Gable Steveson's wrestling resume speaks for itself. After winning three age group world titles in freestyle, Steveson reached the pinnacle of freestyle wrestling in 2021, capturing gold in the Tokyo Olympics at 125 kilograms. In Tokyo, Steveson outscored his first three opponents 23-0, with one of his three shutout victories coming over returning Olympic champion Taha Akgul of Turkey, 8-0. In the Olympic finals, Steveson won in dramatic fashion over Georgia's Geno Petriashvili, scoring two takedowns in the finals 10 seconds to win 10-8. He finished college wrestling career at the University of Minnesota in 2022, winning his second consecutive NCAA title at 285 pounds and second Dan Hodge Trophy.
In 2021, Steveson made the decision to pursue a career in professional wrestling and signed with the WWE. While in the WWE, Steveson made a few TV appearances at events like Summer Slam and WrestleMania. At WrestleMania 38 in 2022, Steveson confronted 2012 Olympic Greco-Roman wrestler Chas Betts, known as Chad Gable in the WWE, and executed a suplex in the ring.
Steveson made his much-anticipated in-ring TV debut at The Great American Bash on July 30, 2023, against Baron Corbin. Steveson was booed by the crowd in Cedar Park, Texas, in a match that ended in a double count-out draw. Less than a year later, on May 4, 2024, it was announced that Steveson had been released by the WWE.
Dave Meltzer, a pro wrestling journalist, talked about Steveson on Wrestling Observer Radio after he was released by the WWE.
"His contract was a very big money contract, and he wasn't cutting it," said Meltzer.
With speculation swirling on Steveson's next career move after getting released by the WWE, the 6-foot-1, 275-pound Steveson worked out with multiple NFL teams before signing a non-guaranteed three-year rookie contract with the Buffalo Bills as a defensive lineman despite never playing organized football. Bills head coach Sean McDermott, who has appeared on The MatBoss Podcast, is a former wrestler who credits the sport of wrestling for helping to shape his life.
Steveson made his football debut in Buffalo's first preseason game against the Chicago Bears on Aug. 10, playing nine snaps as a defensive lineman and five on special teams. He recorded one pressure and one tackle in his debut.
Pro Football Focus (PFF), a sports analytics company that focuses on thorough analysis of the NFL and NCAA Division I football, gave Steveson an underwhelming game score of 33.5 (out of 100), which was the second-lowest score of any Bills defensive player in the game. However, his pass rushing score received a more favorable 67 (out of 100).
Steveson spoke about his first game in an article for the official website of the Buffalo Bills.
"Just learning, learning how to play in front of big crowds," Steveson said. "Learning how to see different formations. Chicago brought a new thing that I wasn't used to, so just go out there and then stick to what I know best and that's technique and gap integrity and just fundamentals at the best, so I feel like I did a good job of that. But like you said, there's always room to grow, and we're just at the bottom of the barrel right now, we gotta get to the top."
In Buffalo's second preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Aug. 17, Steveson barely saw the field, playing only a single snap.
Buffalo concluded its preseason schedule with a game against the Carolina Panthers on Aug. 24. Steveson had two tackles (one solo and one assisted) and two quarterback hits in Buffalo's preseason finale.
Three days later, Buffalo announced that Steveson had been released. He was left off the 53-man roster as well as the practice squad.
After getting released by the Bills, Steveson thanked the organization for the opportunity.
"I am grateful to Coach [Sean] McDermott, [General Manager] Brandon Beane and the Buffalo Bills organization for giving me this opportunity," said Steveson.
Steveson wrote on Instagram, "Put on my first pair of cleats, pads, and played my first ever football game ever as a NFL Player here in Buffalo! Even made some plays along the way! All love!! This isn't the end. Back to the drawing board!!"
Beane, who has served as GM of the Bills since 2017, said Steveson got "a lot better" from the first time he laced up his cleats to the final preseason game.
"You're talking about a guy who had never put a helmet on before late May or early June, whenever that was. Never played organized football, never really did team sports, talking to him. Guy just worked his tail off. Smart. I would say, learning the nuances of the game, we talk about instincts and all that, a lot of times when you find guys who took up the game later and didn't grow up around it, maybe their instincts are a little further behind. I thought his were pretty good to this point, better than I would've expected."
Bean called Steveson "undersized" as a defensive lineman. He hopes Steveson will continue with football and hasn't closed the door on bringing him back to the Bills.
"Physics says you wouldn't put him in there, but the wrestler background, the mentality, and it wasn't too big for him. Did some really good things. I'm hopeful that he will stick with this. We wouldn't close the door on bringing him back here at some point. He made that kind of impression."
There has always been some mystery surrounding Gable Steveson. Last year he appeared on Clash of Combat, a podcast hosted by college wrestlers Cayden Henschel and Crosby Schlosser, which was one of only a few podcasts he has appeared on since winning his Olympic gold medal in 2021. On the podcast, Steveson said, "From a competitive standpoint, I like to keep it a mystery."
