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Despite signing with the Buffalo Bills, Gable Steveson chooses to honor his wrestling roots

Gable Steveson restart with a clean slate! After his decorated tenure as a wrestler and ex-WWE star, Steveson’s next chapter involves making his NFL debut. The 24-year-old is reportedly signing a three-year rookie contract with the Buffalo Bills. And before this one hundred and eighty of his career, Steveson notes that he had the chance to compete at the highest level in his sport, but now he is ‘I can’t wait to take on the challenge‘ to see how his wrestling skills translate to football, according to ESPN.

However, the Olympic gold medalist remains a wrestling stalwart at heart. And his presence at the 6th annual Nickel City Duals confirms it.

Gable Steveson cameo to boost the next generation of wrestling

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According to Gable Steveson’s Instagram updates, the Minnesota alum was in attendance at Ilio DiPaolo’s 2024 Nickel City Duals. Scheduled for June 8, this tournament featured 30 high school boys teams and 6 girls teams. The Buffalo Bills’ newest defensive lineman attended the event to encourage emerging talent in his former sport.

From the center of the Riverworks indoor rink, Steveson captured his first Instagram story, giving a quick tour of the venue. The video featured a loud and competitive atmosphere, as duels took place simultaneously on multiple mats. Steveson even added location sticker reading, “Buffalo River Works.”

This effort cements Steveson’s undying love and respect for wrestling. Additionally, after revealing the location announcement on Instagram, he reposted photos with several of his young supporters. In one particular instance, he was even seen posing with a fanboy whose shoe was signed by the icon.

Indeed, Steveson reached great heights in wrestling, gradually shaping his identity. Thus, his presence at the event shows his concern for the future of the sport. Moreover, every advice from him would weigh gold for budding wrestlers. Indeed, the amount of experience Gable Steveson has is incredible.

From wrestling to WWE, Steveson is a man of many talents

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2017 world junior champion, Gable Steveson had his first season with the University of Minnesota in 2018-19. As the Gopher’s starting heavyweight, he went 35-2 in his first season and placed third at the NCAA Championships. However, he redeemed himself in year two with a stunning 15-0.

But Steveson upped the ante after 2020. During his junior year, he won the Dan Hodge Trophy in the 125 kg class and his first NCAA title against Mason Parris. Continuing the momentum, his senior year was just as successful, with another Hodge Trophy, his 2nd NCAA title, and the 2021-22 Big Ten Male Athlete of the Year award. During the offseason, he made his Olympic debut in Tokyo and beat Geno Petrishvili to a defeat in the final to win gold.

via Getty

However, his CV is not limited to that. In 2021, Steveson signed with WWE and appeared sporadically in a few dark matches. However, Steveson’s only televised match was against Baron Corbin at the previous year’s Great American Bash. Speaking of this year, he last defeated Cedrick Alexander on WWE Friday Night Smackdown #1277, in February, before being released in May.

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With such a background in professional wrestling, it’s only natural that Steveson would wish good luck for the future of the sport. And his appearance at the Nickel City Duals is a presumed sign that wrestling can never be taken away from him, despite his change.

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