Kurt Angle Shares Views on Gable Steveson’s Ring Debut
Gable Steveson’s in-ring debut took place at NXT Great American Bash 2023, where he faced off against Baron Corbin in a match that ended in a no-contest. Drawing parallels to Kurt Angle’s own Olympic gold medalist background, the Texas crowd couldn’t help but taunt Steveson with “You’re not Angle” chants during the match.
Kurt Angle has now weighed in on Steveson’s debut, expressing that it’s not fair to compare Steveson to himself at this early stage of Gable’s wrestling journey. Angle believes that WWE might be steering Steveson towards a heel role by having him mimic and mock Angle’s persona.
Well, I feel badly for him because he’s being compared to me at this point in time. He hasn’t even barely started, so I don’t know how his future is going to be. I know he’s really talented, really athletic. I’m not sure how he is as far as entertainment-wise, but as far as in the ring, I heard he’s really good. But no, I don’t think it’s a fair assessment to compare him to me right now. I think down the line, you can do that,” Kurt said on the latest episode of the Kurt Angle Show podcast. “This is crazy, but people have been coming to me and telling me, ‘Hey, he wrestled Baron Corbin at NXT, and the fans were boobing the heck out of him. Then he pulled his straps down, and the fans got even more pissed.’Kurt shared on the recent episode of the Kurt Angle Show podcast.
Angle delved further into Steveson’s recent actions, noting, “It’s intriguing. People have been approaching me, saying, ‘Hey, he faced Baron Corbin at NXT, and the fans really gave him a hard time. Then he imitated my gestures, and the fans got even angrier.'”
Angle continued, speculating on WWE’s intentions, “You know what? I think that’s something WWE is actually doing,” Angle continued. “They want to make him a heel. So they’re gonna have them copy and mimic me. That’s what this is, I believe. I think they’re gonna have him copy and mimic me so he can piss the fans off. So that he starts out as a heel because it’s easier to be a heel starting out than it is a babyface. So I think that I think they’re the ones that actually told him to do this stuff. I really believe that, and I think WWE is brilliant for doing it.”
Notably, Angle himself had a final match with Baron Corbin in WWE, a moment that drew discontent from the audience. It’s worth mentioning that Steveson had appeared alongside Angle during his birthday celebration on the December 9, 2022 episode of Friday Night SmackDown.
Photo Credit: WWE