Olympic Gold Medalist Gable Steveson vs. Baron Corbin Ends in Double Countout
Gable Steveson, an Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling, made his pro wrestling debut Sunday against Baron Corbin at NXT: The Great American Bash.
In a surprising result, the match ended in a double countout as both wrestlers brawled outside of the ring. Steveson eventually sent Corbin crashing through a barricade to end the fracas.
The 23-year-old Steveson enjoyed a spectacular amateur wrestling career, winning national championships in the heavyweight division at the University of Minnesota in 2021 and 2022, as well as a gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
In the summer of 2021, after winning Olympic gold, Steveson signed with WWE as part of the company's Next In Line NIL (name, image and likeness) program.
Steveson was surprisingly selected to Raw in the 2021 WWE draft, and the expectation was that he would bypass NXT and make his in-ring debut on the main roster.
While Steveson made sporadic appearances, including suplexing Chad Gable after a match at WrestleMania 38 last year, he never wrestled a match or got involved in any storylines on the main roster.
Steveson made his NXT debut in June, speaking to Eddy Thorpe in a backstage segment and offering to help him prepare for an NXT Underground match against Damon Kemp.
Thorpe won the match, and Steveson got physically involved, executing a few suplexes and showcasing the potential of what he could do in the ring.
On the final episode of NXT before Great American Bash, Steveson was featured in a segment in which he would decide between staying in NXT and honing his craft as a pro wrestler, or pursuing another gold medal in amateur wrestling at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Corbin, who recently returned to NXT and unsuccessfully challenged Carmelo Hayes for the NXT Championship, interrupted Steveson, which led to the gold medalist challenging Corbin to a match at The Great American Bash.
Steveson was hugely impressive and held his own against an established veteran in his first match, which suggests big things are in his future in NXT.
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