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Showing posts with label Chad Gable. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chad Gable. Show all posts

August 17, 2016

Chad Gable: From Olympic Wrestler to WWE Main Roster With American Alpha


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.

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.

March 7, 2016

WWE And NXT ASF 2016 Coverage Day Two: Samoa Joe, Balor, Bayley Steals Gimmick, Q&As, Tryouts, More


Matches

* Apollo Crews defeated Tino Sabbotelli.

* Chad Gable defeated Riddick Moss.

* Dan Matha vs. Aiden English kept seeing interference from Simon Gotch, so Dylan Miley ran in. William Regal showed up and made it a tag team match, which Miley and Matha won, to the shock of the crowd. Matha and Miley are really plain, but they're brand new to live events, too.

* Tye Dillinger defeated Kishan Raftar. Dillinger chopped the living hell out of Raftar, who messed up an armdrag. It was surprising to see Raftar, Matha and Miley, because last year most of the talents we saw were almost TV ready.

* Bayley defended the Women's title and beat Nia Jax in an NXT TakeOver London re-match. Eva Marie got beaten up by Bayley after the match. Again, Bayley was over. The barricades were rushed as soon as her music hit. During the match, Bayley grabbed the T-shirt and "10" sign that Dillinger left and totally stole his gimmick.

* Jason Jordan defeated Johnny Gargano with a half nelson suplex. Johnny Gargano was really over, as he's an Ohio guy. These two had a good match.

* Apollo Crews defeated Riddick Moss. This was the kind of match both guys had been having all weekend, which was good for the live crowd.

* Billie Kay defeated Alexa Bliss. Poor Alexa Bliss can't get a win in her own hometown. The crowd always popped for her when she came out, but she'd end up heeling them. I have no idea what the Billie Kay gimmick is, but her entrance theme is pretty cool.

* Chad Gable defeated Scott Dawson with a deadlift German suplex. Their partners were fanning them off with the signature towels before they locked up. A really good match, great chemistry.

* Asuka & Peyton Royce defeated Mandy Rose & Emma via the Asuka Lock. I don't think I saw Mandy Rose really mess up all weekend, which says a lot considering she was on a reality show a few months ago. She's learning quickly by the looks of it.

* Finn Balor and Sami Zayn defeated Samoa Joe and Baron Corbin. All of these guys felt like stars in this. This was an outstanding tag team match, which saw Balor get the pin after a Bloody Sunday on Corbin, following a Helluva kick from Sami Zayn. Much like yesterday, it was really impressive to see.

Q&As

* Mark Henry said he didn't know what he's doing at WrestleMania, and might jump someone to get involved. He said he wouldn't mind being in the Andre the Giant memorial battle royal, and tells a story about Andre picking him up after being pushed down at an event. He singles out Apollo Crews as an NXT talent he'd like to face and says he pushed for him. He called the Mae Young era the most fun in his career and said she was a good kisser, before singling out the Undertaker at WrestleMania 22 as his favorite opponent.

* Sara Del Rey, Matt Bloom and William Regal did a great Q&A. They said that nobody from last year's ASF tryouts was still with WWE, and the ones we see are abbreviated to give us an idea. Sara says that she and Matt are like a brother/sister team, while Regal says he coaches a lot of footwork and evaluates talent. Regal says there's no cutoff for age if someone has a supreme skill set, but for someone new, 30ish is the general range. Sara tells us that in her opinion, Bayley should be the next to go up to the WWE roster, and fans thank and clap for Sara's part in the Diva's revolution. They're asked about ZZ, and they say that he's working hard and getting better. William Regal says that he's hopeful that there will be a new season of Breaking Ground, and that he's very excited for Shinsuke Nakamura. Bloom says he's excited to see him and not get kicked this time. Sara closes by saying she'd love women's tag titles in NXT or the main roster.

Familiar Faces

- We mentioned yesterday that several wrestling personalities were around for the Arnold Classic, and today was no different. Former WCW talent Bill Kazmaier met with fans at the event.

Also, Hardcore legend Sabu was there signing and taking photos.

Other notes

- As was the case yesterday, several talents were signing autographs. While the lines didn't reach anywhere near the length of yesterday's they were still pretty long. Eva Marie was a big hit, and was very personable and friendly, taking pictures with people and adding them to her snapchat. Gable and Jordan are also incredibly friendly with individuals in the crowd.

- During yesterday's match with American Alpha, The Revival and made fun of them, calling them the "American Males."

- Tom Phillips is a pro and seems like he loves his job. Dasha Fuentes is a pretty good ring announcer, and they did a great job hosting today.

- Sunday's crowd was much smaller, much easier to navigate and the like. The place was buzzing about Saturday night's UFC.

