While he has yet to capture the gold, he’s firmly pushed himself into the forefront of the minds of wrestling fans – and those in charge of WWE – with his polished performances.
A naturally gifted athlete who performed at the London 2012 Games, Gable has evolved into a real all-rounder, able to wrestle at an elite level and play the role of on-screen villain with aplomb.
He’s blossomed, too, under the stewardship of Levesque, having toiled at times under predecessor Vince McMahon, who famously saddled Gable with the ‘Shorty G’ gimmick years ago.
Discussing his route from there to what is arguably his WWE peak to date right now, the Minnesotan told Gorilla Position: “When I talked with Hunter recently, he didn’t so much as apologise because it wasn’t his fault, wasn’t his idea, but he made sure to tell me: ‘I know you’ve been through some s*** gimmick wise and creatively and going forward we’re going to avoid that stuff and make the most of [what you’re] capable of.’
“That meant a lot coming from him.”
That led to the question of whether or not, following those discussions with Levesque, Gable had signed a new WWE deal – his previous terms on the verge of expiring.
“Yes, I have,” he explained.
“What I’ll say regarding Hunter; when he took over, he saw my trajectory change almost immediately.
“I started getting a lot of singles matches with some of our top guys and, to me, a lightbulb went off and it was like: ‘things might be different now,’ and they have been ever since.
“He’s delivered on pretty much everything he’s ever told me.”
WWE had to fend off some considerable competition to tie down the 38-year-old.
The Wrestling Observer noted that Tony Khan’s All Elite Wrestling had a keen interest in the grappler, with individuals within the company said to be ‘pushing’ Gable to Khan ahead of any potential negotiations.
The former tag team specialist, who lost to Zayn at Clash at the Castle: Scotland on Saturday night, opted to stick with WWE – leaving Levesque delighted.
The multi-time former world champion, now the company’s Head of Creative, went as far as to say he’d happily keep hold of the talented father-of-three for life.
Speaking at the post-show press conference in Glasgow, he said: “The truth is he is an amazing performer I would like for him to be here forever, for him to be able to perform at the highest level, be seen by the most people, have an incredible career and leave here as healthy as possible.
“The environment has changed, and he is a part of that change so, to me, I would have been sad if he’d been here all this time and just went elsewhere, for whatever reasons.
“I’d have been happy for him if that was right for him, and I would’ve wished him incredible success wherever he went – that’s part of the game and this business.
“As far as the conversations we had, that’s not mine to talk about… I’m just thrilled he’s here, I’m thrilled he’s home, where he should be.”
