Steveson revealed to ESPN that Gable Steveson (heavyweight freestyle wrestler) has signed a multiyear contract with WWE.
The 21-year old signed a NIL agreement with WWE, which will allow him to attend University of Minnesota in his senior year and defend Division I's heavyweight championship. Steveson will be able to train remotely with WWE coaches at a facility near his campus.
He will also be able to use the WWE Performance Center in Orlando where his brother Bobby Steveson trains. Gable Steveson will graduate in May and his multi-year talent deal with WWE will start. He'll be a full time performer for the company, but also appear on WWE programming during school year.
Steveson, the first WWE gold medalist since Kurt Angle, said that "I've been in WWE since I was really little." "I was a long-time member of guys like Brock Lesnar or Paul Heyman. It was a natural choice, after watching them grow up and being an entertainer on the mat, because it felt right.
Steveson, 6'1" and 265 lbs, held talks with UFC officials. He also considered a career in the NFL. Steveson was hot after his Olympic gold-medal win at Tokyo.
Marc Raimondi of ESPN reported that Steveson was wanted by the UFC to get experience in regional MMA before possibly bringing him on Dana White's Contender Series to try for a contract. It would have been similar in concept to the UFC's deal with Greg Hardy, an ex-NFL All-Pro. Steveson stated that they had never discussed the matter and therefore he doesn't know.
"We all saw him physically before and at the Olympics," Nick Khan, chief revenue officer and president of WWE, said. "What we also noticed was that Gable is as charismatic as he is talented. Both marketability and ability are important to us."
"This is only the beginning and not the end. Our investment will be based on our perception of Gable and his potential growth.
WWE has a long history of turning top freestyle wrestlers to main-event Superstars. Angle was awarded a gold medal at 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. He has been a WWE champion for many years and is now a major headliner. Steveson won the University of Minnesota national championship. Lesnar is now signed to WWE where he's a major star.
Steveson considers the former UFC heavyweight champion a great mentor and sees a Wrestlemania match against Lesnar in not too distant future.
Steveson stated, "Being able learn how to take bumps as well as the wrestling background that I have right now, it is easy to adapt to all of this." "I believe that my charisma, confidence, and attitude on the wrestling mat will translate well to the WWE very quickly, and that I can... play a good part and know exactly what I should do."
Steveson will continue to focus his attention on college wrestling, where he will attempt to defend his national title while continuing his education. As a member D-Generation X, he grew up in Apple Valley in Minnesota. He grew to love watching Paul "Triple H", Levesque spit in the air at Wrestlemania. He'll soon learn how to be a WWE Superstar and that man will play a major role in his growth.
"Gable impressed our well before he became a U.S. Olympic medalist," stated Levesque, the WWE EVP for global talent strategy. "He is a great talent, a world-class athlete, with speed, determination, size and charisma.
"The introduction NIL allows us create a more direct pathway from college to WWE. This is a benefit for athletes and the WWE universe. Gable will be able to have an immediate presence at our company while he works towards his degree and defend his national title. His future in WWE is bright.
Steveson stated that his breakthrough moment might come "earlier than you think."
What about the final move?
He said, "I think that I have one in my head." "... It's amazing how long I have been following them. Now, I'm going out in front WrestleManias or SummerSlams. People will also be doing my signature look as an older man.
