What Next For WWE's Chad Gable?
With Jason Jordan now on Raw, the former Olympian finds himself without a partner.
The Kurt Angle saga finally reached a conclusion when Jason Jordan was revealed as the Olympic gold medalist's son on last night's Raw. It came at the end of a seven-week saga that saw Corey Graves trouble Angle with a series of messages threatening to expose his greatest secret, and eventually, Kurt had no choice but to reveal the truth.
The ramifications for Jordan could be huge. Now aligned with one of the most decorated wrestlers in WWE history, this is a potential breakout moment, and should be the start of a major push. Unfortunately, the outlook for Chad Gable, Jordan's long-time tag partner, doesn't look as clear.
Once one of NXT's leading acts, American Alpha's main roster run has been anything but easy. The duo have continually struggled for airtime since their call-up, and haven't gotten over at all. Their popularity dwindled, and while they eventually became Tag Team Champions, they weren't always on television, and dropped the belts in March.
The duo disappeared entirely in April and didn't resurface until June, when Gable started competing as a singles wrestler. With Jordan at his side, the former Olympian lost to Kevin Owens and AJ Styles in consecutive weeks, but put up a strong fight in both. Now, the reason behind those singles bouts is all too apparent.
Angle's revelation seems to have split Alpha, and left Gable alone on SmackDown. The past couple of weeks have essentially acted as trial matches for Gable as a solo act, and if WWE success was determined on ring work alone, these bouts suggest Chad will have no trouble getting over as a singles act. He's no slouch in terms of personality either, possessing a kind of charisma reminiscent of Angle himself, which should be enough to help him stand out.
Size is Gable's biggest issue. He stands at just 5'8", while Jordan is 6'3". The days of wrestlers succeeding on mass alone are dwindling, but it's easy to see why WWE gave Jordan the Angle rub over his partner. Still, if WWE handle Gable's push correctly, there's no reason his skills can't make him a solid upper-midcarder, even if Jordan looks set to become American Alpha's breakout star.
Chad was as surprised by Angle's revelation as anyone else. He clearly has the talent required to make it on SmackDown's crowded roster, but there's every chance WWE will make him Alpha's Marty Jannetty. Either way, we'll likely learn more of WWE's plans for Gable on tonight's show.