Buffalo Bills Sign Olympic Gold Medalist Gable Steveson | TMZ Sports
Gable Steveson's wrestling career has just been put on pause ... 'cause he's now an NFL player!!!
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00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:05 Welcome back to TMZ Sports, Mike and Mojo.
00:07 Mojo, Gable Steveson, the Olympic gold medalist
00:12 in freestyle wrestling back in 2020,
00:14 and the two-time NCAA wrestling champion, now a professional
00:21 football player, Mojo.
00:23 Yes, an NFL player, because Gable
00:26 has signed with the Buffalo Bills, massive news
00:30 in the NFL, biggest NFL news going today,
00:34 that Gable, who is going to wear number 61,
00:37 is going to play defensive line, perhaps defensive tackle,
00:42 I would imagine, with the Bills.
00:45 This after just a couple of months ago,
00:47 he was released from WWE.
00:50 Remember, after winning the gold medal, Mojo,
00:52 here he was in the wrestling ring,
00:54 made a couple appearances, didn't ever really
00:56 seem to catch on.
00:57 Wow, strong dude, obviously, no longer with WWE.
01:01 Mojo, again, now a Buffalo Bills football player,
01:03 and we'll see if he's got any talent on the football field.
01:06 Man, Babcock, breaking news, baby.
01:10 I mean, this is--
01:12 I mean, this is a big one.
01:13 Gable Steveson, one of the greatest wrestlers of all time.
01:18 What a curious path he's been on since, right?
01:21 You said it went over to WWE, was supposed to be the guy.
01:26 I mean, they essentially wanted him to be the next Kurt
01:28 Angle, right?
01:29 Like that main eventer, world champion,
01:32 and it just, for whatever reason, didn't materialize.
01:36 I mean, probably went in and became
01:38 one of the best athletes on the roster,
01:40 if not the best athlete on the roster from the start.
01:43 And--
01:43 Yeah, you see that, Mojo?
01:44 As you're talking, just him doing backflips,
01:48 incredible, incredible athlete.
01:49 But obviously, it's more than that then, Mojo, right?
01:52 I mean, it's not enough to just be a good athlete
01:54 and be this WWE superstar.
01:56 I'm curious now how all of his skills translate to the NFL.
02:00 And it's like, you're the perfect person
02:02 for all this, Mojo, because you've done all this.
02:03 You played football.
02:04 You've done professional wrestling.
02:06 I'm so curious if it's going to translate
02:08 and he's going to be effective on the football field.
02:10 Yeah, absolutely.
02:11 Well, in pro wrestling, I think he
02:12 might have been lacking a little bit of that character aspect.
02:15 But the good thing is, in pro football,
02:18 you don't need that whatsoever to be good on the gridiron.
02:21 So a very, very interesting move.
02:24 I mean, obviously, we've seen this happen
02:26 before for a similar talent.
02:28 We're talking about Brock Lesnar, right?
02:30 Who went over there to Minnesota, incredibly strong,
02:34 incredibly in shape, a fantastic athlete.
02:37 And it just didn't work out.
02:39 I believe they offered him a practice squad position
02:42 that he declined.
02:44 I mean, probably not the life he was
02:46 looking to live after wrestling and professional wrestling.
02:50 But Gable Steveson going in as a defensive tackle,
02:54 I mean, that's probably the position that makes
02:56 the most amount of sense for him.
02:58 I mean, obviously, he's used to pushing and pulling,
03:00 throwing grown men around.
03:01 A defensive tackle being the perfect spot for that.
03:04 However, the completely different game
03:07 when you put on a helmet and shoulder pads,
03:09 there is completely, completely different techniques.
03:12 And while as he might have a step up,
03:16 jumping right into the NFL against people
03:19 that have been doing this their entire lives,
03:21 I mean, he's facing an uphill battle.
03:24 I don't know how camp is going to go.
03:27 I mean, if he's committed to this,
03:30 unlike Brock, he might have to go the practice squad route
03:34 for a little bit of time and hope the team
03:36 wants to develop him, that he shows enough toughness
03:39 and grit and skill and promise on the field
03:42 for them to make this a long-term investment.
03:44 But if you're expecting a guy to pick up the game
03:48 of professional football in just a matter of a few months,
03:53 I don't know too many people on the planet
03:55 that could expect to pick it up
03:56 and make an impact on the field this season.
03:58 This has to be a long-term project.
04:01 And when you're Gable Steveson and you have endorsement deals
04:04 and so much money to make on the outside of the field,
04:06 which will probably be more than he would make
04:09 on the field this year, I don't know if it makes sense.
04:12 - Mojo, as you're sitting here talking,
04:14 it just occurred to me,
04:15 why not go into MMA?
04:18 Many people believe wrestling is the best base,
04:24 the best skill to go into mixed martial arts
04:26 and you can learn how to throw a punch,
04:27 you can learn some of the other disciplines.
04:29 I'm surprised he didn't go talk to Dana White
04:32 or one of the other big promotions out there
04:34 and go that route.
04:36 At least he's halfway there when it comes to MMA.
04:41 I don't know that this guy's ever put on a helmet before
04:43 and shoulder pads.
04:45 It's gonna be fascinating, fascinating to watch.
04:47 OTA is obviously wrapping up now,
04:51 training camp here in a couple of months.
04:53 Gonna be fun to watch, if nothing else.
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