Yet another WWE release has seemingly been confirmed.
Following yesterday’s round of WWE releases, which included former Cruiserweight Champion Drew Gulak amongst a number of other names from NXT and the Performance Center, yet another name can be added to that list.
In an exclusive report from the Wrestling Observer, Dave Meltzer has now revealed that Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson has also been released by WWE.
“Gable Steveson, who captured the gold medal in the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo and then chose WWE over continuing in amateur wrestling or going into MMA, was part of the most recent cuts this week.”
-Dave Meltzer
Steveson signed an NIL deal with WWE that was the highest paid of its type in 2020, with the idea he would continue as an amateur wrestler and compete in the 2021 Olympics before making the transition to professional wrestling.
After beating the UFC to his signature, Steveson was picked in the 2021 WWE Draft for RAW, with thr plan bring for him to occasionally appear on the red brand, have his first match at WrestleMania, and start full-time on the main roster after the college season was over.
Per the report, the early word regarding Steveson’s progress was that he wasn’t adapting to pro wrestling as well as hoped, while his brother Bobby (Damon Kemp), The Creed Brothers, and Bron Breakker were all believed to be the stronger prospects as far as making the transition from real sports to WWE.
Steveson would feature in an angle at WrestleMania 38 in 2022 with Chad Gable, with the intention being to kick-start his main roster career. The feeling, however, was that he wasn’t ready and thus debuted in NXT last June, with his first match coming against Baron Corbin.
His last match for WWE came on February 9th earlier this year against Cedric Alexander, with Steveson spending recent months working dark matches at SmackDown tapings.
At the time of writing, it’s unclear as to what Steveson’s next moves will be. After astounding viewers at the 2023 U.S. Open with his performances over his opponents, a return to wrestling could be possible, whilst a transition to MMA has also long been speculated upon.
As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on the future of Gable Steveson as soon as we hear more.
