WWE Prospect Gable Steveson Pulls Out Of Major Amateur Wrestling Event

USA Wrestling announced on September 6 that Olympic gold medalist and WWE prospect Gable Steveson has opted not to participate in the 2023 Senior World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, later this month. Replacing Steveson will be Final X runner-up Mason Parris.

After his success in the Summer Olympics that took place in Tokyo in 2021, Steveson returned to the mat at the 2023 U.S. Open Wrestling Championships, where he dominated and ultimately won the tournament. He went on to win the 2023 Final X, earning his spot at the 2023 Senior World Championships that will take place from September 16 to 24. However, it remains to be seen why Steveson pulled out of the competition.

The 23-year-old signed a NIL deal with WWE in September 2021 and made a few televised appearances (including a WrestleMania 38 cameo) until he made his "WWE NXT" debut this summer. Steveson's first WWE match took place at NXT Great American Bash in July as he battled Baron Corbin to a double count-out. On top of that, Steveson was not warmly received by the WWE fans in Cedar Park, Texas, that night.

Steveson has yet to return to WWE since his unsuccessful debut. It was reported that he would be away from the squared circle once again to focus on training for Serbia. With that off the table, the amateur wrestler could potentially return to "NXT" sooner rather than later, but he has also expressed his interest in utilizing his last year of NCAA eligibility.