Chad Gable states WWE is not for everybody with regard to recent major release

Chad Gable's slow ascent to the top of WWE's roster has been a delight to watch, considering how long it took for the 38-year-old to get here. In the case of Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson, though, World Wrestling Entertainment was ready to push him straight off the bat. Unfortunately, things did not work out for Steveson.

While conversing on Cheap Heat with Peter Rosenberg, Chad Gable looked back at his WrestleMania debut in 2022. He wrestled in a Triple Threat Tag Team contest. The match also featured 14-time World Champion Randy Orton.

Despite being booked to lose the bout and subsequently be involved in Gable Steveson's debut post-match, Chad Gable was happy with the outing. He felt that he had earned his spot on the grand stage:

"My mind was on the fact that I had finally earned my spot on the show, on WrestleMania. I was so proud and so happy about that, and happy for Otis. My mind was, ‘I’m on Mania with Randy Orton. This is great.' The fact that they were bringing [Steveson] in, and I was involved with him in his first appearance. He came in the ring after I lost, threw me around. The reality was, I wasn’t upset by any of that. None of that bothered me."

He then touched upon Gable Steveson's WWE release in May 2024. The former Alpha Academy leader put Steveson over as one of the best athletes in the country but emphasized how amateur wrestling is different from what they do in sports entertainment.

"Amateur wrestlers are trained to do the complete opposite of what we do in WWE. Stoneface, no emotion, go do your job and get out. If you did that in WWE, you probably won’t have a job very long. You have to show emotion and vulnerability. It’s not to say he didn’t have that, but sometimes guys just don’t want to do that, or they’re not willing to, or it’s not natural. [...] This stuff is not for everybody. It’s a whole different animal."

Wrestling veteran Konnan feels that the company pushed Steveson too hard too soon. The 24-year-old was not well received by the WWE Universe, as evidenced by some of his in-ring contests, which garnered a lot of boos from the live crowd.

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Chad Gable reveals what Randy Orton told him about his WWE run in 2024

In the aforementioned podcast, Chad Gable disclosed that Randy Orton told him he is no longer the 'next Kurt Angle' as many iterated about him. Instead, The Legend Killer praised him for finding himself.

"One of the most highest compliments I've ever been paid, maybe the highest compliment, happened a few weeks ago, and it came from Randy Orton. Whether or not he wants me to say this or not, I don't know. He found me back in the locker room after one of my matches and said, 'You made it, man.' He's like, 'There's no more next Kurt Angle; that stuff's done. You're not next Kurt Angle; you're you. You've found it. You've found who you are, and you're showing everybody now.' And to me, I was taken aback to come from a guy like Randy [Orton], who's done it all and gets the highest praise from everybody. That meant the world to me," Gable said.

In 2022, Alpha Academy was just a tag team consisting of Gable and Otis. The two feuded with RK-Bro at the time, even winning the RAW Tag Team Championship from them.