Gable Steveson appears at WWE WrestleMania 38

Olympic gold medalist and two-time NCAA Heavyweight Champion Gable Steveson appeared at night one of WWE WrestleMania 38. 

WWE’s chief brand officer Stephanie McMahon introduced Steveson to the crowd, trumpeting his amateur wrestling accolades, then raising his arm. 

Wrestling for the University of Minnesota, Steveson captured his second consecutive NCAA title on March 19, defeating Cohlton Schultz in the finals. Steveson symbolically left his wrestling shoes on the mat after winning, effectively announcing his retirement from the amateur ranks.

Steveson won his third Big Ten title with a 13-0 record during the 2021-2022 season, and also won Olympic gold in the 125 kg weight class in freestyle wrestling at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, held in 2021. 

Steveson signed an NIL (name, image, likeness) deal with WWE in September 2021, and was drafted to the Raw brand in the 2021 WWE Draft. He has yet to make his in-ring professional wrestling debut, but is expected to be a featured regular on Raw imminently.