10 Next Big Things In Wrestling That Totally Flopped
1. Gable Steveson
Attention, WWE: Maybe don't tell fans that someone is the second coming of Kurt Angle before he's ever wrestled a proper match. They did that with Olympic gold winner Gable Steveson, and even had Kurt endorse him as one of the best to ever do it. Fine, but could that translate well into the entertainment-based pros?
The answer, obviously, was no.
Steveson had wanted to be a WWE success since childhood, which is cool. A lot of people do, but they also lack the ability to make it reality. It certainly didn't help that fans turned their noses up at Gable being pushed hard as Angle meets Brock Lesnar 2.0. Then, he popped up in a few uninspiring cameo spots and people were already bored.
Gable's first and only televised match at NXT's Great American Bash 2023 was fittingly against Baron Corbin. He'd had a stinker when retiring Kurt at WrestleMania 35, and now Angle's so-called second coming was out there suffocating vs. Corbs too. It's strange how things turned out that way, but they did.
Too much hype, zero substance.
What other next big things in wrestling totally flopped? For more WWE, check out 10 Gimmicks Other Wrestlers HATED and 10 New Main Event Megastars WWE Are Secretly Building!