Chad Gable: From Olympic Wrestler to WWE Main Roster With American Alpha
Tag team superstar talks about wrestling in the WWE, his days as an Olympian and owing Daniel Bryan
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Chad Gable (left) and Jason Jordan (right) of WWE tag team American Alpha. WWE
By Aaron Oster
6 days ago
Four years ago, Chas Betts was representing the United States in wrestling in the Olympics in London. Fast-forward to 2016, and he's still wearing the blue, but the blue is for Smackdown, as Chad Gable debuted on the main roster with his tag partner, Jason Jordan.
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American Alpha only started teaming together just over a year ago, but Gable and Jordan have burst on the wrestling scene in a major way, experiencing the kind of early pop young wrestlers can only dream of. Within that year they have become considered one of the most exciting tag teams on the planet going from NXT to the main roster. But it was a long journey to get to this point for Gable. After 20 years of amateur wrestling, he reached the pinnacle of the sports by competing in the 2012 Olympics. While he didn't medal in Greco-Roman, he decided it was the perfect place to end his amateur career, and turned his attention towards a new goal: getting into professional wrestling. A year later, he was signed by NXT, and by 2015, he started to get on television. American Alpha was born, and quickly the dup rose to NXT tag champions, and then were drafted by Smackdown.
Rolling Stone had a chance to speak with Gable about his debut, his time competing in the Olympics, the transition to pro wrestling, and how he's "Ready, Willing, and Gable" to change the game.
What was it like for you to make your Smackdown Live! Debut?
It was pretty rewarding. We were pretty nervous. Back in those moments behind the curtain before you walk out, you get really nervous. You wonder if you'll hear crickets when you come out. You don't know if the people who are watching Smackdown or Raw are watching NXT on a regular basis. They may have seen it here and there, but you don't know if they'll know you. So it's a little bit nerve-racking. Once our music hit though, all the nerves went away. Once you get through the curtain, you just feel it. The crowd responded great. We were really happy with it.
Beyond the nerves, were you taken aback at all by the great reaction that you did get from the crowd?
Yeah, like I said, we had even talked about being prepared for crickets. We had heard it before, that once you get to Raw or Smackdown, you're pretty much starting over, and you have to think about it that way. When we heard that reaction, we definitely were taken aback a bit. We owe a lot of that to Daniel Bryan and the way he introduced us when he drafted us. He didn't have to go out there and say the things that he said. He didn't have to say that they're drafting the best tag team in NXT. He didn't need to put so much enthusiasm into the Ready Wiling and Gable catch phrase. But he did, and he made it seem like a really big deal. For that, we owe him a lot, because that's a pretty big introduction.
What was draft night like for you?
A lot of people want to know, "Did you guys know beforehand?" And to be honest, we didn't. They didn't really tell us. They just gathered us to basically have a draft party at the Performance Center. Everyone came and had dinner while they set up the big screen. We sat and watched it unfold. It was a really special night. We're kind of a big family down here. We train together every day, some of us for years now. You grow together, so when you watch somebody get drafted, you could see how happy everyone was for everybody else. When someone gets called up, all of NXT is winning, because everybody had a part in everyone else's success.
What were your reactions when you heard Daniel Bryan pick you and Jason?
At first you just don't believe it. You think he's saying it, and the build up was so great. He said best tag team in NXT, and we're just like, "It's gotta be us, it's gotta be us." He started the catch phrase, and I still wasn't sure until he actually said Gable. I just looked at Jason and let out a sigh of relief. We were loving our time in NXT, don't get us wrong. It's a great place to be, and we absolutely loved it. But the sigh of relief was just knowing how confident they are in us, to give us that chance. I think we're going to deliver.
You're obviously very busy now with the call-up, but have you been watching the Olympics this year?
Yeah, I watched a bunch last night in the airport actually. I watched the Opening Ceremonies. Some days I just watch random events. I try to watch as much as I can. Obviously when the wrestling starts I'm going to pay closer attention. The guy who I consider my best friend in the world, Andy Bisek, he was my former training partner in 2012, and he made the team. He'll be competing in Greco-Roman on the 14th, so that's my big day to be watching. I really think he has a chance to win a gold medal, so I'm really excited.
Was it hard at all for you to watch the Opening Ceremonies and not be there?
Not so much. I've been fortunate. A lot of people ask if I ever miss it, or if I'd ever want to go back to amateur wrestling. I don't really. I was very satisfied with my amateur career, and to have it end at the Olympic Games. Unless I had won a medal, I couldn't think of a better way for it to end. That's the pinnacle of what I wanted to reach. So I was really satisfied. I don't really get those feelings of wanting to go back and do it again. At the same time, the Opening Ceremonies was just incredible. For me, that was one of the biggest highlights of the whole experience.
What was the whole Olympic experience like for you?
I considered it my reward for the 20 years that I had put into amateur wrestling. When I got there, it was everything that I had envisioned and hoped that it would be. The buzz in London the whole time we were there was incredible. You can just feel this energy in the air. It didn't matter where you went. Whether it was the Olympic Village, or going around sightseeing, there was this energy. I'm sure it's the same for Rio. I'm sure it's the same wherever the Olympics are. There was a feeling that I've never experienced before. The atmosphere whenever the athletes were all together was just amazing, because there was a shared feeling that we all made it. This was the pinnacle. Everyone was just so happy to be there and happy to compete. It was incredible.
Was your goal always to make the Olympics when you started to wrestle?
No, actually. Funny enough, a lot of people don't know this, but I dreamed of wrestling for WWE long before the Olympics were a goal of mine. I knew that the Olympics were the pinnacle. But I never really sat down and thought about going to the Olympics until probably my junior year of high school. My dad and I stumbled across a training opportunity to go to college and train in Greco-Roman, which is the style I wrestled at the Olympics, and my favorite style. At the time, to go to college and do Greco-Roman, that was a pretty new opportunity, and we jumped on it. It just took off, and it was the perfect decision for me.
