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Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson has signed with WWE, turning down multiple NFL teams that tried to tempt the in-demand athlete into pro football.
The Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens were among the teams that held talks with Stevenson after the heavyweight freestyle wrestler topped the podium at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Gable Steveson admitted he had a "big decision" to make when discussing his future back in August, before the 21-year-old committed to an exclusive, multi-year deal with Vince McMahon’s sports entertainment enterprise on Thursday.
The NIL (name, image, likeness) contract will allow Gable Steveson to return to the University of Minnesota for his final year of college. He will begin his WWE training at a local facility and will also have access to the WWE’s Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Speaking about a potential career in the NFL, Steveson said back in August:
"So many great organizations and teams have reached out: a scout from the Bills, there is a connection with the Ravens. The Olympic gold medal is helping me see the world, so my next step is going to be a big decision. I'm going to decompress now and think about it."
Why Gable Steveson chose WWE over the NFL
Gable Steveson’s older brother, Bobby, also signed with WWE last month. The siblings are huge fans of professional wrestling.
Gable Steveson will follow in 1996 Atlanta Games hero Kurt Angle's path by signing with the WWE after winning an Olympic gold medal. The 6’1, 265-pound athlete cited former NFL tryout Brock Lesnar, as an inspiration. Speaking about his love for WWE and drawing inspiration from Lesnar, Steveson said:
"I've been on WWE since I was really young. I was on guys like Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman for a very long time. So growing up watching them, me being an entertainer on the wrestling mat, it just felt like it was the right choice."
Does Gable Steveson have a future in the NFL?
WWE superstar Brock Lesnar turned heads with his performance at the 2004 NFL combine and worked out with the Minnesota Vikings in June of the same year. The multi-time WWE champion signed for the Vikings as a defensive tackle and took the field in the preseason before his release.
Whether Gable Steveson will one day follow in his idol Brock Lesnar's footsteps and suit up in the NFL is unclear. But there was interest from both athlete and NFL teams earlier in 2021. For now, Gable Stevenson’s near future lies in the squared circle.