He often keeps his competitive plans close to the vest and is known to share photos on Instagram without any context, leading people to speculate. Many wondered what Steveson would do after winning Olympic gold in 2021. He chose pro wrestling. Many wondered what he would do after getting released from his pro wrestling contract. He chose football. Now many are wondering what he is going to do after getting released from his football contract. As a world-class athlete in the prime of his career, Steveson has many competitive options.
As of now, it appears Steveson plans to continue on his football journey with the goal of earning a spot on a roster or practice squad. According to NFL writer Aaron Wilson, Steveson recently worked out for the Indianapolis Colts.
It would not be uncharted territory for a multiple-time national champion heavyweight wrestler with no college football experience to successfully transition to the NFL. Carlton Haselrig, a legendary college heavyweight, never played college football during his time at Pitt-Johnstown before going on to play six seasons in the NFL as an offensive guard. The late Haselrig played five seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he became a Pro Bowler in 1992, before playing his final season with the New York Jets.
Stephen Neal, a 1999 world champion in freestyle and two-time NCAA champion at CSU Bakersfield, successfully transitioned from wrestling to football as an offensive guard but it wasn't without bumps in the road.
Like Steveson, Neal signed a professional football contract despite not playing football in college. Neal signed with the New England Patriots in 2001 but was released before the season started. The Philadelphia Eagles added Neal to their practice squad nine days later. The Patriots re-signed Neal off Philadelphia's practice squad in December of 2001. The next season, Neal earned a spot on New England's 53-man roster. He battled injuries in 2002 and 2003 before eventually becoming a starter for the Patriots in 2004. Neal played in the NFL until 2011, becoming a key member of the Patriots and winning three Super Bowl rings.
Neal has spoken to Steveson about the transition from wrestling to football.
"The biggest challenge was going from a sport where there's two people on the competition floor to 22," Neal said in an article published on ESPN.com. "When you're just competing against one guy, you're trying to beat that one guy, and football is not about that. It's about working together with the other 10 guys on your side, understanding your role."
If Steveson moves on from football, there is the possibility that he could return to amateur wrestling. He has one season of college wrestling eligibility remaining if he chooses to use it. Or he could immediately jump back into freestyle wrestling, which he has flirted with since winning his Olympic gold medal in Tokyo.
In April of 2023, while under contract with the WWE, Steveson competed at the U.S. Open and dominated the competition at 125 kilograms, picking up four technical falls in four matches and outscoring his opponents 43-1. Less than two months later, Steveson earned a spot on the 2023 U.S. World Team by defeating Mason Parris in two consecutive matches at Final X. Steveson did not compete at the World Championships due to his obligations with the WWE. Parris went on to earn a world bronze medal.
While Steveson did miss out on the opportunity to win another Olympic gold at the 2024 Paris Games, he is still young enough at age 24 to rack up several more gold medals at the World Championships and Olympic Games and cement his legacy as one of the greatest freestyle wrestlers ever. With Los Angeles hosting the 2028 Games, Steveson would have the opportunity to win Olympic gold in his home country.
Ben Askren, a 2008 Olympic freestyle wrestler, two-time Hodge Trophy winner and former MMA fighter, recently posted a 5-minute and 19-second video on the Askren Wrestling Academy YouTube page titled "My open letter to Gable Steveson 'Why Gable should come back to wrestling.'"
"It looks like you enjoy wrestling," Askren said in the video, speaking to Steveson. "You're obviously the best in the world at it. You would have the opportunity go down as one of the greatest of all time."
In the video, Askren reflected on his own career and shared how he retired from wrestling and transitioned to MMA for financial reasons. He believes there are more opportunities now to make money in wrestling and that Steveson could make a "great living" just wrestling.
"You could make something that is a very healthy living," Askren said to Steveson in the video. "I don't know what the exact numbers are … but I would guess you could pull in at least a quarter-million dollars a year just doing wrestling things. That's freaking awesome. That's a great living."
Steveson has also hinted at pursuing a career in MMA. He has had conversations with MMA promotions and trained in MMA gyms. Wrestling's impact on MMA is undeniable. Many wrestlers have gone on to great success in MMA, including another former University of Minnesota NCAA champion heavyweight, Brock Lesnar.
Shortly after signing with the WWE, Steveson told MMAFighting.com, "If that time came, I would love to fight. I secured the Olympic gold in wrestling … why not go out there and get the UFC belt?"
On a podcast in 2022, Steveson told Daniel Cormier, a past two-division UFC champion and two-time Olympian in freestyle wrestling, that being a UFC champion is one of his goals down the road.
"There's not a lot of heavyweights out there that are grappling," said Steveson. "There's not a lot of heavyweights that have the endurance to go five five-minute rounds, and if it doesn't go to that point, then it doesn't. I feel like I have the tools to be UFC heavyweight champ. Getting my hands right, being persistent, doing all the correct things, eating right, good surroundings around me. I feel like I've got the tools to do anything possible. I believe in myself to be UFC champ one of these days, and it's bound to happen."
Cormier asked Steveson how long it would take for him to be able compete at a UFC championship level.
"Whenever the time is right," said Steveson. "And I'll know when the time is right."
Is the time now for Steveson to chase UFC glory? Will he stay the course in football? Or will he return to wrestling and chase another Olympic gold medal?
Stay tuned.
