Gable Steveson, WWE’s first NIL signing, seemingly had his WWE timeline impacted when he registered for USA Wrestling’s U.S. Open with the goal of competing at the 2024 Olympics. However, he said WWE has yet to confirm whether he can participate in the games, which are set to take place in about 14 months.
Steve’s eyes are firmly fixed on the Paris games, hoping to compete in front of an audience unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic, he told the AP, unlike the 2020 games.
“I need to have that Paris experience in front of a packed house,” he said. “I need to have them see what it’s like to see Gable Steveson in person. Having been in Tokyo and having no fans was — it was okay because I still won an Olympic gold. But I want to have that experience of having my family in the front row. They need to see it live.”
Steveson, it seems, has unfinished business to accomplish at the amateur wrestling level by 2024 before pursuing anything else. Although he teased that his time with WWE is coming sooner than later.
“I am still doing my thing,” he said. “I have changed my diet, my body appearance. I wanted to be the best thing ever so when I did go on TV, it was going to be a sight that nobody has seen before. My time is coming and it’s coming sooner than a lot of people think.”
Without a specified date for this, it’s unknown when Steveson will appear on WWE screens consistently besides the sporadic appearances he has made in the past few years.
Either way, the spotlight will be on him if he ever becomes a full-time WWE wrestler, to see if he takes his international wrestling pedigree and level of charisma to a different audience — who will be waiting to see what he can do.