Chad Gable offers his opinion on frequently being compared to Kurt Angle and how he created his own push for a possible spot on the WrestleMania XL card. Gable has been one of the MVPs for 2024. He broke out as one of the top stars on RAW and showed he is someone to keep an eye on.
In 2020 Chad Gable formed Alpha Academy and recruited Otis, Maxxine Dupri and Akira Tozawa. This is when Gable started to be put in the spotlight again. That spotlight also showed that he isn’t just talk but can back it up in the ring with his amateur wrestling background. Every high-level amateur wrestler gets compared to Kurt Angle and Gable is no different.
Chad Gable was recently a guest on Cheap Heat and talked about the constant comparisons to Kurt Angle and even being called “the next Kurt Angle.”. Many would take the constant comparisons to another wrestler as a failure to stand on their own feet. However, Gable is honored to be compared to a WWE Hall of Famer.
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“To me, I mean it’s the highest compliment in the world. I mean he could be considered, and is by some, to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest, especially a guy that crossed over, pro wrestler of all time. Athletically, character-wise, entertainment-wise, everything, he had it.” H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription
Never Far From The Spotlight
Gable is someone who has been in and out of the spotlight in WWE throughout his career. He was part of American Alpha with Jason Jordan in NXT. He won the NXT Tag Team Championship with Jordan and won the SmackDown Tag Team Championship with Jordan. The team was on the rise, but Jordan suffered an injury that ended that momentum. Gable became Shorty G, it was a dark time that we don’t like to talk about.
Gable climbed up the card and showed that he is someone who deserves his spot on the card. Unfortunately for fans, Gable and Angle’s primes were too many years off to see them go at it in a main event at a premium live event. However, they did wrestle each other. In 2019 during Angle’s farewell tour of final matches. It was supposed to be a 10-minute match, but was extended during the match. Gable views it as the “greatest joy in life.”
Even though Gable is honored by the comparisons to Angle, one of the highest compliments he has ever been paid recently came from a future WWE Hall of Famer. Gable talked about how honored he was to have Randy Orton take him aside and let him know that he is no longer “the next Kurt Angle.”
“He [Orton] found me back in the locker room after one of my matches and said ‘You made it man. There is no more ’the next Kurt Angle’ that stuffs done. You’re not ‘next Kurt Angle,’ you’re you. You found it, you found who you are and you’re showing everybody now.’”
Mad Respect From Randy Orton
Gable said that having someone who has been around as long as Orton and someone who is as well respected as Orton tell him that meant the world to him. One of the things which has helped Gable garner so much respect from his peers and fans is his willingness to create his own opportunities.
Leading up to WrestleMania, Gable worked with Sami Zayn for Zayn’s match with then Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER. Gable was one of the men to be the closest to defeating GUNTHER for the championship. He even had a victory over GUNTHER via count out.
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Gable revealed that the vignettes leading up to WrestleMania were things he and a friend made. He also revealed his philosophy behind pitching ideas, how he can enter storylines and advocating for himself.
“Giving stories, giving options for how I could integrate myself into what’s currently going on. But beyond that, what’s important to me is not just giving them options and saying, ‘Here’s some ideas that I think you can do.’ … Some of the vignettes that came out before Mania about me and GUNTHER, or me and the Intercontinental Championship. I made those. Like me and a friend of mine made those ourselves. We shot them. We took the time to do it.
“… I think it’s a credit to both the company and myself that they’re willing to listen to the talent’s perspective and use some of their creative direction occasionally when it works. I think it’s cool.” H/T Wrestling Inc.
Advocating For Himself
Gable revealed that his reasoning behind advocating for himself and shooting the vignettes was to try and get a spot on the WrestleMania card. Unfortunately he wasn’t able to have a match on the card, but it impressed a lot of people backstage in WWE.
Currently Gable is in a storyline with the Wyatt Sicks. The Wyatt Sicks are just starting their storyline on TV and it is important that it goes well and having Gable be a part of it shows WWE’s faith in Gable. He is also still involved in the Alpha Academy possible implosion so Gable has two big storylines going on at once.
What have you thought of Chad Gable’s year so far? Do you think this time next year he will have a world title around his waist? If not, what do you think he is missing to make that happen? Do you think he is the “next Kurt Angle” or he is Chad Gable and shouldn’t be compared? Let us know on social media if you think he is the right choice for the Wyatt Sicks’ first feud.
Sources: Wrestling Inc., Cheap Heat, Wrestling Inc.
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