- Regarding the tryouts, we saw the same names as yesterday there. If they do well, they're invited to a full tryout at the Performance Center.

- Tommaso Ciampa didn't wrestle, but did sign autographs. He wasn't using crutches, slings, or anything to indicate he was severely injured.

March 5, 2016

WWE And NXT ASF 2016 Coverage Day One: Triple H & Arnold, Exclusive Interviews, TNA Stars, More


Wrestling Inc was live on the scene today in Columbus, Ohio as the WWE and NXT held the second WWE Experience at the Arnold Sports Festival. The show was full of matches, surprises, Q&As and autograph signings. Wrestling Inc even spoke to a few of the NXT stars. We'll have full day two coverage tomorrow as well!

- Corey Graves, Tom Phillips and Dasha Fuentes welcome us to the event, and Corey Graves makes the crowd boo Phillips because his mic won't work.

Matches

* Apollo Crews defeated Dylan Miley with a standing moonsault. This was a really slow paced match which Miley controlled with a lot of grounded holds.

* Billie Kay defeated Mandy Rose with a kick to the face. Mandy Rose worked as a babyface during the match.

* Johnny Gargano submitted Riddick Moss with Garano Escape. Dasha accidentally called Gargano Tommaso Ciampa.

* Bayley retained the NXT Women's Championship over Emma with a Bayley-to-Belly. Bayley is over beyond comprehension in Columbus. She gave her shirt to a girl in the crowd, who broke down in tears.

* American Alpha defeated the Vaudevillains with Grand Amplitude. Gable and Gotch put on a mat wrestling clinic in the opening moments. American Alpha are also over big time.

* Finn Balor retained the NXT Championship over Baron Corbin with Bloody Sunday. Seeing Balor pull off Bloody Sunday on Corbin was really impressive.

* Eva Marie defeated Peyton Royce. This was not a good match. Eva Marie still doesn't look live crowd ready.

* Tye Dillinger defeated Tino Sabbotelli. Tino looks a lot like Jessie Godderz in person.

* Asuka submitted Alexa Bliss via the Asuka Lock. Bliss got a big pop from her hometown crowd, then heeled them. This was an excellent match.

* The Revival retained their NXT Tag Titles over the Protein Brothers (King Constantine & Thomas Kingdon) when they cheated. Protein Bros did not look ready to be in the ring, but Dash and Dawson are really good, so it wasn't easy to tell.

* Kishan Raftar defeated someone whose name I'm still trying to find out.

* Nia Jax defeated Billie Kay via leg drop.

* Apollo Crews defeated Riddick Moss and said he expects gold around his waist in 2016. This match was really long.

* Tye Dillinger defeated Johnny Gargano with his finish. Dillinger heeled it up and turned on the crowd after working as a babyface earlier.

* American Alpha defeated The Revival via DQ in a title match. This was a fantastic match.

* Peyton Royce submitted Alexa Bliss, making the hometown girl 0-2.

* Sami Zayn defeated Samoa Joe via pinfall after the Helluva Kick in an awesome match. Easily the best singles match of the show.

Wrestling Inc Interviews

- Wrestling Inc was able to talk to Chad Gable & Jason Jordan, who told us about their Steiner Brothers inspired gear.

- We also spoke to Alexa Bliss, who is a hometown girl in Columbus. She talks about competing at the Arnold Sports Festival in the past, her relationship with Blake & Murphy, as well as possibly moving to the main roster.

Surprises

- Triple H showed up, which was a big surprise, and had Arnold Schwarzaneggar with him. Arnold loved the crowd and spouted off his one liners, including "IT'S NOT A TUMOR."

Arnold says he watches WWE all the time. He also snapchatted in the ring. They talked a little bit about Arnold hosting Celebrity Apprentice soon. They also held a Q&A, where Triple H is asked about several things. He says Arnold was his hero, and he loves his one liners. He mentions that his favorite match is the Hell in a Cell match with Undertaker. A "pinch me" moment was 2,000 kids chanting his name in India. When asked about the Diva's revolution, he says he never saw a difference between men and women, and is open to the idea of a Divas tag division.

Q&As

- Braun Strowman was the first Q&A and says that he'd like to see Matt Bloom inducted into the Hall of Fame for all of the contributions he's made in NXT. He says that traveling is the worst part of wrestling, and eats 7-8 times a day, taking in about 5-6 pounds of meat. When asked about Brock Lesnar, he says he hopes to lock horns with him in the near future. He also says that his size gained him a unique opportunity to bypass NXT, and he seized it. He also said the Wyatt Family has taught him friendship.

- Gable & Jordan did an impromptu Q&A, and Graves told the crowd they'd rather be American Alpha 1.0 than Team Angle 2.0. Jordan says his favorite superstar was Mr. Perfect, and Gable's was Sting. Gable tells the crowd if he could face any team, it'd be the Rock N' Roll Express.

