6 days ago
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Gable Steveson is set to return to the NCAA Wrestling as the 24-year-old almost-Buffalo Bill and almost-WWE Superstar has one year left of eligibility with the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers due to an extension because of COVID-19.
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According to Dave Meltzer on "Wrestling Observer Radio," this is a decision the Olympic gold medalist has been considering returning to college for a while now. Steveson had previously come up with an idea for an NCAA return in 2022.
"A lot of people were surprised and I was not. He's wanted to do this the last two seasons," Meltzer explained. "He had concocted in his head this angle where he would come out with a hood covering his face and then kind of like unmask and he took it from pro wrestling. Even though he's not popular with pro wrestling fans, he's very popular with amateur wrestling fans."
Meltzer believes Steveson's idea would have gotten a significant reaction from amateur wrestling fans, but the plans were scuttled because Steveson was still with WWE at the time. "I presume WWE nixed it. He just said 'circumstances beyond his control,'" Meltzer continued.
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Steveson also discussed attending the University of Iowa, also a wrestling hotbed, during his extended eligibility. "And that one was nixed by WWE. There's only a few heavyweights in the history of college wrestling who have had 3 [NCAA Heavyweight Championships]."
Winning a third title would put Steveson in the same echelon as Dick Hutton and Earl McCready, both massive wrestling stars from the early days of professional wrestling.

