Gable Steveson is coming off his second straight NCAA Heavyweight and is now headed to WWE.
Steveson is set to be part of WrestleMania in some capacity and will start on WWE Raw shortly after, with his planned start date being mid-April after he finishes school.
Steveson's amateur wrestling background gives him a leg up on other talents who enter the world of wrestling, so he's trying to make sure he gets the interview aspect down as well.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani on Helwani's MMA Show, Steveson discussed how he's working on his interview skills.
"He said, 'great job,' congratulating me on my good interview too," Steveson said when asked if he talked to Brock Lesnar following his NCAA National Title win. "He said I had a really good interview, which I was proud to hear. I've been working on my talking skills and making sure I can take things off of me and put it on other people, like my success. I would hate to go on ESPN and say that I'm the best or the greatest American heavyweight who has ever wrestled, I would rather have another person do that instead of me and (I would) say that I would love the kids that will be better than me and anybody else who wants to do what I do, they can do it better too."
When asked how he's been working on his interview skills, Steveson replied, "Just been watching how people talk. I like how Roman Reigns talks. He's so productive, strong with his words, he's one of a kind spokesperson. I look at a lot of interviews online, how celebrities talk and how they take things off of them and put it on people to congratulate themselves, but making sure everyone gets the love put on them too. It has been a hard thing, but I think I'm doing really good at it."
Along with Brock, Paul Heyman has been a big advocate of Steveson, believing he'll be a big box office draw.
Asked if he's gotten advice from Heyman, Steveson said, "Heyman, he's a wizard. There were times when he would tell me certain things to spin to make an attraction bigger than it should be. He's so smart and a genius at what he does. If you see him with Brock or Roman Reigns, he's perfect. His character is amazing."
It is unknown when Steveson will make his in-ring debut for WWE.
You can learn more about his plans for WrestleMania by clicking here.
If you use any of the quotes above, please credit the original source with a h/t and link back to Fightful for the transcription.
