WWE: 5 Reasons Chad Gable Can Survive Alone

2. Gable’s Background as an Amateur Wrestler Matters

Before Dolph Ziggler begins a match, the WWE will have a sidebar with information about him that includes his amateur wrestling career at Kent State, where he was a standout. Shinsuke Nakamura’s background in mixed martial arts gets brought up by commentary on occasion, and the likes of Baron Corbin and Mojo Rawley receive some additional hype in matches when their NFL careers are mentioned. Then, of course, there’s Mark Henry, whose powerlifting accomplishments earned him the moniker, “The World’s Strongest Man”.

An Olympic amateur wrestler and Pan-American gold medalist, Gable’s resume is definitely impressive, and this counts for something. It gives him some more credibility as a competitor, and that can allow the fans to take him more seriously, especially at the beginning of his run as a singles wrestler.

More importantly, he can use his amateur background as part of his character, and he already has taken steps towards doing this. After losing to Styles, Gable said in a backstage promo on SmackDown Live that during his career as an amateur wrestler, he was famous for never losing to the same guy twice. It’s little things like this that Gable can use to propel him as a babyface, but he could also go the Kurt Angle route and use his past accomplishments as an amateur wrestler to play the role of an arrogant heel.