* Cesaro did a Q&A and said that he'd be back in a couple of months. He's most proud of his feat of strength of swinging Great Khali. He hopes Tyson Kidd will be back in action, but he needs another check up. He remembers Sami Zayn and Daniel Bryan arguing for two hours, only for Zayn to agree with him when they get to the venue. He hopes he can get to the main event, but says that fan support is crucial.

- Eva Marie and Mandy Rose's Total Divas Q&A went a couple of minutes, and Eva Marie showed up late for it. They both say Charlotte is the Diva they'd want to face because she has the title.

Familiar Faces

Several familiar faces were at the Arnold Sports Festival. Even though he didn't appear for WWE, David Otunga was there, and stopped by to see former WWE Divas Champion Kaitlyn.

Also, TNA stars Bobby Lashley and Jessie Godderz were in the house.

Kurt Angle was also there, as he was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame.

Tryouts

- Much like last year, WWE held live tryouts in front of the crowd. They were conducted by Matt Bloom and mainly consisted of drilling. There weren't any big indy names or anything of the like that I heard of.

Autographs

Most of the NXT stars participated in autograph signings, which for the second year in a row, had the longest lines of the entire expo. The line went all the way around the stands, then people had to line up going up the stairs as well.

February 19, 2016

Mike Quackenbush On Working At The WWE PC, Trading Holds With Chad Gable, Feeling Validated Now


As noted, indie veteran and CHIKARA owner Mike Quackenbush was recently at the WWE Performance Center for a guest coaching gig. Quack also owns The Wrestle Factory school in Philadelphia and revealed that graduates Cesaro and Sara Amato (Sara Del Rey) were instrumental in WWE contacting him for the guest gig. His week with WWE just wrapped up but "Quack" also worked backstage as a producer for NXT live events. He spoke with WWE's website about working with the company. You can read the full interview at this link. Below are highlights:

What the week consisted of:

I got do a bit of observing, and then I got to do some coaching and training with beginners, intermediates and the advanced players —those that are getting ready to depart NXT and go to the main roster. I got to do in-ring technique, one of my favorites. I got to oversee presentation class. I got to oversee the sessions where the guys and girls review their past performance and we give constructive criticisms and feedback.

Who were some of the WWE NXT talents he worked with:

One of the best things I got to do was spend some one-on-one time with specific talent that wanted to develop certain areas of their game. There was nothing I enjoyed more than having an hour in the ring with Chad Gable, who is simply one of the most outstanding performers I've ever been able to share a ring with. To trade holds and moves, to teach him and learn from him was such pleasure.

Feeling validated after working at the Performance Center:

I recall a study that was done a couple years ago where wrestling fans were asked to name any organization other than WWE. Less than two percent of them could do that. Less than two percent! If that's true, then I've spent my entire adult life laboring in relative obscurity. The things that I do, the things that I make, the theories I espouse, everything I've created, by and large, based on that study, has been in complete obscurity. Oftentimes, especially when it's something you're passionate about , you wonder, "What am I doing? Does it really have value? Does it have any influence?" You want to impact people and make a difference. To be down at the Performance Center and see how openly everything I believed about the art form was not just received, but embraced and celebrated, by people I knew, people I don't know or just met, even people I idolized, like Terry Taylor or Matt Bloom, it gave me a tremendous sense of validation.

January 23, 2016

Triple H and More at EVOLVE 54


William Regal and American Alpha, Jason Jordan and Chad Gable, are scheduled to appear at EVOLVE 54. Other NXT members have also made their way to the event. Backstage at EVOLVE is Triple H, NXT trainer Robbie Brookside, and NXT superstar Simon Gotch. American Alpha signed items for fans before the show. You can see Triple H’s post below:

January 11, 2016

WWE Sending Top NXT Tag Team With William Regal To EVOLVE During Royal Rumble Weekend


As noted, WWE NXT General Manager William Regal will be appearing at the January 23rd EVOLVE event in Orlando, Florida during Royal Rumble weekend. This is part of the working relationship between WWE and EVOLVE's parent company WWN Live.

WWN issued the following update and announced that NXT's "American Alpha" Chad Gable and Jason Jordan will also be appearing for a special signing.

In an unprecedented move, William Regal will be at EVOLVE 54 in Orlando, FL on January 23rd. This is the first time someone in Regal's position will appear on an independent wrestling event. He won't just watch the card from the locker room. He is coming for a reason and with a purpose. What will happen in front of the live audience with William Regal? Be there and witness it for yourself.

Jason Jordan and Chad Gable are officially coming to their first major independent wrestling show. The graphic says it all:

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