If you paid attention to the 2021 Summer Olympic Games or are a huge amateur wrestling fan, the name “Gable Steveson” should ring some bells.
Standing at 6-foot-1 and weighing over 260 pounds, Steveson is an absolute physical specimen. His domination at the Olympics proved that as he left the event with a gold medal in men’s freestyle heavyweight wrestling. Now, people are wondering where he’ll go next. At just 21 years old, Steveson has a lot of his life ahead of him, but that hasn’t stopped those from wondering whether a career in an MMA octagon or professional wrestling ring is in his future. After all, nobody wants to see all that potential go to waste.
BetOnline has released odds on what Gable Steveson could do next. At -300 odds, the sportsbook is projecting him to continue wrestling at the University of Minnesota. Again, considering his age, this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. He will be a senior, so it makes sense that he’d want to finish his degree to have something to fall back on in case being a professional athlete doesn’t work out.
There’s also the fact that Gable Steveson has spent nearly half his life living in Minnesota, so there’s no point in uprooting his life this soon after winning his gold medal. Making a career decision takes time and Steveson may want to take a moment to reflect on it with his family. After all, someone of his physical talents will be in high demand for years to come, so if the UFC and WWE are interested in him now, they’ll likely be willing to wait a couple more years on him.
What Will Gable Steveson Do Next?
Odds via BetOnline as of Thursday, August 12
- Wrestle for the University of Minnesota (-300)
- Wrestle in the WWE (+225)
- Fight in an official MMA fight (+900)
- Sign with an NFL team (+900)
WWE Next Likeliest Option for Steveson
At +225 odds, wrestling in the WWE is the second-likeliest option for what Gable Steveson will do next. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, especially as both sides have made it clear that they’re interested in working together.
It’s been rumored that the WWE has been interested in Steveson for quite some time, especially if he could have a career similar to former Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle. However, the 21-year-old added some gas to the fire earlier this week when he sent a hand waving emoji to WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon.
Adding more to the rumors, Gable Steveson will be in attendance at WWE’s SummerSlam pay-per-view on Saturday, August 21. Now, people are speculating whether or not he’ll be meeting with company officials to discuss a possible career path. With Steveson not hiding his willingness to work for WWE, perhaps this meeting could be the start of his potential professional wrestling career. After all, if WWE believes that he can be their future, they won’t shy away from throwing money at him.
Gable Steveson Odds: Is MMA or the NFL in his cards?
Just like he’s talked about a potential WWE career before, Gable Steveson has also discussed the possibility of becoming an MMA fighter (+900). After all, we’ve seen many fighters with amateur wrestling backgrounds dominate the UFC in the past, is it makes sense that he’d be contemplating an MMA career as well. He’s been working on his striking as of late in case he goes down that route and sent a similar hand-waving emoji to UFC President Dana White, further fanning the flames. White is also based out of Las Vegas, which is where SummerSlam is being held, so perhaps Steveson will be meeting with him as well.
At +900 odds as well, there’s an equal chance that Steveson could shift his career to an entirely different sport: football. There have been some rumors that the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings would be interested in signing the Olympian. What’s remarkable about this scenario is that he wouldn’t be the first amateur wrestler to go down this route. Former WWE and UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar was a former NCAA Division I heavyweight champion at the University of Minnesota as well who went on to sign with the Vikings but was cut before he could play an actual game.
Still, the fact that Lesnar managed to dabble in the UFC, WWE and NFL — all options for Steveson — shows that there’s still a lot of time for the 21-year-old to make his career decision.
