Olympic Gold Medallist Gable Steveson Officially Signs With WWE

Olympic gold medallist Gable Steveson has officially signed with WWE on an exclusive deal, the company announced today.

"WWE signs Olympic gold medalist and reigning NCAA wrestling champion Gable Steveson to an exclusive agreement," WWE wrote. "In the company’s first-ever NIL deal, Steveson will join the WWE roster while defending his NCAA title for the University of Minnesota."

An NIL deal will allow Steveson to attend the University of Minnesota for his senior year. The deals allow college athletes to make money off their name, image, and likeness while still at university. 

Once Steveson graduates in May 2022, his multi-year deal with WWE will begin and he will become a full-time developmental talent. 

ESPN noted a remote training facility will be set up for Steveson near the University of Minnesota campus so he can learn from WWE coaches. The Olympic gold medallist will also have access to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. 

Commenting on his signing, Steveson said: "I've been on WWE since I was really young. I was on guys like Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman for a very long time. So growing up watching them, me being an entertainer on the wrestling mat, it just felt like it was the right choice."

WWE President Nick Khan added: "We all saw his physical ability prior to and at the Olympics. What we also saw was that Gable has as much charisma as he does ability. Marketability and ability are both of great importance to us. This is just the starting line and nowhere close to the finish line. So our investment is based on how much we think of Gable now and how much bigger we think he can become."

Steveson won the gold medal in freestyle wrestling in the superheavyweight division at the Tokyo Summer Olympics earlier this year. He is also a two-time All American and has won two Big Ten Conference Championships. 

He is the first Olympic gold medallist to sign with WWE since Kurt Angle in 1998.