Gable Steveson says it wasn't his day.
On March 22nd, Wyatt Hendrickson defeated former WWE superstar Gable Steveson to win the NCAA National Championship in the heavyweight division. Steveson was the top seed, as he had been 17-0, and he lost 5-4.
Speaking on The Pat McAfee Show, Gable Steveson discussed his loss.
“I’m not happy with the result that happened this past weekend. But it’s a blessing to go out there in front of the crowd, in front of the biggest stage, and since leaving in 2022, I’ve always wanted to go out there and give one last good push for the University of Minnesota. So that’s what I try to do. I try to make things as big as possible, and I love the show, I love going out there and feeling the jitters, having your heart race and having a great opponent across from you. Win or loss, the road doesn’t end for me, and I keep going forward," Steveson said.
Steveson went on to note that he was a showman, and he enjoyed playing to the crowd. He stated that if is opponent got his hand raised, it was all love. Steveson noted that, regarding his future, the doors were still opening, and he was happy.
"Win or lose, like I said, I’m always a showman. I go out there, and I turn the crowd up, I show love. If a guy gets his hand raised across from me, it’s respect as always. So the doors are still opening, and I’m just so happy where I am today and where the future’s going to take me," Steveson said.
Steveson later reflected on the loss and said that it was not his time, and he was cool with that. He highlighted his successful career and his contributions to collegiate wrestling, and he stated that his resume spoke for itself.
“It just wasn’t my time, and I’m cool with that. There’s nothing wrong with not having your time and not having your day because I feel that, out of all the other times that I probably could have pulled it off, but that day just wasn’t my day, and it happens. A lot of people are going to say a lot of things about, ‘Hey, he lost,’ but what I’ve done for wrestling I think is unimaginable. I’ve gone out there and won Olympic gold at the last second. I’ve won two Dan Hodge trophies at heavyweight, which no one else has ever done. Two national titles, three-time in the finals, five-time All-American. My resume stands for itself. A quick search can help that out. So like we talked about, it wasn’t the day. It happens, it’s a gladiator sport, and I’m a warrior," Steveson said.
Steveson previously reflected on his time in NXT. Check out his comments here.
Click here to see what Steveson had to say about potentially competing in MMA.
Check out Steveson's comments about his WWE release here.
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