By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Former WWE wrestler Gable Steveson has signed with Real American Freestyle. Ariel Helwani reports that Steveson, 25, agreed to a multi-match deal. He will debut the RAF 9 event on May 30 in Dallas, Texas. His opponent has not been named.
Steveson signed with WWE in September 2021. He was a top prospect due to his background as an Olympic gold medalist and NCAA National Champion at the University of Minnesota. His run with the company was disappointing, and he was released in May 2024. He tried out for the Buffalo Bills later that year, even though he’d never played football, but he did not make the team. Steveson moved on to MMA and has compiled a 3-0 record with three first-round knockouts. He also won a dirty boxing match via knockout in just 15 seconds. Read more on the story at Yahoo.com.
Powell’s POV: Steveson has expressed interest in fighting in UFC. RAF contracts allow crossover into MMA, so this deal would not prevent him from working for UFC. Steveson seems like a perfect fit in RAF, and he’s a big signing for the company. He didn’t show much personality during his WWE run, so it will be interesting to see if Eric Bischoff and David Sahadi can help in that area. For what it’s worth, Steveson has shown more charisma and charm in credit union commercials that run here in Minnesota than he did at any point during his WWE/NXT run.
On a side note, Gable’s brother Bobby, who worked as Damon Kemp in NXT, a country music artist. Per Cagematch.net, Bobby has only worked twice as an independent wrestler since leaving WWE.
(Jason Powell, founder and editor of ProWrestling.net, has covered pro wrestling full-time dating back to 1997. He hosts a weekly podcast, Pro Wrestling Boom, and also appears regularly on the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast. Reach him via email at dotnetjason@gmail.com and on social media via @prowrestlingnet.bsky.social or x.com/prowrestlingnet. For his full bio and information on this website, click here.)
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