL Number with Minnesota Gophers Revealed

The impact of NIL funds continue to reshape the landscape of collegiate sports. Steveson certainly is ready and willing to compete, but financial implications have to be part of the equation as well. This is his final year of eligibility.

Gable Steveson signed by Buffalo Bills

After a failed attempt with the WWE, Steveson is trying to swap sports. And today, after numerous workouts with several NFL teams, the former Gopher legend has officially signed a contract with the Buffalo Bills, where he will try to make their roster on the defensive line.

Gable Steveson, an Olympic gold medalist and one of the most dominant college wrestlers in NCAA history, is signing with the Bills, per his agent Carter Chow.

Steveson now will try to join Bob Hayes as the only athlete to win a Super Bowl ring and an Olympic gold medal. pic.twitter.com/TfJn4Cd7B1

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 31, 2024

According to Schefter, his workout in Buffalo was the first time the 6’1″, 275 lb athletic freak has ever put on cleats. That’s a pretty remarkable fact that underscores his natural athleticism and raw talent.

Steveson had an impressive high school wrestling career at Apple Valley, winning four state titles and achieving an incredible 171-match winning streak. His success led him to commit to wrestling for the University of Minnesota.

Related: Do the Minnesota Vikings Have a New Starting Cornerback?

During his time as a Golden Gopher, he won three Big Ten championships and two NCAA championships. In 2021, he won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in one of the most memorable wrestling finishes in Olympic history.

College wrestling legend and Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson is signing with the Buffalo Bills. Truly a freak athlete.

pic.twitter.com/sChgFCR7FX

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) May 31, 2024

Steveson signed with WWE in 2021, making appearances at SummerSlam and SmackDown. However, on May 3rd, less than a month ago, he was released from his WWE contract.

Related: Gophers’ Gable Steveson Talks Olympic Trials and WWE After Winning National Title

This prompted him to explore opportunities in the NFL. Is it possible Steveson can make a transition from wrestling to NFL football having never put on spikes before? I guess we will see…

The 23-year-old wrestler spent the past three years with the WWE, before they cut him loose earlier this month. Shortly after he and the WWE split, his agent made it clear that Gabe had multiple options, including going back to school for his final year of eligibility and multiple calls from NFL teams.

Gable Steveson visits Miami Dolphins

Then on Tuesday, Steveson posted a photo of him at the Miami Dolphins facilities. They had voluntary offseason team activities today. It doesn’t appear as though he took part in any drills or official team Although he didn’t play for P.J. Fleck at the University of Minnesota, it’s hard to ignore how his imposing size and ability to move giant objects could make a difference on the football field.

#Gophers wrestling legend @GableSteveson visits the Miami Dolphins facility, via his IG story… 👀👀👀 pic.twitter.com/wgyJXatnWU

— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) May 21, 2024

A former Olympian, Steveson set a multitude of Big Ten records while wrestling for the Minnesota Gophers, and finished with an 85-2 career record as an amateur. In every season but his Freshman year (in which he was ranked third) he was ranked as the top wrestler in the nation.

Miami isn’t the first team Gable has visited. He was invited for a visit with the Buffalo Bills last week, too. Of course there would be a relative learning curve given his lack of experience in the sport, but both size and athleticism work to his advantage.

Related: Former Gophers Star Tyler Nubin Fitted for New York Giants Helmet

The Dolphins are the second team Steveson has been publicly connected to, but others could emerge in the weeks ahead. And in classic Gable Steveson fashion, this could be nothing more than a photo shoot to spur rumors.

NFL teams are currently participating in voluntary workouts, but they will kick off mandatory minicamp in the next couple weeks, before training camps open later this summer. If someone is going to put a player like Steveson on their 53-man active roster, or more likely their practice squad, getting him involved sooner rather than later seems like a good plan of action.

Ariel Helwani reads a statement from Gable Steveson's manager.

Says multiple NFL teams have reached out to Gable Steveson and that he also has been training at Kill Cliff FC.#TheMMAHour pic.twitter.com/BnDJFk95z0

— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) May 8, 2024

Related: How Good is New Gophers QB Max Brosmer?

Football is very clearly not wrestling, but possessing impressive hand skills from a combat sport, Steveson could logically be expected to compete on the line. His burst may work as a pass rusher, and listed at 6’1” 265 lbs, he should have room to remain something of a moldable asset for an interested organization.

With neither Lesnar or Johnson making it into a regular season NFL game, Steveson would be attempting to do something of the unthinkable, but his story is yet to be entirely written.

Steveson may have been extremely accomplished during his amatuer wrestling days, where he won multiple NCAA championships and an Olympic gold medal… but the WWE wasn’t for him, at least not now.

Just because the WWE wasn’t the right fit, doesn’t mean the 6’1″, 285 lb (23 y/o) freak athlete can’t find success competing in another sport, right. Many would doubt that as possible, but for Steveson, it’s a realistic option being presented to him.

