MINNEAPOLIS — *Editor's note: The above Locked On Golden Gophers Podcast was recorded July 19, 2023.
Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson will soon make his WWE debut.
The two-time NCAA Division I national champion announced his intention to wrestle Baron Corbin at the WWE’s NXT: The Great American Bash on Sunday, July 30 in Cedar Park, Texas.
His decision comes after plenty of speculation about the young grappler's future, Steveson having hinted at several different paths, including returning to the NCAA to wrestle with either the University of Minnesota, where he won both national championships, or transferring to the University of Iowa.
Steveson, who grew up in Apple Valley, spent his entire collegiate career with the Gophers, but his Iowa roots date back to his childhood. In fact, he says he's named after legendary Iowa wrestler Dan Gable.
After winning gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Steveson went on to secure his second NCAA championship in March 2022 with the University of Minnesota, was named a repeat winner of the Dan Hodge Trophy and took home the title of Big Ten Male Athlete of the Year.
After leaving his shoes on the mat following his NCAA title win, it seemed clear Steveson was ready to retire from amateur wrestling to focus on his contract with the WWE and make another go at the 2024 Summer Olympics. However, he never seemed to completely write off a return to college wrestling.
Earlier this month, University of Minnesota Athletics Director Mark Coyle expressed his excitement at the possibility of having the heavyweight champ back on campus.
According to the Associated Press, Steveson has recently been splitting his time between training in Minneapolis with Brandon Eggum, his college coach at the University of Minnesota, and the WWE Performance Training Center in Orlando, Florida. He also posted a photo last week of him inside a wrestling room with Iowa coach Tom Brands.
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