Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson was one of the people let go from WWE NXT last week, ending a whirlwind few years in the pro wrestling business for the standout amateur grappler.
His manager Dave Martin provided The MMA Hour with a statement about Steveson’s time at WWE, which Ariel Helwani read on the show today (May 8):
Gable Steveson is very grateful for the opportunities he had with WWE and would like to thank everybody in the organization who helped him get there. He would also like to thank all the fans who have supported him on his professional wrestling journey. Now, Gable is ready to resume competing against elite-level competition and looks forward to sharing big news with you all very soon.
While he does have a year of NCAA eligibility left at the University of Minnesota, Steveson’s missed the window to compete in the 2024 Summer Olympics. He’s said to be training mixed martial arts in Florida, and Martin told Helwani “that multiple NFL teams have reached out to Gable Steveson” about trying out for their teams. Helwani said that he knows of two teams that are interested in bringing in Steveson for their early off-season mini-camp.
This isn’t the first time Steveson’s toyed with idea of playing pro football. Prior to signing with WWE, he said he’d been contacted by the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens.
Like fellow Golden Gopher Brock Lesnar, Steveson would likely try out as a lineman. Lesnar played defensive line when he attempted to make the Minnesota Vikings after his first WWE run ended, and it’s not unusual for offensive lineman have amateur wrestling backgrounds.
Steveson’s future more likely lies in the Octagon as opposed to on the gridiron, but we’ll see what happens.
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