"Real life scared him""Showing again how no one is on his level"- Fans split as Gable Steveson becomes first 4x heavyweight champion in Big 10 History

Gable Steveson created history by becoming the first wrestler to win the Big Ten Wrestling Championships four times. The American wrestler asserted his dominance to win the final against Greg Kerkvliet and won by decision with a score of 10-3.

Steveson returned to the NCAA circuit again this season after a three-year hiatus to pursue his dreams in the WWE. His return to the collegiate brought mixed reactions from fans. While some expressed excitement to see him compete, others mocked him for being too old to compete in the NCAA.

The 24-year-old competed in the Big Ten Championships and displayed a dominant run throughout all his matches. His title win marked his place in history books as the first heavyweight wrestler to become the Champion four times. Fans took to X to react to Gable Steveson's achievement.

"Just showing again how no one is on his level"- wrote a fan.

"One of the best collegiate athletes in history," another fan chimed in.

A fan pointed out his brutal gesture from the semi-finals, where he lifted his opponent Nick Feldman and threw him out of the mat.

"He should have been tossed from the tournament after he threw his opponent off of the mat," wrote another fan.

Here are some more fan reactions:

" What’s next, high school to stoke his ego?" wrote a fan.

Absolute unit!!!! It all started in the 219! Congrats dude," tweeted a fan.

"Left his shoes on the mat, just to come back as an actual adult. Real life scared him," another fan chimed in.

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Gable Steveson on facing hate as he navigated through his career

Gable Steveson during the Buffalo Bills Mandatory Minicamp - Source: Getty

In an interview with CBS News, Gable Steveson discussed encountering hate while navigating his career. Steveson revealed that he considered it a part of an athlete's life and believed that having a positive attitude and self-belief helps one to breeze through the situation.

Moreover, he expressed how people often demeaned him whenever he couldn't perform at his best. However, he dealt with it by facing it positively and continuing to work on himself.

"There's going to be a lot of people that are going to try to take that spark away, try to take the confidence away and kind of devalue who you are. And I feel like just going through everything and getting out of a few big companies, just not losing that spark and keeping your face out there in a positive manner.I feel like I did a decent job at it, just to keep people realizing who Gable Steveson is and what he can be," he said.

Furthermore, he hoped to continue his dominance as he embarked on a new phase in his career.