Latest On Backstage Reaction To Gable Steveson's Release From WWE

Gable Steveson's release from WWE may have been a shock to some, but reportedly not to those working with him in WWE NXT.

Steveson's exit came less than three years after his high-profile signing to WWE in 2021. That same year, Steveson won Olympic Gold in freestyle wrestling at the Tokyo Summer Games, making him the second-ever gold medalist to sign with WWE (after Kurt Angle over two decades earlier.) Shortly after his signing, Steveson was selected by Raw in that year's Draft, becoming the first draft pick chosen without a single match to his name.

Despite his high-profile standing outside of WWE, Steveson's departure wasn't a surprise to those in the company. One NXT talent who spoke to Fightful Select noted the difference in development between Steveson and his brother Damon Kemp. The two brothers joined WWE around the same time and in stark contrast to his Olympian sibling, Kemp has quickly found a place for himself on TV.

Steveson's progression in WWE was slow with reports coming out in 2022 that he was nowhere close to showing the skill set WWE had hoped to see by that point in time. NXT talent believe it was his lack of progression and not his previous trouble with the law that factored into his WWE release.

Steveson and a university teammate were arrested on suspicion of criminal sexual misconduct in 2019 but they did not face criminal charges due to a lack of adequate evidence. At the time though, the county attorney pointed to a lack of a law in Minnesota (where the alleged incident happened) that would've given them a broader discretion in charging sexual assaults against intoxicated victims.
Steveson's days in WWE are over but his days competing are far from finished. The ex-Superstar recently had a tryout for the Buffalo Bills and is expected to meet several NFL teams. There had been speculation that Steveson would go to the NFL after his victory in Tokyo before he signed with WWE.