Backstage News On Interesting Name WWE Had In Mind For ‘Brock Lesnar-Level Monster Push’
WWE reportedly had major plans for Gable Steveson when the Olympic gold medalist first signed with the company.
Steveson was initially viewed as someone WWE could push in a similar fashion to Brock Lesnar, with plans calling for him to quickly move into a prominent position. At one point, there was even an expectation that Steveson would appear at WrestleMania relatively early in his run.
Those plans ultimately changed because Steveson did not develop quickly enough for WWE officials to feel comfortable putting him in such a high-profile spot.
One possibility discussed was putting Steveson in a short match against an established wrestler such as Chad Gable. However, WWE reportedly did not have enough confidence in Steveson to move forward with that type of showcase.
Steveson was also said to have struggled with his promo work and overall charisma as he continued training. He worked several matches with Trevor Lee as part of his development, but reportedly still failed to reach the level WWE had hoped for.
There were also unfavorable internal comparisons between Steveson’s development and that of his brother, Bobby Steveson, as well as Bron Breakker. WWE reportedly felt Steveson was not making enough progress or putting in the necessary effort to reach the level expected of him.
Eventually, his contract became another factor. WWE reportedly no longer felt it could justify paying Steveson at a level comparable to main-roster talent while he remained in developmental.
Steveson signed with WWE in 2021 following his gold-medal performance at the Tokyo Olympics. His WWE run never developed into the major push initially envisioned, and he was released by the company in May 2024.
He later transitioned to mixed martial arts and recently suffered the first loss of his MMA career, being knocked out by Sean Sharaf just 12 seconds into their UFC 331 fight.
(H/T: Dave Meltzer and Wrestling Observer Radio at F4WOnline.com)
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