According to Dave Meltzer on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, WWE’s initial plan was to give Olympic gold medalist and former talent Gable Steveson a push similar to Brock Lesnar’s when Lesnar debuted with the company. Meltzer noted that Steveson was intended to appear at WrestleMania right away; however, he didn’t progress quickly enough for WWE to feel comfortable placing him in such a high-profile position.
Meltzer remarked that the company could have featured Steveson in a match against someone like Chad Gable, probably a short match, but they lacked confidence in putting him in the spotlight. Additionally, Meltzer noted that Steveson struggled with promos, lacked charisma, and fell short in the ring compared to other wrestlers, despite having several matches with Trevor Lee, who is known as an excellent performer. Unfortunately, Steveson did not develop to the level that WWE expected.
Meltzer also mentioned that, unlike his brother Bobby Steveson and Bron Breakker, Gable Steveson did not progress to WWE’s standards. It was suggested that he hadn’t made efforts to improve to the level WWE wanted him to reach. Meltzer indicated that WWE eventually realized they could no longer justify Steveson’s salary, which was closer to main-roster pay than to an NXT salary. Steveson, who recently lost his UFC debut by getting knocked out in less than 20 seconds in the first round, was released by WWE in early 2024.