Gable Steveson to the NFL?

According to his manager, Steveson could follow in the footsteps of another Gopher wrestling legend, Brock Lesner, and make a real run at the NFL. On his show ‘The MMA Hour‘ Ariel Helwani (HBO, The Ringer, VOX) read off a statement from Gable’s manager.

Apparently, they have been contacted by multiple NFL teams about a spot on their training camp roster. No doubt, if Steveson wants to make a real run at playing football, now is certainly the time.

Ariel Helwani reads a statement from Gable Steveson's manager.

Says multiple NFL teams have reached out to Gable Steveson and that he also has been training at Kill Cliff FC.#TheMMAHour pic.twitter.com/BnDJFk95z0

— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) May 8, 2024

“Gable is ready to resume competing against elite level competition and looks forward to sharing big news with you all very soon.”

“Multiple NFL teams have reached out to Gable Steveson. Once again, multiple National Football League Teams have reached out to Gable Steveson.”

Both the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills previously reached out to Steveson about a potential NFL career, and he’s not too old to give it a shot now either. Steveson did not play football in college, though he has teased it, and even suited up for P.J. Fleck’s Golden Gophers. This is not the first time the NFL has come calling for Steveson.

Gable’s size makes him a potential fit along the defensive line, where his strength, hands, and his understanding of leverage could give him the upper hand. Fleck previously tabbed him as a three-technique defensive tackle.

Related: Gopher Legend Gable Steveson Dropped by WWE Because He Didn’t Have ‘It’

Several successful NFL linemen have a strong wrestling background, and Steveson would be no different, even if he is more accomplished on the mat. Former Gophers defensive coordinator Joe Rossi felt Steveson could excel as a run stopper and as a pass-rusher and even once compared him to a future first-ballot Hall of Famer.

“I think he would do really well in the run game. I think he would do really well rushing the passer. Frame, the skill set, that Aaron Donald guy. I think they got similar strength and twitch and short-area burst.” 

Former Gophers DC Joe Rossi on Gable Steveson

‘That Aaron Donald guy’ was pretty good. Obviously Steveson is several steps behind the former Rams legend, but if several coaches thought he had potential as a 20-year-old when those comments were made, Steveson should still have more room for growth now as a 23-year-old who has never received college or NFL-level coaching.

Gable’s manager left all of the other options on the table too, including the usage of his final year of college eligibility with the Minnesota Gophers, or elsewhere. Ariel seems most intrigued by Steveson’s future in the MMA. Included in the statement is that he is now training at Kill Cliff FC with Henri Hooft and Robbie Lawler.

Related: Gable Steveson Fuels Rumors About Possible Transfer to Iowa

We’ll see if real fighting is a route Steveson wants to go down. Not everyone is built for that but there is no doubt he has the athleticism and elite grappling skills to be really good at it if he is. Sounds like we’ll soon find out.

PWlnsider has confirmed that Gable Steveson has indeed been released by WWE. pic.twitter.com/1h4XapwRAj

— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) May 4, 2024

What does this mean for the future of Gable Steveson? It could mean a lot of things. He has one year left of college eligibility remaining so it is possible he could return to collegiate wrestling, likely the Minnesota Gophers.

Can Gable Steveson compete in the Olympics?

An Olympic appearance in Paris isn’t possible, because he missed out on the Olympic trials. That’s a cruel reality for him to face, being he avoided another attempt at Olympic gold, because the WWE wanted him to focus on his professional wrestling career. Now, that same company has fired him.

The timing of the cut is especially cruel because had it been a few weeks earlier, [Steveson] could have competed in the Olympic trials, which, based on his 2023 performance, he’d have been the heavy favorite. He would have been a favorite for either a gold or silver medal in the Olympics this summer had he done so, but it’s too late to make the U.S. team, as [Mason] Parris will be the heavyweight.

Dave Meltzer – WrestlingObserver.com

Another option would be a lower level pro wrestling platform than the WWE. Some on social media have thrown TNA wrestling out as a possible Steveson suitor.

Why was Gable Steveson cut by WWE?

As to why Steveson got the WWE boot, well… he just didn’t have the ‘it factor’. He came up with extremely high expectations that he never got close to reaching. And once there was doubt surrounding what kind of professional wrestler he could be, the fans of the WWE started really taking a disliking to him.

Related: Gable Steveson Leaves Shoes on Mat After Winning National Championship

To the point where they seemed worried about even putting him in the ring. In the end, Steveson logged on WWE appearance in his long anticipated, ultimately disaster run with the house that Vince McMahon built.

“There were just some intangibles he didn’t have in terms of charisma and ring timing and emoting in a way that’s necessary to pull fans emotionally to the stories that athletes tell in the ring during matches,” Keller said. “I’m sure the WWE didn’t make the decision lightly given how much they did invest in him.”

Wade Keller (PWTorch.com) – Quote via Star Tribune