Chad Gable has found resounding success in the worlds of pro and amateur wrestling. With his skill set, many figured an MMA career was on the horizon for Gable before joining the WWE.
A former Olympian and NXT Tag Team Champion, Gable told the Miami Herald that despite popular opinion, he doesn't even really like MMA.
“A lot of people ask that and think it would have made sense, considering my background, but MMA was something I…and still to this day…was not very interested in. I don’t really watch it. A lot of people assume that I do, but I don’t. For whatever reason, it just didn’t grab me like it did a lot of people in my [amateur wrestling] field. For me, it was just amateur wrestling and pro wrestling that I fell in love with.”
Following his amateur wrestling career, it was another former amateur in Gerald Brisco that helped him get into the company.
“I got in touch with [WWE Hall of Famer] Jerry Brisco, who does a lot of the amateur wrestling recruiting for WWE. He was very honest with me and told me, ‘We’re not typically looking for guys your size.’ He’s usually out there scouting heavyweights, which is understandable. All I did was ask him for a shot, and he helped me out. I went down there [WWE Performance Center in Orlando] for the tryout, and luckily I impressed them enough or gave them enough of a reason to think that I could help the company, and they signed me.” said Gable.
American Alpha currently perform on the Smackdown brand, but have yet to capture WWE gold.
